overtrain

American  

[oh-ver-treyn] / ˌoʊ vərˈtreɪn /

verb (used without object)

1. to exercise too hard or without sufficient recovery time, often causing injuries or a decline in performance.

   When you overtrain with weights, you are constantly tearing down your muscles and not allowing your body to catch up in repairing them.

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verb (used with object)

1. to exercise (a muscle or muscles) too hard or without sufficient recovery time, often causing injuries or a decline in performance.

   Be careful not to overtrain individual muscle groups—rotating your workouts will help you avoid this.

2. to exercise or train (a person or animal) too much, too hard, or without sufficient recovery time.

   Keep the sessions short so that you don’t overtrain or overtire your dog.

Etymology

Origin of overtrain

First recorded in 1790–1800; over- ( def. ) + train ( def. )

Example Sentences

“Lissette has a whole calculation, because you can’t overtrain and you can’t undertrain,” Norton said.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 15, 2023

Do not overtrain them to injury, do not make them train injured, and do not valorize competing that way, even if that means revising the narrative of the 1996 Olympics with clear eyes.

From Slate • Aug. 9, 2021

Swimmer Simone Manuel drove herself to overtrain, then became all but paralyzed when she did.

From Washington Post • Jul. 27, 2021

Button, the 1948 and 1952 Olympic champion, cautioned Hanyu not to overtrain.

From New York Times • Jan. 4, 2018

"Then we'll do better not to overtrain," said Dick quietly.

From The High School Boys' Canoe Club by Hancock, H. Irving (Harrie Irving)