How To Avoid Training Addiction

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Although sticking to your workout program is great for health and building lean muscle, there is a fine line between being consistent and being addicted. Training addiction is a common thing for many men and if it's not looked into quickly enough, it can lead to over training, injury, eating disorders and an unbalanced lifestyle.

COMMON CAUSES OF TRAINING ADDICTION

There are two main causes of training addiction.

* The first cause of training addiction is vanity. Some men believe that the harder they workout, the better they will physically look.
* The second cause is similar to issues that lead to eating disorders which can be related to past life experiences or childhood. If the man was overweight as a kid, he may have created a negative body image. No matter how much he works out, he always sees the same fat child in the mirror. This is what pushes his training to the extreme, and causes a serious training addiction.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

One of the main problems with training addiction is an unbalanced lifestyle. For example, I recently confronted a friend who I haven't seen for a long time due to the fact that he is always at gym. He started gym a few months ago and since then hardly anyone had seen him. When he was invited out to do something he would turn it down and say that he needs to go gym. I eventually persuaded him that he needs to balance his life and not base it solely on working out. He came out with me one night to a bar, and even then he couldn't enjoy himself as he was too worried about how many calories were in a drink and constantly saying how guilty he felt for missing a gym session. You could say he was the reason I decided to write this post.

My friend is a clear example of training addiction. His workouts were more important than meeting his friends, family and other obligations. Only after he had a session down the gym could he partly relax and enjoy himself, but still calorie counted. Some men have training addiction that's so severe that they cant keep their minds of it and function normally in life.

SYMPTOMS TO LOOK OUT FOR

* You become socially isolated
* You feel useless if you haven't completed a workout for the day
* You feel worried if you have missed a training session
* You fear becoming injured and not being able to workout
* You feel depressed
* You avoid social situations that involve food and drink that might hinder you diet
* You turn down dates to workout
* You exercise for long periods every day or more than once a day
* You schedule your life around your gym sessions
* You only allow yourself to eat after you have exercised

If you are starting to develop one or more of these symptoms then you should take a look at your training habits and identify the problem.

PROBLEMS WITH TRAINING ADDICTION

Training addiction can lead to many injuries due to the fact that you are not letting your body recover from previous workouts. You are basically over training. Your muscle tissues break down more and more, and without recovery periods you will begin to lose muscle mass and slow your metabolism down.

Men with training addiction can also develop a syndrome called bigorexia. This basically means they never feel muscular enough so they keep training. Some will even resort to steroid use.

Some men may develop severe depression. They feel that no matter how much they workout, they will never be good enough.

SOLUTIONS

If you catch this disorder early enough then it should be relatively easy to break free from this addiction. Firstly think about the reasons for going to the gym. It may be to improve your physical appearance, become healthier, or to improve your sport performance. If you realise that you don't have to workout everyday to achieve these goals, then you should be able to put this problem to bed.

Secondly, right down a list of things you value in life and all the things that make you feel good about yourself. This will help you increase your self-esteem, and realise the things you're missing out on.

Another solution is to take a break from gym. Don't go for a week and let your body recover. You will realise that your body hasn't changed much over the rest period and that missing a few workouts isn't such a big deal.

Lastly, if you feel that you suffer from extreme training addiction then you need to speak to a professional. There may be underlying causes that you cant see and need a counsellor to help you figure it out and break free.

HAVE YOU EVER SUFFERED FROM TRAINING ADDICTION? HOW DID YOU DEAL WITH IT? SHARE WITH US IN THE COMMENTS!

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