Whether it be Hyrox, Athx, Xenom, Deadly Dozen or any of the events that have been on the go or are starting to sprout up, people are now training a ton.
It is great to see people go get after it. But there's a problem when high volume, high intensity training is paired with a calorie deficit.
High volume, intense training requires fuel. If performance matters to you, your eating needs to reflect that. If it doesn't, your training should reflect that instead. Focus on strength training and let the deficit do the work.
Whether you're training for performance, fat loss, or aesthetics, knowing the signs that you're doing too much is worth paying attention to. Think of it like your body's check engine light; address it early on and you're good. Ignore it long enough and things get worse.
Below are some lesser-known signs your body might be asking for a break. This isn't necessarily overtraining, it might just be overreaching. You don't need to check every box - one sign is enough to warrant some adjustments.
2 am wake-ups / insomnia Training hard raises cortisol, and if recovery isn't keeping up, that elevation doesn't come back down like it should. Elevated cortisol keeps your nervous system in a heightened, alert state, which makes it harder to fall asleep and easier to wake up in the middle of the night. If you're consistently up around 2 or 3 am for no clear reason, that's often your nervous system telling you it hasn't downshifted from training stress.
Unusually low appetite You'd think training a lot would make you hungrier, but it can do the opposite. High intensity training suppresses appetite in the hours after a session, and when that's combined with chronic training stress and a deficit, your hunger cues get quieter instead of louder. That's a dangerous mismatch. Your body needs more fuel, but it's not sending you the signal to eat more.
Stalls or decreases in performance This is usually the first thing people notice and often the last thing they act on. If your lifts are stalling, your times are slowing down, or a session that used to feel manageable now feels brutal, your body is telling you it doesn't have what it needs to adapt. A little stagnation is normal. A consistent decline over weeks isn't.
Not peeing much This one gets missed a lot. When training stress and low calories pile up, cortisol rises, and that pushes up another hormone called aldosterone. Aldosterone tells your kidneys to hold onto sodium and water instead of releasing it. The result is you retain fluid instead of clearing it, so you notice you're not peeing as much even if you're drinking enough. It's tied to how your body is handling stress overall, not a sign you need to drink less water.
Low motivation Not wanting to show up isn't always a mindset problem. When training stress outpaces recovery, it affects the same hormonal systems tied to mood and drive. If you used to look forward to training and now you're finding excuses to skip it, that dip can be a physical symptom, not just a mental one.
Inability to relax This ties back to the same nervous system response behind the 2 am wake-ups. Overreaching keeps your body in a heightened state, so even at rest your heart rate stays a little higher and it's hard to fully wind down. If you feel like you can't sit still or switch off even when you have the time to, that's worth paying attention to.
Slow healing skin Cortisol suppresses your immune response and slows collagen production, both of which your body needs to repair skin and tissue. If cuts, bruises, or blemishes are taking longer to heal than they used to, your body's resources are being funneled toward handling stress instead of repair.
Irritability Mood changes are one of the most well-documented signs of doing too much. When training stress isn't matched by recovery, it disrupts the same hormonal and nervous system pathways that regulate mood. Snapping at people more than usual or feeling on edge for no clear reason can be your body showing the wear before you consciously feel it.
The Takeaway None of this means you need to stop training. It simply means it's time to check in. Maybe that's pulling back the volume for a week, prioritising recovery, or adding some calories back in.
And if performance is the goal, your eating needs to support it. If it's not, let your training reflect that instead. Either way, listening to what your body is telling you is an essential skill; the more you listen, the more it gives back. 💪