Overtraining is a trap almost ALL driven gym goers and athletes fall into — leaving them broken and injured.
Many of my clients in Taunton are guilty of this which is why they’re normally on my massage table.
In this article, I’ll explain why it’s such an easy trap to fall into and what you should do about it.
Why Overtraining Is a Silent Threat (Especially Over 35)
As you age, your body changes — hormonally, neurologically, structurally. What you could get away with in your 20s now carries more cost: slower recovery, more inflammation, deeper nervous system fatigue.
You train 4–6 times a week, maybe double sessions. But instead of feeling strong and explosive, you feel:
Tight
Drained
Prone to injury
Like you’re “just getting through the session”
According to research from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, over 30% of recreational and competitive athletes show signs of overtraining or non-functional overreaching at some point in their training year — most without even knowing it.
I honestly think this number is extremely conservative as I would go as far to say that 90% of all committed athletes are overtrained. This is a hypothesis but if you consider the lengths that most athletes will go to be the best and how hard they will push themselves.
Well you can understand my point of view.
Training can be addictive too.
As a 400m athlete myself, back when I was training 6 times a week, I almost felt comforted by the aches and pains after a hard session on the track or in the gym. It felt like I was doing my upmost and I was leaving no stone unturned in my pursuit of faster times.
But as I found out, this only led to fatigue and sub par performance in training and competing. I was fit but because I was fatigued, I could never allow that fitness to flourish. That is the danger for most athletes and avid trainers – constantly being achey and sore might make you feel “fulfilled and satisfied” but you can never fully bring your best performance to the surface.
And then, without warning, your shoulder flares up, or your back tweaks again. For me, it was hamstrings.
It constantly brought my training to a halt.
This isn’t bad luck — it’s system fatigue. And the older you get, the less room you have for error.
“Strength Is a Skill” — Pavel Tsatsouline
Pavel, one of the greatest strength coaches of our time, said:
“Strength is a skill.”
That means it’s not just about how much you lift — it’s how well your system is wired to produce force.
If your nervous system is fatigued…
If your breathing patterns are off…
If your body is compensating due to old injuries or stress…
Then you’re not building skill — you’re building dysfunction on top of dysfunction. And that’s when the injuries come.
What You Can Do About It
You don’t need to stop training.
But you do need to train smarter. If you’re training 5-6 times a week and you’re over 35, here’s 3 ways to prevent overtraining causing injury and tired performances.
- Cut the sets down in each exercise in the gym (2-3 is fine eaven for relative strength work
- Cut the exercises in each program. For any body part, you only need to 1-2 exercises.
- Cut the session time to at least 45 mins max (including warm up and cool down)
Now this might be uncomfortable for you, right? (I’ll bet)
Well then you need to push yourself in the exercises that you do.
You also need to do understand that you can’t cover all bases in every program.
For example, if you’re doing RDL’s for hamstrings, you may need to leave the nordic curls to another workout or phase of your training.
There’s a motto I live by and you should too. I don’t know if I came up with it – probably not – everythings been said and done but it’s this:
Freshness Is Fitness
Now obviously you need to have trained to make use of it but it’s the most understood concept in sport performance and even the world’s best athletes get it wrong,
But if you can hold back the reins in your training, understand strength as a skill to practise then you can can do outstanding perrformances into your 30’s, 40’s and 50’s.
It really is the consistent training you do over months and years that makes the difference. Not putting crushing workouts back-to-back in the days and weeks.
Now there is another way you can help recovery and prevent overtraining.
— and that starts with making sure your nervous system is firing in the right sequence.
That’s where Be-Activated comes in.
Why You Should Book a Be-Activated Taster Session
Be-Activated is a breakthrough neuromuscular system that resets your body’s ability to:
Activate key muscles like your diaphragm, glutes, and hip flexors
Reduce compensation patterns that lead to injury
Restore power, movement, and speed at the source
This isn’t massage.
It’s not rehab homework.
It’s a system used by elite coaches and athletes worldwide to reboot the body for performance and resilience.
In your 30-minute Be-Activated taster session, we’ll:
Test your muscle firing patterns
Identify where your system is breaking down
Start rewiring your body for strength, fluidity, and injury resistance.
Ready to Stay Unbreakable After 35?
You don’t have time for another injury.
You’ve got too much strength left to build.
[Book Your Be-Activated Taster Session in Taunton now] and discover how your body can feel powerful, connected, and injury-free again.
