You hit the gym, push your limits, and stay consistent, but if you’re skipping recovery, you’re actually holding yourself back. Overtraining doesn’t just slow muscle growth; it ramps up inflammation, messes with your metabolism, and puts unnecessary stress on your heart.

In today’s episode of Extend, I’m breaking down why recovery is the missing piece in your fitness routine. We’ll cover how overtraining wrecks your hormones, metabolism, and nervous system (and how to fix it), the science-backed “sweet spot” for exercise frequency that maximizes gains without burnout, seven next-level recovery strategies, like breathwork, sauna therapy, and sleep tracking, to speed up muscle repair and prevent injury, and why tracking HRV (Heart Rate Variability) and HRR (Heart Rate Recovery) can help you gauge whether you’re actually recovering or just digging yourself into a hole.

If you’re constantly sore, exhausted, or stuck in a plateau, this episode is for you! More workouts aren’t the answer, better recovery is. Tune in now to level up your training, recover faster, and stay strong for life.

I also discuss: (00:03) Optimizing Fitness Recovery Protocols (04:56) The Science of Overtraining & Performance Plateaus (07:19) Cold Plunges, Sauna & Advanced Recovery Hacks (10:15) Maximizing Fitness Recovery Strategies (00:03) Optimizing Fitness Recovery Protocols (10:15) Maximizing Fitness Recovery Strategies

Learn more about Dr. Shah:

Website: https://www.drshah.com/

Clinic: https://www.next-health.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darshanshahmd/

31. Are You Training Harder, But Feeling Worse?