But for a select few individuals, this isn't the case. In fact, they may be doing too much aerobic exercise or cardio training overall, which will only set them up for serious problems such as injuries, overtraining, and lack of motivation for other things in life.
Wonder if you could be doing too much? Here are some sure-fire signs...
1. You Dread Cardio Time. The first sign is an obvious one. If you start to actually dread doing cardio sessions, you know something is up. While we all have those days where we aren't exactly thrilled to get into the gym for more cardio; you should never dread them.
At least not for more than one day in a row. If it feels like you'd rather clean bathrooms each time a cardio session comes your way, you know you're doing too much.
2. You Find It Hard To Do Any Activity. Second, if you start to notice doing any sort of activity throughout the day is tiring, this is also a sign you are doing too many cardio sessions.
Another telling sign is if your legs feel very heavy doing these tasks. If it feels like too much to even walk up the stairs for instance, it's time to rethink your workout program.
3. Your Heart Rate Is Lower. Finally, the last self-check to do to see if you might be doing too much cardio, is to look at your morning heart rate. If it becomes slower than usual, this is a sign your parasympathetic system may be taking over. This is more common in endurance overtraining than it is in strength overtraining - in which case your heart rate would be elevated.
Many look at a lower heart rate and think it just means they are becoming more fit, but really, this isn't the case. Be careful if you notice your heart rate lowering at a speedy rate as it may mean more is at play here.
So there you have the main points to be aware of and be on the lookout for when it comes to your cardio training program. Could you be doing too much?
