When is it too much?

By Bernie Clark
December 5, 2024

In a previous article, we learned that it is possible to overdo exercise, stretching and weight bearing practices.¹ Excessive stress, when not balanced with adequate rest and recovery, can lead to tissue damage. Of course, too little stress is not good either. We need a ‘Goldilocks’ amount of stress—neither too much nor too little, and applied at the right frequency. The lingering question was: how do we know when we’re doing too much? Time for an answer.

Overdoing, also called overtraining, is more common in the worlds of dance, sports, gymnastics and weight training, but any activity can be pursued to an excess and that includes yoga. Athletes are familiar with several symptoms of overtraining, such as the big one, pain! While pain might seem like an obvious indicator, it is often overlooked or ignored. Many dancers, athletes, and even yogis may disregard or misinterpret their body’s requests to slow down and rest. For many, sensations that are sharp, burning, stabbing, or tingling are clear warnings to stop the activity causing pain. But there are many people who interpret these sensations as the body telling them to keep going: they are just about to breakthrough to a personal best. For these people, the adages “no pain, no gain” and “pain is weakness leaving the body” are guiding lights in their pursuit of higher performance. Unfortunately, that pursuit inevitably comes at a cost, as shown in Figure 2, which illustrates the trade-off between stress and health.

Athletes, dancers and gymnasts at the highest levels of their craft seek to obtain the maximum performance that their bodies can yield. It is a competitive world and the difference between being the best and being ignored can be very small. As figure 2 shows, the cost of maximum performance may be reduced health. It is no wonder that at the highest levels of competition, many people have trained themselves to either ignore pain signals from the body or misinterpret them as good signs. But, for those of us who are seeking optimal health we should not ignore our body’s warnings.

There are many warning signs

While pain when exercising, or after you stop exercising, may be the most obvious and often the most ignored sign that we are overtraining, there are many other messages as well. Have you experienced any of the following signs? If so, did you adjust your activity or continue to push through?

1. 1. Persistent Fatigue
      • Feeling constantly tired, even after rest or sleep, can indicate that your body isn’t recovering properly. This can result from physical, mental, or emotional stress.³
   2. Decreased Performance
      • If you’re struggling with tasks that used to feel easy, whether it’s lifting weights, going to your edge in a yoga pose or holding it for as long as usual, or maintaining focus during practice, it could be a sign of overtraining.⁴
   3. Prolonged Muscle Soreness
      • It’s normal to feel sore after an intense session, but if the soreness lasts longer than usual (e.g., several days) or feels unusually intense, it might mean you’re pushing too hard.⁵
   4. Frequent Illness
      • Overtraining can weaken the immune system, making you more susceptible to colds, flu, or infections.⁶
   5. Mood Changes
      • Irritability, depression, or lack of motivation are often linked to excessive stress and inadequate recovery.⁷
   6. Sleep Disturbances
      • Difficulty falling or staying asleep can result from an overstimulated nervous system.⁸
   7. Increased Resting Heart Rate
      • A higher-than-normal resting heart rate in the morning is a common indicator of overtraining or excessive stress.⁹

There is debate in the scientific literature as to how often, how severe and how important the above consequences of overtraining are.¹⁰ We do not need to go into that debate here because what is important for us is answering this question: do you experience any of the above effects? If so, maybe you are pushing too hard.

Shorter term signals

Beyond the above long-term signs of overtraining, there are immediate signals that can help you assess whether you’re pushing too hard in the moment. Here is a little mantra I employ when teaching yoga: “What stops me?” It is useful to know when we have reached an edge in our postures which should not be pushed beyond. Generally, what stops us is either tension in our tissues or we reach a point of compression where are parts of our body are contacting each other. If tension is the answer to the mantra’s question, over time, we may be able to go further and lessen the tension thus increasing our range of motion. However, once we reach a place of compression, the unique shape, size and orientation of our body’s parts are preventing further flexibility in that direction. Going beyond this point can increase the risk of injury. We have reached our end range of motion. While reaching your end range of motion is natural, attempting to go beyond it may lead to strain or injury. Additionally, staying longer in a pose may not be healthy if your body is sending you a signal to back off or come out. We need to listen for these signals.

