Have you ever made a decision, maybe after a really good New Year’s Eve party as a New Year’s resolution, that this is it, you’re starting a new life, diving into training so by summer you’ll finally get that much-wanted beach body?

And then, going a bit overboard, after previously doing basically zero exercise, you practically moved into the gym, giving yourself some serious muscle soreness, and in a worse case scenario you overdid it?

That’s when the classic “too much, too fast” stories show up, for example:

• 3 full-body workouts in 3 days, and on day four you’re already going sideways on the stairs
• you suddenly start running, then 1-2 weeks later your knee hurts, your shins hurt, or your hip locks up
• you start with weights that are too heavy, and your shoulder/elbow/wrist starts complaining sooner than your motivation fades
• after a “small” weekend of yard work you feel like your lower back and shoulders got put through a grinder

For me it wasn’t a New Year’s resolution, but the end of 2025 turned into a “slightly overdone” period, and now I’m dealing with the consequences... even good things can be too much sometimes.

For me, the Dojo is like having a big tray of cookies in front of you and you just can’t resist: you keep going back until your stomach hurts.
That’s exactly what happened to me too, except it wasn’t cookies... now I have to “fast” because I overdid the training!

But maybe it wasn’t even too much exercise itself, but ignoring recovery time, skipping sports rehab, eating too little or not the right way, using supplements poorly, and on top of that, work stress, that all contributed to where I am now.

And it makes me think... even I, with a coaching qualification and decades of sports experience, can fall into this trap, so what can we really expect from an “average person” who only trains as a hobby 1-2 times a week next to work?

And honestly, to get symptoms, like different joint issues (knee, arm, ankle, etc.) or muscle strains / overuse-related lower back or shoulder pain, you don’t even have to work out. One bad move or one-sided load is enough.
You dug up the pepper patch, washed every car in the family in one afternoon, you do one-sided work for 8 hours a day in a factory, or you just slouch in front of a monitor.

And for these activities, people usually don’t do a 15-minute warm-up before, and stretching after, even though maybe they should!

The real question is: do you recognize what’s going on? Do you do something to improve your condition, or do you just accept it as “this is how it is”?

If you’ve been in similar shoes, or you’re curious what you could (or should) do differently, give this article a few minutes of your life.

It’s not that movement is “bad” - it’s that the balance gets thrown off

In general, you could say that people lack health awareness. Why it turned out this way, lack of money, lack of time, being busy with work, lack of information, or all of it together, that’s a different question.

A lot of people slide into the mindset that “chasing money” means too much work, which sooner or later damages your health. And when trouble hits, it costs serious money, so you end up working just to be able to pay for treatments..

Or you simply don’t even think about the fact that you could/should change your condition.

I think health awareness should be taught already in primary school, even if kids don’t fully understand it then, at least the seeds should be planted in their heads. (I think the same about personal finance, but that’s another topic..)

3 signs you’re close to overdoing it (the “pain traffic light”)

Many people slip up because they don’t take the signals seriously, or they interpret them the wrong way.

• Green light: muscle soreness, tiredness, that “worked hard” feeling. Uncomfortable, but normal.
• Yellow light: pain that gets worse during training, stabbing sensations, technique breaking down, compensating movements. Here you should adjust (go lighter, change the exercise, take a rest).
• Red light: sharp pain, numbness, instability (e.g. your ankle “gives out”), swelling, night pain. No hero mode here: stop, and if it doesn’t improve soon, see a professional.

(I’m not trying to give a diagnosis, just a simple system that helps you notice when something is off.)

The minimum almost anyone can do (not only before training)

Yeah, I know... “I don’t have time to warm up.” But then you have time for pain, missed weeks, and treatments.

A very simple 10-12 minute minimum package:

• 3-4 minutes easy movement, get the pulse up (walk, stairs, jump rope, anything)
• 4-5 minutes mobility (ankle, hips, shoulders, whatever tends to be tight for you)
• 2-3 minutes activation (core/glutes/scapula, the stuff that makes movement feel “connected”)

After training/work, add 3-5 minutes of “calming down”: light stretching, loosening up, breathing. No need to overcomplicate it, just do something.

Real examples from my past (and the lesson)

So let’s look at a few real cases from my past that I think are worth sharing.

1.) MTB era: when stress relief steals the focus

During my amateur mountain bike period, alongside 3-5 riding sessions a week, there wasn’t much stretching or strength/core training in the plan. And honestly, most of the time the point wasn’t even the training itself, but blowing off work stress.
In the afternoons I’d jump on the bike, do a 1.5-2 hour ride, and come home calm and smooth again, to the great relief of the rest of the family.

Sometimes, though, I managed to overdo it, like a 6-hour weekend ride with the group. Keeping up with top local racers wasn’t easy, so from time to time I needed help from a sports massage therapist.

There were times when persistent knee pain showed up, even though there didn’t seem to be any obvious structural issue or injury..

