Q1: Is there such a thing as too much exercise? I feel like I’m getting physically burned out from going to the gym. I’m tired and my joints ache sometimes.

Q2: My workout consists of 60 minutes of cardiovascular exercise and about 30 minutes of weight training four to five times a week. I’ve heard that you can overwork your muscles and, in doing so, see fewer gains than if you exercised less. Is this true?

A: While millions of Americans don’t get enough exercise, others get too much of a good thing. Extended periods of intense training can actually cancel out some of the benefits of physical activity and possibly lead to injuries and other problems.
“Sometimes less is better,” says Andrew Fry, director of the exercise biochemistry lab at the University of Memphis and a spokesperson for the American College of Sports Medicine.
Physical performance that has declined or plateaued despite vigorous activity is the hallmark of overtraining, according to Fry. Doing the same routine over and over without variation can be a major factor behind poor results. “If you provide the same stimulus every time, you’ll adapt to it,” he says.
Monotonous workouts and pushing the body too hard also can result in injury, weakened immunity, decreased interest in exercise, depression, fatigue and sleep disorders.
And while many people get in a brief fitness rut every now and then yet rebound within a week or two, it can take months for someone to recover from a bout of overtraining, Fry says.
Athletes and bodybuilders are most at risk, but experts are increasingly concerned about overtraining among recreational exercisers as well.
Some people think that if four days of weight-training is good, then six must be better, Fry says, or that they need to do aerobics, lap swimming and weights every day.
Another mistake is reading about the workout of a professional athlete and trying to mimic it, Fry says, because “it works for Mr. America.”
Dr. Jonathan Chang, an assistant clinical professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, says recreational athletes tend to suffer overtraining problems because “they don’t know their limits and they push themselves farther than their bodies are capable of handling.”
Problems can start when couch potatoes aim to reach a particular goal in an unreasonable time frame. For instance, after gaining 10 to 15 pounds over the holidays, people often decide to hit the gym. But instead of gradually building up their level of activity, they go overboard, taking five aerobics classes a week or lifting too much weight too soon.
“They figure that if a little exercise is good, a lot is going to get rid of those pounds faster,” Chang says.
And though weight loss may occur, it can be at the expense of other aspects of good health. “If you do any sports activity to excess, you can get any number of overuse injuries,” he says, including tendonitis, stress fractures, hamstring tears and joint problems.
While people tend to associate these injuries with aerobic activity, weight-lifters should be aware that they too are at risk for problems of the back, wrists, shoulders, knees and elsewhere. Some experience “disappearing clavicle syndrome” in which the ends of the collarbone start to deteriorate from too much stress associated with such activities as the bench press, Chang says.
Health experts urge walking and other types of moderate physical activity every day, but intense aerobics and weight-training on a daily basis is generally not advised. Beginners should always start slow and work their way up. More advanced exercisers should consider their goals and their current level of physical activity when determining whether and how to ratchet up their workouts.
Fry advises exercisers to periodically consult a qualified personal trainer who can give them an updated, tailor-made program based on their goals, level and time restraints.

AVOIDING FITNESS RUTS
While the professionals can guide you and help you inject some variety into your workout regimen, don’t overlook the obvious.
“Listen to your body,” says Fry. “You need to know when to back off.” If you’re showing signs of exercise burnout, you may need to reduce the duration of your exercise, the number of sessions per week, the weights that you lift or all of these factors.

Some additional tips for preventing overtraining:

*Spice things up. “Workouts with variety to them are going to be more interesting as well as potentially safer because you’re getting your cross-training and not overtraining one particular area,” Chang says.
*Give yourself a break. Include one or more recovery days in your workout schedule each week. In general, people who lift weights should avoid working the same muscle group two days in a row (abdominals excluded). Bear in mind, Fry says, that “as you get older, the recovery period becomes greater, even if you’re physically fit.”
*Aim for a balance. Don’t overwork certain areas of your body more than others.
*Avoid prolonged periods of extremely intense activity. “The closer you are to your physical limit,” says Chang, “the closer you are to suffering some type of injury.”

by: Jacqueline Stenson MSNBC

Signs of overtraining

The main indicator of overtraining is physical performance that has decreased or leveled off. Other possible signs:
• Injury

• Joint aches and pains

• Longer time to physical recovery after a workout

• Decreased motor coordination

• Increased susceptibility to colds and other illnesses

• Decreased desire to exercise

• Fatigue

• Sleep problems

• Eating disorders

• Irregular menstrual cycles

• Headaches

• Stomach trouble

• Depression

• Low self-esteem

• Trouble concentrating

• Decreased ability to cope with stress

List by: American College of Sports Medicine