A few years ago, I was exhausted.
Training felt harder than it should. My motivation was gone. My body ached in a way that didn't make sense. And then my period stopped.
I assumed I was overtraining.
In reality, it was something else. Something many women experience without ever fully understanding what's happening.
It was RED-S.
And it wasn't caused by training too much. It was caused by not fuelling enough for the training I was doing — compounded by pressure, perfectionism, and the overall load I was carrying in my life.
What Overtraining Actually Is
Overtraining Syndrome (OTS) is a real clinical condition.
It's defined as prolonged excessive training without sufficient recovery, leading to a performance decline that persists despite more than two weeks of complete rest.
This isn't about feeling tired after a hard week. It's months of declining performance that doesn't resolve even when you stop.
True OTS primarily affects elite athletes — people training four to six hours a day, six days a week, over extended periods. For recreational athletes, it's extremely rare.
What matters more is understanding the spectrum:
Overreaching: short-term fatigue and performance drop — resolves within days to a couple of weeks.
Overtraining (OTS): long-term performance decline — recovery can take months or longer.
If a few rest days fix it, it wasn't overtraining.
This post is written for recreational athletes. Elite and professional athletes operate under different conditions and should work with a sports medicine specialist.
What Most People Are Actually Experiencing
If training feels like "too much," the cause is usually something else:
1. You're not adapted to the load yet. As a beginner, returning after a break, or increasing intensity — your body hasn't caught up yet. That's normal adaptation, not overtraining. Progress gradually and give your body time.
2. RED-S — Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport. RED-S occurs when the energy you expend in training isn't matched by what you eat. It doesn't require an eating disorder — it can happen simply by under-fuelling or underestimating how much energy training actually demands.
The consequences are significant: persistent fatigue, poor recovery, hormonal disruption, mood changes, increased injury risk.
For women, one of the clearest warning signs is this: loss of the menstrual cycle is not a sign of fitness — it's a red flag. If your cycle becomes irregular or stops, especially alongside increased training, it needs to be taken seriously and medically assessed. This is not optional.
RED-S was originally described as the Female Athlete Triad — low energy availability, menstrual disruption, and low bone density. We now know it also affects men, but the menstrual signal in women remains one of the most important — and most overlooked — warning signs in recreational sport.
3. Psychological and life stress. Modern life is demanding — and it all shows up in the body. If you're already carrying a high mental load, even moderate training can feel disproportionately exhausting. Physical and psychological stress draw from the same pool of resources. Your body doesn't distinguish between a difficult meeting and a hard interval session. Both have a cost.
I've experienced this myself — overwhelm and perfectionism showing up as physical pain, low energy, and loss of motivation. On paper, my training wasn't excessive. But my system was already at capacity before I even started.
The Reframe
The language of overtraining leads to one conclusion: do less.
But in many cases, that's not the real issue. The problem is rarely the training itself — it's what's missing around it: not enough fuel, not enough sleep, not enough recovery, too much internal pressure.
Done right, training does the opposite of draining you. It builds capacity. It improves resilience, sleep, mood, and cognitive function. It helps you handle the demands of modern life more effectively. But only if it's supported properly — with adequate energy and recovery.
Warning Signs Worth Taking Seriously
- Fatigue that persists for weeks despite rest
- Declining performance despite consistent effort
- Loss of menstrual cycle or significant irregularity — a red flag, not a badge of honour
- Ongoing mood changes, irritability, or loss of motivation
- Frequent illness or injury
If several of these apply: reduce training, fuel properly, and speak to a qualified healthcare professional. These symptoms overlap with other medical conditions — including thyroid disorders, anaemia, and depression — and should be properly assessed.
Understand the difference. Take the signals seriously. And most importantly: build a system that supports you long term — not one that runs you into the ground.
If you want to understand how to train and recover in a way that actually works — start with the posts on building your routine and the role of consistency.