How do we know if we are stopped due to tension or compression? What are you feeling? The table in figure 3 is not universally applicable, but for most people it is a fairly faithful representation of the sensations that may arise when tension or compression is reached.¹¹ Figuring out what you are feeling will be a good indicator of what is stopping you.

How to know if you are going beyond your edge?

The edge is a stopping point. We might go further if the edge arises from tension or soft compression,¹²  such as flesh pressing into flesh. However, with hard compression, like bone-on-bone contact in an extended elbow, it’s best to stop. If you are not currently able to determine whether going further or working harder or longer is a good idea for you, check if you experience any of the following:

1. 1. Reduced Range of Motion or Pain in Poses
      • Instead of feeling open or flexible, you may notice restricted movement or sharp pain, particularly in areas you’ve been working on intensively.
   2. Difficulty in Relaxing or Focusing
      • Yoga should ideally leave you feeling calm and centered. If you find yourself more restless or anxious after practice, it may be a sign of overexertion.
   3. Constantly Pushing for “More”
      • Feeling the need to deepen every pose, hold longer, or stretch further can be a sign of a mindset driven by ego rather than balance.
   4. Excessive Muscle Tension
      • Instead of a balanced, easeful feeling after yoga, your body might feel tight or stiff, especially in areas worked repeatedly.
   5. Burnout Symptoms
      • If you dread coming to your mat or feel apathetic about practicing, it could mean you’re physically or mentally overdoing it.
   6. Injuries or Re-Injuries
      • Pushing too hard can lead to strain, especially in vulnerable areas like the wrists, knees, low back or hamstrings.

Mindfully Avoiding Overdoing It

If you are experiencing any of the above signs perhaps it is time to adjust your mindset. Remind yourself why are you doing yoga in the first place. Surely your intention is not to create damage to your body. If your intention is to regain or maintain optimal health, here are a few suggestions for your practice.

• • Listen to Your Body: Respect the signals your body gives you, such as fatigue or discomfort, and modify your practice when needed. For instance, if you feel persistent soreness, consider resting or switching to a restorative practice.
  • Balance Stress and Recovery: Alternate between vigorous practices (like Vinyasa or Ashtanga) and restorative ones (like Yin or gentle Hatha).
  • Include Restorative Practices: Incorporate yoga nidra, meditation, or savasana to allow the nervous system to reset.
  • Avoid Comparison: Remember that every body is different, and progress looks different for everyone.
  • Seek Guidance: If you’re unsure whether you’re overdoing it, consult a yoga teacher or coach who can provide feedback tailored to your situation.

By recognizing these signs and adopting a balanced approach, you can apply just the right amount of stress for growth while avoiding overtraining. Remember Goldilocks and avoid credit cards.

__________________________

¹ See The Credit Card Effect: Fact or Fiction (November 8, 2024).

² The Yerkes-Dodson Law illustrates the relationship between stress and performance, often shown as an n-shaped curve. Introduced in 1908 by Robert M. Yerkes and John D. Dodson, their research revealed that moderate arousal enhances performance, while excessive or insufficient stress impairs it. See Stuart McGill’s Low Back Disorders for applications to musculoskeletal health, emphasizing optimal mechanical load (Human Kinetics, 2007, p. 8).

³ Overtraining Syndrome, Cleveland Clinic, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/overtraining-syndrome  accessed November 27, 2024.

⁴ Weakley J, Halson SL, Mujika I. Overtraining Syndrome Symptoms and Diagnosis in Athletes: Where Is the Research? A Systematic Review. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2022 May 1;17(5):675-681. doi: 10.1123/ijspp.2021-0448. Epub 2022 Mar 23. PMID: 35320774.

⁵ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overtraining

⁶ ibid

⁷ ibid

⁸ Overtraining Syndrome, Cleveland Clinic

⁹ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overtraining

¹⁰ Weakley J, et al. Overtraining Syndrome Symptoms and Diagnosis in Athletes.

¹¹ Your Body, Your Yoga (2016), the first book in a trilogy exploring human variation and ranges of motion, p. 21. See more at Your Body, Your Yoga.

¹² One example of soft compression is when the back of the calf presses into the back of the thigh when you move into Child’s Pose. To learn more about tension and compression, see the article What Stops Me? at https://yinyoga.com/what-stops-me/.