How many days is considered overtraining?

Author: Lilyan Ritchie  |  Last update: Friday, April 4, 2025

Unfortunately, there's no concrete answer to that question. For most people, the answer is… less. If you're training six or seven times per week but you're not training for a specific sport, event or competition, chances are you're overtraining.

How many days a week is overtraining?

If you're wondering how much exercise a day is too much, cap training sessions at 90 minutes. If you train 5-6 days a week, think about how much is too much exercise a week – you'll likely need to do shorter training sessions so you get enough recovery.

How do I know if I am overtraining?

Training-related signs of overtraining
  • Unusual muscle soreness after a workout, which persists with continued training.
  • Inability to train or compete at a previously manageable level.
  • "Heavy" leg muscles, even at lower exercise intensities.
  • Delays in recovery from training.
  • Performance plateaus or declines.

Is 2 rest days a week too much?

Taking 2-3 rest days per week is normal and necessary for recovery. While feeling guilty is common, remember that rest is crucial for preventing burnout and reducing the risk of injury. Embrace rest days as part of your overall fitness routine and focus on listening to your body's needs.

How much exercise is considered overtraining?

You can experience overreaching after several consecutive days of hard workouts. Past this point, you will begin to experience overtraining syndrome as you train without resting. Many athletes take this decline in performance as a reason to train harder.

How To Maximize Gains and NOT Overtrain | Overtraining Science Explained

How many rest days to avoid overtraining?

It's generally a good idea to take at least one to two rest days a week, Ash says. But there are some personal factors that come into play when determining the perfect amount of rest for you, including: Your typical fitness routine and workout goals. Your level of training.

Is 5 days a week at the gym too much?

Generally speaking, you should be going to the gym twice to five times per week, but it depends on your goals.

Will I lose gains after 2 days off?

It Actually Takes a Lot Longer Than You'd Think to Lose Muscle From Not Working Out. In other words, relax—a week or two off when you're sick or traveling isn't a dealbreaker.

Is working out 7 days a week bad?

Working out every day is okay as long as you do not overexert yourself. It's important to take care of your body so you can produce efforts that support your goals.

Do muscles grow on rest days?

Downtime between workouts (whether you're lifting, doing cardio or training for a sport) is when our bodies have a chance to actually build muscle. Strenuous workouts cause muscle breakdown, while rest allows our bodies to build it back up.

What is stage 1 overtraining syndrome?

In the first stage of overtraining syndrome, an increased production of stress hormones and a slight increase in sympathetic activity (the system that operates in immediate stressful situations such as fight or flight) are often involved.

Is doing push ups every day overtraining?

Doing 100 push-ups a day can help build muscle mass, strength, and endurance, especially in your core and upper body. But it can also increase your risk of muscle imbalances, injury, and overtraining. It's important to focus on proper form when practicing push-ups.

Can you damage your heart by exercising too hard?

But in some cases, extreme exercise can damage the heart. Research is showing that a small percentage of middle-aged and older athletes who compete in endurance events over many years may be at higher risk for developing atrial fibrillation – an irregular heartbeat – and other heart problems.

How long does it take to fix overtraining?

Overtraining syndrome is different than feeling sore the day after a big workout or training session. It's a medical condition that causes physical, mental and emotional symptoms. Recovering can take anywhere from a few weeks to months.

What is considered excessive exercise?

Researchers have defined excessive exercise as exercising to the extent where a person loses control and feels a compulsive need to continue the exercise behaviors even when it impairs their ability to function in various areas of their life and/or causes physical injury. 2,3.

Do you really need rest days?

They help you make fitness progress

Exercise releases stress hormones and, just as working long hours with no days off can negatively impact your health, too much exercise without enough rest can lead to burnout.

Is 2 rest days in a row bad?

Try to plan one recovery day for every 2 to 3 days of training. Except after a competition or a very intense effort, it is ideal to avoid choosing 2 consecutive rest days.

Is lifting 6 days a week too much?

It's not necessary to lift weights every day, and if you do, you increase your risk for overuse injuries and overtraining syndrome. For most people, strength training two to three times a week is sufficient, but if you prefer to split training different muscle groups, then you can train up to five days a week.

How long does it take to get fit?

As a rough guide, you'll probably notice some initial changes in the first four to six weeks, but longer-term changes (what you're working toward) will often take around eight to 12 weeks. The good news is that you're likely to start feeling better quickly.

Will I lose strength if I don't workout for 2 weeks?

While missing 2-3 weeks of structured workouts will cause some decrease in strength, maintaining regular daily movement and activity can help minimize these losses.

Is it okay to skip the gym for a week?

“There's no hard and fast rule for how long a 'break' from exercise should be,” Ting says. “It may be as short as a few days, but it's important to realize as well that it can also be up to one to two weeks without any significant detriment or loss in previous fitness gains.”

Will I gain weight if I don't workout for 2 days?

Skipping a day of exercise won't cause weight gain, but frequently missing workouts may impact your weight management efforts and make it harder to stay motivated. Experts recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise and two days of resistance exercises per week.

Am I overtraining test?

Physical and Mental testing seems to be the most reliable and helpful method of assessing impending or established OTS. These tests include time-to fatigue tests, sport-specific maximum aerobic function tests, and strength or power tests for particular sports.

How many rest days to build muscle?

Experts recommend 2 to 3 rest days between strength-training workouts like lifting weights. So you can plan resistance workouts that target different muscle groups. For example, you might do upper-body exercises on Monday and lower-body exercises on Tuesday. On Wednesday, you could do a cardio workout.

What are the symptoms of over exercising?

Here are some symptoms of too much exercise:
  • Being unable to perform at the same level.
  • Needing longer periods of rest.
  • Feeling tired.
  • Being depressed.
  • Having mood swings or irritability.
  • Having trouble sleeping.
  • Feeling sore muscles or heavy limbs.
  • Getting overuse injuries.

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