How much exercise is too much exercise? The short answer is, unsurprisingly, “it depends.” It depends on your age, your condition, and your goals, meaning why you are exercising in the first place. The New York Times put the question to several nicely credentialed health experts and came away with some helpful advice.
Kristen Dieffenbach, an exercise scientist and director of the Center for Applied Coaching and Sport Sciences at West Virginia University, points out that our strength doesn’t increase during workouts; it increases during recovery, when what is basically damage caused by workouts is repaired. And yes, it’s possible to do more damage than your body’s recovery can handle. Dieffenbach tells the Times that there is no formula for determining out capacity to recover, but one good indicator is our state of mind. If you’re more tired than you used to be, or if workouts seem particularly unpleasant, it might be time to dial things down.
Want to know more about overtraining? Read Gina Kolata’s report, which includes a warning about over diagnosis of overtraining. Want to read more about over diagnosis of overtraining? Stop yourself while there’s still time.