The Burnt Out Feeling After Workouts

Working out can make you feel stronger, more toned and exuberant from endorphins racing through your system after a long run or powerful lifting session. Sometimes workouts can lead to the opposite effect, however, leaving you feeling tired or burned out. And feeling bored or uninspired after working out can make you less eager to exercise. This can be a signal that you’ve been pushing too hard, not giving your body enough time to recuperate between sessions.

  1. Feeling Burned Out from Overtraining

    • Serious fitness aficionados know that you constantly have to push your edge in order to see improvement. Training harder, longer or more frequently can have negative effects on your body, though. Resting between intense workouts is important so that your body can repair muscle tissue. Without recuperation time, your body gets weaker, according to Rice University. Over time, this causes burnout, “overtraining syndrome,” or staleness.

    Symptoms of Exercise Burnout

    • Your body can feel worn out after exercise burnout. Muscle soreness, increased injury or being more prone to getting sick can all be effects. Aside from feeling physically fatigued, a burnt out feeling can cause emotional effects for athletes, according to Rice University. Levels of cortisol, the body’s “stress hormone,” might rise. You could feel moody, irritable, depressed or have a hard time sleeping. Athletes might also feel less competitive or less interested in their sport. Other symptoms of burnout include losing weight or appetite.

    Burnout and Middle Age

    • The motivation to work out can change over time, and you could lose some steam when transitioning between fitness goals. For example, maybe in college you were focused on looking ripped or topping your own fitness stats. As you get older, working out at the same intensity might reap fewer visible payoffs because your body’s muscle composition changes or you might notice your fitness records slipping. This can make you feel less motivated to work out, but consider taking a second look at your goals. Working out to achieve a sense of peacefulness, to improve your heart and lung function, socialize healthfully with friends, or setting an example about active lifestyles for your children could be other motivating factors.

    Treatment After Burning Out

    • Rest is the best antidote to exercise burnout, according to Rice University. Taking a three- to five-day break can help you reenergize; after that, start working out every other day to ease back into your routine. Try to keep your intensity levels the same when returning to working out, but consider working out a bit less frequently than before. Athletes experiencing extreme burnout might take a break for several weeks or months before bouncing back.