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I have been following the below mentioned regime since June

Upper Body (A) - Dumbbell Shoulder press, Incline Push ups, Barbell rows

Lower body (B) - Goblet squat, Barbell deadlift, dumbbell lunges Rest (X)

ABXABX, 10 reps and 3 sets for each lift

I also used to do elbow planks, side plank and wrist curls (for wrist pain pain due to hypermobility).

Since mid-July, I have stopped doing planks and my workout is like ABXABXX with wrist curls on upper body day.

As a beginner who has hypermobile joints, I am lifting less weights and going very slow with progressions. I start each workout session with a bit a mobility work followed by 3 warm up sets, then 3 working sets, with 3-5 minutes of relevant stretches at the end.

For not being able to complete reps, I had been doing shoulder presses to failure until a few days back when I got to know that as a beginner, I should avoid training to failure.

I sleep for 6-8 hours at night.

I have been reaping the benefits of lifting like better pain management for joints, increased weight, increased appetite. However, I have one major point of concern. I have a hormonal disorder that apparently gets aggravated due to mental or excess physical stress. And my symptoms are all over the place within a few days since I started lifting.

I have started feeling anxious (and racing thoughts) without much reasons. My immunity is also off the place.

I also get bruxism (teeth grinding) due to excess physical/mental stress - that has also come into picture now.

Looking back, I somehow reach at lifting weights as a possible cause, although I'm not sure of it. I have tried taking 5-7 days off about 2-3 times but to no effect.

Before I pay a visit to a doctor, I want to rule out overtraining.

Could my workout schedule be possibly too much for a beginner in strength training?

3 Answers 3

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No.

The volume of your workout is not enough for overtraining, and the fact that you took time off confirms your problems are not due to your lifting. See a doctor. Especially due to the fact that you have a preexisting hormonal disorder, your doctor will be the best source of information.

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Your program looks well designed and well followed, and none of what you've mentioned suggests overtraining in the normal sense.

However, working out is literally a form of stress. It's supposed to be a manageable stress. If you're concerned about the physiological stress of working out affecting your condition, or if you're worried about overtraining, I'd focus on getting more sleep. Six to eight hours is frankly not that much for most people.

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If you have cortisol deficiency (as an example) and get treated with hydrocortison, you need to increase your dose, lets say 5 mg for normal training or 10 mg for heavy. If you are not diagnosed, it might be you are just producing enough cortisol yourself, but not enough extra for training.

Of course this was just an example, there are over 10 other hormones like thyroid hormones that have similar effects, so you should consult your doctor or a specialist for hormones.

With medical problems it is usually recommended to do lighter training so you avoid taking more hormones because those have side effects too.

Side note to the "cortisol is bad" people: Your body is probably producing more than 5-10 mg when you excercise, with the same side effects, so excessive stress is always bad for the body.

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