A great workout can make you feel on top of the world, but sometimes you just want to collapse on the floor. The latter is exactly what happened during Victoria Beckham’s recent session with her husband David Beckham at her gym.
The 48-year-old former professional soccer player jokingly shared two snaps of his wife lying on the floor after a morning workout on his Instagram Stories.
In one image, Victoria is seen lying down with her arms spread wide. “Not to be dramatic or anything but this is what happened this morning,” David wrote above a picture of her, teasing his exhausted wife.
A second snap showed the former Spice Girl lying down with her back to the camera. David added a GIF of a woman making vomiting motions, suggesting Victoria felt her nausea after the workout.
The fashion designer later fired back at her husband by sharing a photo of him face down on a floor mat to show how tired he was from training. She wrote in the caption, “And the Oscars…”
It’s all fun and games for the Beckhams, but pushing too hard during a workout can have very real consequences. Fitness experts have warned that training too hard, known as ‘overtraining’, can lead to injury and fatigue.
What is overtraining?
Jack Claxton, a personal trainer at David Lloyd Clubs, tells Yahoo UK that everyone has a different physical limit to how far they can push themselves, but there are some signs that you might be pushing yourself too hard.
It can feel like you’re “training at a level your body isn’t used to or has never been at before,” or when you’re not fueling your body with enough food, sleep, and water. Sometimes it feels like you’re training. “If this is the case, your regular workouts and training may feel ‘too hard’ because your body isn’t getting enough fuel.”
Working too hard can also mean you end up working out all the time without giving yourself enough time to rest and recover between workouts.
Ultimate Performance personal trainer Mark Bohannon added that unless you’re a professional athlete, training seven days a week is “never a good idea.”
“When you want to change your body, whether it’s losing weight or building muscle, there’s often a temptation to go too hard. “It happens when you desperately want to change but don’t know how. The best thing to do is to overtrain and it backfires,” he says.
What happens if you overtrain?
Staying fit is very important to stay healthy, but it’s also important to get enough rest to allow your muscles to recover. This is especially important if you exercise regularly, Bohannon says, because exercise “creates microscopic tears in your muscle tissue,” which can only be repaired by cells called fibroblasts when you’re at rest.
“If you don’t rest, your muscles don’t have time to repair and you won’t get stronger. Also, overtraining depletes your energy stores and makes you feel weak, so no matter what exercise method you use, , gradually it becomes almost impossible to lift heavier weights, run faster, or row harder.
According to Claxton, over-exercising can cause symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, lightheadedness, shortness of breath, and a pale face. “After training, you may experience severe pain that you don’t feel during regular training.”
Claxton recommends that most people who train regularly take one to two full days of rest a week, and those who don’t, take three to four full days of rest. These rest days don’t have to be consecutive, but it’s important to give your body time to recover.
Important tips for recovery after a difficult workout
nutrition
“Put nutritious calories back into your body to replenish your energy levels and promote muscle growth and cell recovery,” advises Claxton. If possible, getting personalized nutritional advice can help you become healthier and recover faster. This is because different people react differently to different foods.
water
Hydration plays a big role in recovery. Be sure to drink plenty of water before, during, and after your workout.
sleep
“Sleep is an important time for our bodies to recover,” says Claxton. “Be disciplined and spend an hour less in front of the TV and an extra hour in deep sleep. Then you’ll feel better.”
protein
Claxton explains that protein is an important macronutrient involved in recovery, as it makes up the building blocks of the body’s cells and muscles.
comprehensive treatment
“A great way to relax your body is to take advantage of spa facilities, get a massage, or take a class that includes lots of stretches to remove lactic acid and relieve pain,” he added.
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