Overtraining: these are the nine signs you’re pushing too hard in the gym

Feeling as if your fitness progress has hit a stumbling block? You may be overdoing it

Challenging yourself in the gym is good. But there's a fine line between an intense workout regime, and overtraining. Overtraining is completely counterproductive when it comes to achieving your fitness goals, regardless of whether you're working out to build muscle, lose weight or just improve general health. Many exercise scientists assert that overtraining should actually be referred to as 'under-recovery'.

Butler University academic Adrian Shepard says overtraining happens when you're "not allowing your body the opportunity to adjust, adapt and recuperate in response to the training regimen you're taking part in."

Shepard says: "Befriend them. Get to know what they're doing and why they're doing it. Find out what they are training for. Do they realise that what they're doing is harmful to their bodies?" Suppose you're looking to build muscle mass, for example. Your workouts only need to be around 45 minutes to an hour in length. Growth is all about recovery, too. Sufficient sleep and plenty of protein will do more for your progress than battering your body to bits for two hours. Similarly, if training to lose weight you'll need to put the onus on recovery. Carbs provide your body with energy in the form of glycogen. According to the British Journal of Sports Medicine, low-carb diets are more likely to lead to symptoms of fatigue and overtraining. "Glycogen depletion leads to rapid fatigue, particularly after the anaerobic threshold is reached, and may predispose to more prolonged fatigue. "Thus, a poor diet with insufficient carbohydrates to meet training demands, as may occur when an athlete is attempting to lose weight, will increase the difficulty in coping with a particular programme." Read more from JOE