The Myth of Overtraining

When I tell people my daily workout routine, sometimes i get this reaction:

"Oh my goodness! You're overtraining!"

No, I'm not. My body will definitely know if I am.

But this is also a fear that people have around intense exercise.

In fact, it’s one of the most common fears I hear—and almost always from people who are not training enough to come close.

Here’s the truth: overtraining is rare.

It’s not caused by walking more, lifting weights a few times a week, or doing two workouts in a day. Overtraining is a systemic condition seen in high-level athletes who are training at high volumes, high intensities, for long periods of time without adequate recovery, fuel, or sleep.

Elite endurance athletes train for hours a day. Competitive lifters train heavy multiple times per week. Their bodies adapt because stress is followed by recovery.

Joe next door isn’t overtraining because he lifted weights and went for a walk.

What most people experience isn’t overtraining—it’s under-recovering.

And that’s an important distinction.

Stress Isn’t the Enemy—Mismanaged Stress Is

Training is a stressor. Life is a stressor. Work, poor sleep, under-eating, hormones, emotional load—those all matter more than whether you did “too much cardio.”

Your body doesn’t count workouts. It responds to total stress and how well you recover from it.

That’s why two people can follow the same program and have completely different outcomes.

Two-A-Day Workouts Aren’t the Problem (If You’re Smart About It)

Yes—you can train twice in one day.But when you do, recovery practices become non-negotiable.

I call these Recovery Practices.

Others call them Prehab.

Either way, they’re what allow your body to adapt instead of break down.

Recovery Practices That Actually Matter

1. Fuel Like Training Counts

If you’re training twice in a day, you cannot eat like you’re sedentary.

• Protein supports muscle repair

• Carbohydrates replenish glycogen

• Under-fueling is one of the fastest ways to feel “burnt out”

Most “overtraining” symptoms are actually under-eating in disguise.

2. Sleep Is the Ultimate Performance Tool

You don’t recover in the gym—you recover while you sleep.

• Deep sleep drives muscle repair

• Poor sleep amplifies soreness, fatigue, and stress hormones

• No supplement can replace it

If sleep is off, everything feels harder.

3. Low-Intensity Movement Is Recovery

Walking, mobility work, light stretching, zone-2 cardio—this is not “extra stress.”

It:

• Improves circulation

• Reduces soreness

• Supports nervous system recovery

This is why athletes move more, not less.

4. Manage the Nervous System

Your body can’t recover if it never feels safe.

Simple practices matter:

• Breathwork

• Time outside

• Downshifting at night

• Reducing constant stimulation

Chronic stress + hard training = poor recovery.

Hard training + good regulation = progress.

5. Train With Intention

Not every workout needs to be max effort.

• Hard days should be earned

• Easy days should feel easy

• Volume and intensity should fluctuate.

• Consistency beats chaos every time.
  

6. Support Tissue Recovery Directly

• Foam rolling

• Epsom salt baths

• Sauna or heat exposure

• Stretching and mobility work

• Massage guns or manual bodywork
  

These can help reduce muscle tension, improve circulation, and support recovery between sessions—especially when training volume or frequency increases.

The Bottom Line

Most people are not overtraining.

They’re under-recovering, under-fueling, under-sleeping, and over-stressing!

For every one person that is overtraining, there are 100 that are under-training.

So, go get after your workouts, and use some of the recovery practices I outlined above.

Above all, change your mindset! Where your mind goes, your body will follow.