Can Over-exercising Kill You?

7 min readNov 9, 2021

Too much of anything is highly dangerous. We talk about how this is true when it comes to over-exercising with a real-life example in this detailed article.

Oh, that’s one hell of a title, we agree. But we don’t add aggressive titles without logic and reason, do we? Do you know how people say (there are also proverbs in every language known to man) that too much of anything ends up turning poisonous? Here, we examine this statement with respect to over-exercising with a real-life case study in the end.

Before we jump into the details, let’s look at some statistics:

How Much Exercising Is Too Much?

The exact definition of too much exercise varies from person to person — body to body to be precise. People always try to apply the Goldilocks rule (not too big, not too small, just the right amount) to various things in life. This approach should be applicable for over-exercising too. You should try and find the right balance. Each body is different and so everyone has distinct limits when it comes to working out.

Hardcore athletes will spend hours in training every week. This isn’t feasible for a commoner. But in general, doctors recommend that 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity every week is mandatory. Exercise is a kind of physical stress for your body. Giving it a little bit of stress helps improve your immunity but it’s important to not overdo it.

More often than not, over-exercising happens because one gets involved in too much physical exercise without giving their body, proper rest. The recovery time following intense workouts is very essential. All of this ends up affecting one’s performance. The best way to know if you are over-exercising is by noticing how the body reacts after the workout sessions. Most of the time, human bodies show some signs that clearly indicate over-exercising which are often ignored. Some such signs include:

Feeling tired and fatigued the entire day
Inability to perform activities at the same energy level
Muscle soreness that lasts for 3–4 days
Recurrent injuries (mostly internal) due to workouts
Troubled sleep

If you feel like you show even 3 out of these 5 for a prolonged time, you need to take a break and give your body some rest, probably even consult with your doctor.

Negative Effects Of Over-Exercising On Your Health

To keep chronic diseases at bay and to lead long and healthy lives, physical activity is essential. Regular exercise enables active lifestyles, watches over your weight, and also keeps your heart healthy. However, it is also important to understand that too many trips to the gym or highly frequent intensive workouts might defeat the sole purpose of working out and make you permanently sick.

Heart Diseases

Excessive exercise might cause a spike in blood pressure. What’s worse, they might harm your heart and arteries, as well as get your brain hooked to exercising. That’s terrifying! R esearch suggests that if you exercise for more than 7.5 hours per week, you are at risk for a health condition called CAC (coronary artery calcification). Don’t let the scientific name scare you, it’s basically a predictor of heart diseases through calcium-containing plaques. So, the first and most important effect that over-exercising has on your body is the risk of heart diseases. Ironic, isn’t it? Something that prevents heart diseases does the exact opposite when overdone?

Emotional Duress

Confusion, irritation, aggression, and mood swings are all symptoms of an overworked body. When you don’t allow your muscles enough time to recover, you’ll have chronic soreness, which will hamper your daily tasks, as well as make you feel lousy mentally. It’s common knowledge that both physical and mental health are highly interconnected and the deterioration of one directly affects the other.

Hormonal Changes

There are some hormonal changes that over-exercising brings about, which in turn causes mental state changes. High-intensity endurance training lowers testosterone levels by 20–40%. People who engage in high-volume endurance exercises, such as marathons and triathlons, may notice a reduction in sex drive when their testosterone levels drop. Happy hormones like serotonin and dopamine also reduce over time. Some women who over-exercise also experience menstrual irregularities.

An Interesting Case Study

Here is interesting speculation of a recent incident that shook the entire nation. 29th October, a day which no one could forget in India — Puneeth Rajkumar, the sandalwood Kannada star, passed away. While this has the entire country mourning, at a pretty young age of 46, the cause of his death has drawn heavy attention. There are some interesting theories, even from the experts (here are articles 1 and 2 for instance) that say the actor’s passion for working out could have been the very reason for his early demise. This turns everyone’s attention to the question “Can over-exercising cause death?”

On the morning of 29th October 2021, after a regular morning workout with boxing and steam sessions, Puneeth became exhausted. This is not too surprising, owing to the nature of his workout. He was pretty normal when he walked into the clinic — blood pressure, heartbeat and lungs, all normal. He was sweating profusely and an ECG was conducted, showing some strain. He was taken to the hospital immediately, where he breathed his last. His cardiologist explained that the cause of death was a medical condition called “sudden death” caused by a massive cardiac arrest. He also surmised that the excessive workout session might have ruptured Puneeth’s coronary arteries leading to a blood clot that led to the heart attack.

It’s important to learn an extremely valuable lesson from this case study.

Prevention Is Better Than Cure

Learning from your own mistakes teaches you a lot in life. But learning from other people’s mistakes makes you wise. What happened to the beloved star shouldn’t happen to anyone. So what should you do to stop over-exercising?

Respond To Your Body’s Needs

Listening to your body is the most important thing to keep over-exercising at bay. Never take your body or the signals it gives for granted. Knowing your body and what it’s telling you is crucial especially when it comes to making sure you are not pushing yourself beyond breakage point. Also, taking an adequate amount of rest is a huge part of exercising. So when it comes to exercising, listen and respond to your body and try enjoying it. When you feel uncomfortable, stop right there!

Consistency Is Key

Please remember that you cannot become perfectly fit overnight. Start slow and light. Ten minutes of gentle workout (like a ten-minute walk) every day can take you to great heights when done sincerely and consistently. Don’t expect short-term results with gentle workouts every day if you want long-term and long-lasting results.

Don’t Fall Prey To Society’s False Standards

With all the body-shaming and negativity out there in our society regarding plus-sized people, it’s crucial to not let it get to your head. There is nothing wrong with being a little overweight, and working out should only stem from you. Not others. Do it for you. To become healthier. Not because “Sharmaji ka beta” is perfectly fit.

Final Word

So that, dear readers, brings us to the end of yet another interesting article from Daksh, the official techno-management fest of SASTRA Deemed to be University. In this week’s recommendation list, we have “Million Dollar Baby” directed by one of the most brilliant brains in the world, Clint Eastwood. We personally vouch for this movie’s greatness, let us know how you like it in the comments! Don’t forget to share this piece with your friends and family, one tap for you means a ton to us. Adios until next time!