Is Overtraining Real? Here Are Facts About Overworking Your Muscles

If you're in the habit of working out your muscles each day, you could be wondering is overtraining real? Weight training is an excellent routine for muscle growth, but you could end up with severe symptoms that occur from overworking the muscles.

After a vigorous workout, it is possible to experience some type of pain or even severe injuries. For this reason, you should be careful that you're not overstraining muscles and causing unnecessary harm.

There are key steps that you can look for to be certain that you do not engage in risks during workout routines.

Is Overtraining Real When You Feel Sluggish?

What are the symptoms when you push your body beyond its limitations? Good exercise programs will make you feel energized. However, in some cases, you could feel tired. A regular workout increases muscle mass, but you may wake up feeling sluggish or tired.

This is a common sign from overworking the muscles. You could be careless with your workouts by failing to take rests between sessions. Keep in mind that you follow the right techniques to avoid constant fatigue.

Overtraining Causes Mood Changes

Did you that your workout routine can have a negative side effect on your mental health? Bodybuilders have a reputation for having bad mood swings or having difficulty concentrating. This is a common effect of overtraining. 

When you want to gain muscles, try not to push yourself too hard to get good results. Overtraining can also cause damage to the heart, it reduces the body's ability to fight sickness, and you could also have trouble falling asleep. 

If you've been working out and feeling anxious or depressed, you can fix this problem by exercising less.

Muscle Injuries

Once you get a muscle injury, always give your body enough time to heal instead of rushing back to your workout routine.

You can become injured from an exercise routine at any time, regardless of your age. You can overwork your muscles, bones, and joints when you're working out. Some common muscle injuries that people experience are corns and blisters, tendonitis of the shoulders, tibia inflammation, bruised toes, and other painful muscle injuries.

Small injuries that you have can also become more problematic if you're in the habit of skipping your rest days. Feeling tired and sore is a significant sign that you should slow down or change your workout routine. 

Sore Muscles

When you're performing an exercise activity, you may not realize that you're doing more harm than good. Some people think that soreness from a workout is normal and should not be addressed. But professionals think that soreness could be a sign of muscle inflammation.

Do not ignore your muscle soreness and continue with your workouts. If your muscles are sore or hurting three days after a workout, you will need to consult with a doctor or your personal fitness trainer. 

Need More Fitness Tips?

Is overtraining real? Yes — but it can be avoided.

If you're interested in personal training or need more helpful advice, contact us today. 

4 Benefits of Group Workout Classes

A lot of people new to fitness hate the idea of wandering around a gym like a lost puppy. You walk in to sign up for a membership and are completed daunted by the sheer amount of equipment.

The front desk guy or gal walks you around on a tour and you realize you wouldn't even know where to start, nor do you know how to use any of the machines. 

We've got the answer - group workout classes.

You committed to leading a healthier lifestyle and you're not going to go back on it. However, you don't want to waste your time by winging workouts you know nothing about, nor do you want to hurt yourself. 

Group workout classes are a great place to start, and we're going to tell you why.

The Top Benefits of Group Workout Classes

Don't get us wrong, personal training is always a great option, too. However, it can be expensive and the pressure of one on one instruction isn't for everyone.

Instead, take a look at all of the benefits of doing group workout classes.

1. Better Atmosphere

For some people, they can workout alone in their garage or basement with no problem. However, for many of us, even veteran gym-goers, we prefer high-energy environments. 

There's something about group workout classes that helps keep you energized, motived, and feeling good! Not to mention, there's something to be said about having a room full of people experiencing exactly what you are going through!

2. Guidance and Structure

Another great benefit of group workout classes is the instructors. They provide the structure of the workout and guidance on proper form and mechanics of all the movements. 

This takes all the worry out of your hands. You don't have to prepare a workout or think about what to do. Additionally, you don't need to worry about being a newbie and hurting yourself because you'll always have trained eyes on you!

3. Accountability and Motivation

Next, as you begin to enjoy the social aspect of being in group workout classes, you can start to make friends or gym acquaintances at the very least. The group environment of seeing familiar people also grants you a level of accountability. 

Not only do you want to see the people you get friendly with, but you also don't want to let them down by missing too many workouts!

Additionally, being in a group environment gives you an extra spark of motivation to keep pushing. If the guy or gal next to you can do it, why can't you?

4. Variety

Finally, group workout classes also give you variety in your workouts. You know you won't get stuck doing the same thing every day.

There are many benefits of switching up your workouts. Most importantly though, it keeps you from plateauing in your results. Group workout classes are generally structured so that you're never repeating the same class multiple times a week.

Get Started Today

Are you ready to make a change?

Check out our group workout classes to see if they might be a good fit for you! We also have other options, including personal training! 

If you want to see what our other clients have to say, take a look at our reviews!

Good luck on your journey and we hope to see you soon!

Getting a Personal Trainer: How to Get the Most From Your Training Sessions

Okay, it's finally time. You're going to get in the gym and make your fitness goals happen. You won't be among those who quit after a week, a month, or even a year.

Whether you're in it to lose weight, build muscle, get healthy for your kids, or have suddenly been struck by the desire to do a bodybuilding contest, you can do it. The fact is, it's never too late for anyone to get started in fitness.

