Training Burnout Explained: What It Is, Why It Happens, and How to Fix It

If you’ve been training for a while, you have probably come across a phase referred to as ‘burnout’. Burnout is when your desire to train has dwindled and everything just simply feels hard.

Why does this happen?

Well, in this blog, I’ll cover what burnout is, why it might be happening to you, and how you can combat it.

How to spot burnout?

Burnout in relation to training is where your motivation has dropped, you have hit a plateau in terms of visual progress or being able to lift more weight, or you are more irritable when it comes to training.

When this happens, it’s the body's way of signalling to you that there’s some warning signs showing on the dashboard and something needs addressing.

Let’s be clear though, this is something that everyone experiences over their training lifetime and it normally boils down to one of two categories; physiological or psychological.

How to Spot Signs of Physiological Burnout

Physiological symptoms can show in a few different ways and are normally easier to spot than psychological symptoms. They can include:

• Stalled or declining performance across various different lifts
• Inconsistent and disrupted sleep outside of your normal ranges
• Long lasting soreness from training (more than normal!)
• Overuse injuries and flair ups

These symptoms often show their head after prolonged periods of intense training where you are pushing very hard without allowing time for deloads or rest periods.

How to Spot Signs of Psychological Burnout

Psychological symptoms are harder to spot because they are more subjective, but here’s some traits to watch out for. They can include:

• Dreading your workouts and procrastinating from sessions
• Mood swings, often shown in irritability towards simple day-to-day tasks
• Disengagement within your training sessions with an overwhelming feeling of not being bothered about technique and performance

What are the causes of burnout?

Now that we have covered what burnout looks like, let’s delve into what causes it.

1. Substandard fatigue management: 

You know when your body feels heavy and you don't have the energy you are used to? This is normally a sign that you have overdone your training. But more often than not, people will push through these signs and continue to burn the candle. They don’t take rest days, often add more on to their already busy training programme, and expect the body to just catch up. I like to compare it to a car that needs a service. Imagine that you’ve completed your 10,000 miles and now the car needs a service. However, rather than getting a service when you should do, you carry on driving it until something breaks. This is the same as humans reaching the stage where they are burnt out.

2. Poor nutrition choices: 

If you are in a deficit, your body is already fighting because you are no longer giving it the calories it needs to sustain your current weight. This in itself is enough to create a burnout environment because you’re asking more of your body than it was accustomed to. Being in a deficit is the way to go for weight loss but you should be cautious with how drastic the deficit, and the duration you make it last for, because it will have an impact on your mood and energy levels.

3. Life stressors: 

Quite often the overlooked element of burnout. Work stress, children, financial commitments, sleep, relationships…these all add to your plate, but can often spill over the edges. All of these things are compounding on to the same system - yourself - so be aware of these factors when it comes to your training.

How to combat burnout in your training

We know what it is, what causes it, but now let's look at how to tackle it.

1. Deload your training

A deload is where you alter the volume and intensity of your sessions - often for a week or two - to give the body a bit of TLC. This doesn’t mean your training or exercise routines need to cease altogether, but it means that you dial things back a touch to give your body a bit of time to reset and rejuvenate.

There’s different ways to do this, but I like to keep it simple for clients by following these rules:

• Complete up to 2 sets max for each exercise
• Reduce weight by 15-20% (1-2 Dumbbells or pins on a machine)
• Don’t go any harder than 2 reps close to failure - MAX!!
• Reduce cardio time by 25% and lower the intensity to a 5/10 max.

The sessions will feel a lot shorter but remember, it’s in the best interest of your body.

2. Increase calories temporarily

If you have been in a deficit for a while, it's never a bad idea to spend a couple of weeks at maintenance or in a slight surplus. Not only will this be beneficial to muscle repair, but it will give you a bit more pep in your step. This does not mean eat like a pig - try and stick to your good habits but allow for some more food on your plate.

3. Active recovery phase

If the previous two don’t feel like they’re quite enough, then it might be time for a bigger break in general. I’d give yourself up to two weeks where you leave the gym alone and consider going on a few more walks instead. Nothing too strenuous, but enough to help your mind switch off.

If you’re worried about losing your gains and strength then fear not because the body will hold onto strength for up to 3 weeks on average!

Final thoughts

If you’ve been training for a while now, then I'm sure you’ll have had a phase like this. It's totally normal and nothing to be worried about. The body will often give you signals when it needs a rest like we’ve discussed above.

Try not to stress about it - give the body some well deserved rest and come back ready to tackle your goals again.

About Me & How I Can Help

I’m Sam, a personal trainer who helps people train smarter, not just harder. Whether you’re new to the gym or trying to push past a plateau, I can help you build muscle, grow your confidence, and train more effectively.

I offer personal training from my private space in Stourbridge, and I also work with clients online through personalised training plans.

If you want to get more out of your workouts and start seeing real progress, get in touch. Let’s put together a plan that works for you.

Got a question? Drop me a message - I’m happy to help.