Signs of Overtraining

• Changes in your sleep patterns, especially insomnia
• Longer healing periods for minor cuts and scratches
• Fall in blood pressure and dizziness when getting up from a prone or seated position
• Gastrointestinal disturbances, especially diarrhea
• Gradual loss of weight in the absence of dieting or increased physical activity
• Greater than usual increase in heart rate during a standard exercise session
• Leaden or sluggish feeling in legs during exercise
• Impaired mental acuity and performances or inability to concentrate
• Inability to complete routine exercise training sessions that were no special challenge previously
• Increase in resting heart rate (recorded early in the morning) by more than ten beats per minute
• Excessive thirst and fluid consumption at night
• Greater susceptibility to infections, allergies, headaches, and injuries
• Lethargy, listlessness, and tiredness
• Loss of appetite
• General loss of enthusiasm, drive, and motivation
• Loss of libido or interest in sex
• Irregular or no menstruation in premenopausal women
• Muscles and joint pain
• Sluggishness that persists for more than 24 hours after a workout
• Swelling of the lymph nodes

Taken from Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper's Antioxidant Revolution (1994, Thomas Nelson Publishers; page 97). This book and others written by Dr. Cooper are available at www.coopercomplete.com.