However, if you're new to the game or really want to maximize your results, we suggest getting a personal trainer. However, there are a few important things you need to do to get the most from your training sessions.

Keep reading for 6 important tips!

Maximize You Results by Getting a Personal Trainer

Getting a personal trainer comes with a whole host of perks. They will structure and organize a workout plan for you, watch your form to prevent injury, and give you nutrition advice. 

But in order to avoid wasting you and your trainers time, you need to come prepared and ready to work. The following points will help you get the absolute most from your training sessions.

1. Arrive Early to Warm Up

Whether you're getting a personal trainer for the typical half-hour sessions or the whole hour, you should arrive early and warm-up. Otherwise, that's 10 to 15 minutes cutting into your session each day. 

A good trainer won't let you jump right in without warming up, so they will use your session time. Warming up is very important for reducing the risk of injury while exercising.

2. Stretch on Your Own Time

If you're getting a personal trainer, make sure you have enough time set aside after your session to stretch out. Again, you don't want to waste valuable minutes of session time. However, you may want to take extra time out of the first few sessions to allow your trainer to show you how to stretch, as most people don't really know what they're doing. 

After that, however, do it on your own time. Though, it's important to do it right after the session while your body is still warm. You should never stretch cold muscles!

3. Bring a Water Bottle

Next, you'll want to bring your own water bottle. This seems obscure, but it'll save you a lot of time walking back and forth to the drinking fountain. Just don't nervously drink it down every five seconds or you'll be running to the bathroom!

4. Try Not to Get Too Chatty

One of the biggest mistakes both clients and trainers make is getting too chatty. Over the course of your relationship, it's easy to become close or even friends. It's called "personal" training for a reason.

However, you're getting a personal trainer to maximize your results, so try not to spend the whole time talking, rather than working out. 

5. Push Yourself

Remember the reason behind getting a personal trainer. You want the guidance, motivation, and the extra accountability. Therefore, don't waste your time and money putting in 50% effort during your sessions. 

Your trainer will push you to work hard, but it's up to you to deliver.

6. Stay Committed Outside the Gym

Another major factor in maximizing your results after getting a personal trainer is keeping up your end outside of the gym. This means staying on top of your diet and getting in extra cardio sessions (or whatever your trainer prescribes).

Start Now

When considering getting a personal trainer, it's important not to hesitate. Too many people come into the gym, talk to a trainer, go home to think about it, and never come back. Don't miss out on changing your life for the better!

Contact us today to get started or get more information!

The Benefits of Being Fit and Having an Active Lifestyle

When most people think about working out, they see images of bodybuilders and Instagram "celebrities" posting the same picture every day of themselves at the gym.

However, that's not what working out is about. It's about being fit. It's about improving your overall quality of life. 

While working out and spending time in the gym isn't everyone's idea of a good time, being fit and healthy is incredibly vital to anyone's life. 

Keep reading to learn the top benefits of being fit, and learn how it can change your life!

The Benefits of Being Fit

We've compiled a shortlist of the top five benefits of being fit. However, keep in mind, there are endless benefits and perks of leading an active lifestyle and maintaining your fitness!

1. You'll Live Longer

Studies have shown that leading a healthier and active lifestyle literally extends your life. 

Think about it this way, the majority of people living in the United States are overweight or obese. Being overweight and obese are the leading causes of major illnesses and health complications. They can cause diabetes, heart disease, joint problems, and more.

2. You Have a Higher Quality of Life

Not only will working out and leading an active lifestyle help you live longer, but it will also improve the quality of the longer life. One of the major benefits of being fit is slowing down the aging process!

Working out, especially resistance training, helps increase and maintain lean muscle mass, increase and maintain bone density, and keep your joints strong and agile. However, for people new to resistance training or weight lifting, we recommend hiring a personal trainer.

A personal trainer can help you based on your specific goals while minimizing the risk of injury.

3. Reduce Depression and Anxiety

Exercise has also been shown to reduce symptoms of mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Working out is a mood booster of sorts. One of the most important benefits of being fit is having a constant leg up on anxiety and depression.

When we are physically active, our body releases hormones called endorphins. These are feel-good chemicals that help boost our moods and even reduce our perception of pain.

4. Keeps Your Waistline Down

While eating right is definitely a huge factor in keeping a trim waistline, it's also one of the more rewarding benefits of being fit.

Working out keeps lean muscle mass on your body. The more lean muscle mass you have, the faster and more efficiently your metabolism works. The more efficient your metabolism is, the more calories your body burns each day!

5. Improves Sleep and Boosts Energy

Finally, many people in today's society struggle with waning energy throughout the day. Ironically, by the time they're ready for bed, they can't sleep. The reason is that being inactive all day keeps you groggy, but doesn't make you tired enough to sleep at night.

One of the benefits of being fit and active is improving your energy throughout the day and improving your quality of sleep at night.

Get Started Today

Are you ready to start experiencing the benefits of being fit? 

It's never too late to start. It doesn't matter how old you are or what kind of shape you're in. Everyone can benefit from getting into a fitness routine!

If one on one personal training isn't your thing, check out some of our classes! Otherwise, you can always contact us with any questions!