During one treatment the therapist worked through my entire leg and then said:
Look, right here above your ankle, next to the Achilles, you’ve got a knot... then he pressed it and I almost sh.t myself from the pain.
That’s the problem. It pulls everything, and that’s what creates tension in your knee.

Then in a few minutes he worked the knot out, and the knee pain disappeared almost instantly... Without that, the pain could have stuck around for weeks or even months, and could have led to further issues.

Lesson: It’s crazy how in the human body everything is connected. And many times it doesn’t hurt where the real cause actually is.

These days there are tons of channels, articles and videos out there, physios upload great content, so you can educate yourself too.

2.) Ankle sprain: when quick treatment can save weeks or months

One time during karate training I rolled my ankle and within minutes bruising started to show. Here’s what it looked like the next day:

Unfortunately I didn’t get to a sports massage therapist right away, only about 1.5 months later, when I still couldn’t load it properly.
And yes, I got a lecture... if I had gotten treatment immediately, it could have been fine in 1-2 weeks.

Lesson: Procrastination can be expensive. Not just in money, but in missed training and setbacks.

So what’s holding me back the most right now?

So right now, what’s limiting my training the most?

My knee got injured on 2025-10-18 at a karate competition, and it ended up being a meniscus tear. (This wasn’t the “direct consequence” of overtraining, it was a specific injury.) Since then I haven’t really been able to train the way I wanted, because it kept limiting me.
On 2026 January 8 I had surgery. They removed the torn meniscus fragment. Unfortunately it couldn’t be stitched back, because one side was already folded into the joint space and the other side was sticking out, so the doctor didn’t feel confident it would stay in place after suturing. It also wasn’t a huge piece, and there’s still enough left to do its job. Now the goal is to regain full range of motion, following the guidance of the doctor and the physiotherapist.

But the annoying part doesn’t end there... 😅

Weekly 2x karate, 1x kick-box, 2x street workout, 2x tennis, plus biking on weekends isn’t even that crazy if it’s properly coordinated and I pay attention to my body... But after the 2-hour tennis sessions I already had forearm pain, and the street workout added another layer.

And at that infamous October competition I basically delivered the finishing blow. After that I developed tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow in both forearms, plus pain in my right shoulder, and my back locked up in multiple spots.

So right now my “training program” is mostly about fixing these things so later I’ll have something to build on.

And here’s the point: sometimes you don’t have to back off because you “don’t feel like it”, but because you want to be smart for the long run.

Lesson: rehab isn’t an “extra”, it’s part of training. If you skip it, your body will collect the debt later.

I’m relearning that sometimes the biggest “workout” is when you back off smartly and fix what has been shouting for a long time. And here’s the part many people don’t want to hear: the body doesn’t negotiate. In your head it might still be possible, but your tissues, joints and tendons simply aren’t there.

What would I do differently?

I’m not trying to preach a perfect lifestyle or “biohack” anything. Just 3 very simple things that work for amateur athletes and regular people too:

• Load = training + everyday work + stress
  If you’re falling apart at work, sleeping too little, and you’re mentally exhausted, your body is still under load. In that case it’s not always smart to pile on a max-intensity workout.
• A rest day isn’t weakness, it’s part of progress
  Progress doesn’t happen during training, it happens after. If there’s no “after”, there’s no progress, only wear and tear.
• Have a minimum routine
  You don’t need 60 minutes of stretching every time. But keep the 10-12 minute warm-up and a short cool-down. That alone makes a huge difference.

And if something doesn’t improve in 2-3 weeks, or keeps coming back, there’s no shame in getting help. Actually, that’s the smarter route.

What am I doing differently right now?

Important: I’m not writing a medical diagnosis. I’m sharing what I do in this situation with common sense and experience, and what you hear from many pros as well. If the pain is severe, getting worse, there’s numbness/weakness, or it doesn’t improve for weeks, then it’s not about being tough, it’s about being smart: physio / sports doctor.

1.) I take my foot off the gas (but I don’t stop everything)

The biggest trap is either fully stopping and beating yourself up, or pushing exactly the same because “it will go away”.

I prefer this:

• Whatever clearly provokes it (long tennis sessions, big hits/gripping, “jerky” exercises), I temporarily reduce.
• Meanwhile I look for a pain-free alternative: easy cardio, mobility, core, technique.
• During training max 3/10 pain, and the next day it shouldn’t be worse. If it’s worse, it was too much.

2.) Tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow: not “rest forever”, but smart loading

The biggest shift for me was realizing it’s not only about whether it hurts, but whether the tendon can tolerate load.

What I do here:

• Reduce gripping in everyday life too (bags, tools, heavy backpacks), because that’s also load.
• Light, controlled forearm loading (very small weight or band), built up slowly: slow wrist extension, slow wrist flexion, gentle pronation/supination.
• Gentle stretching: forearm extensors/flexors, 20-30 seconds, 2-3 rounds.
• Massage/self-massage of the forearm muscles (not grinding the joint).

And what often goes wrong: when it starts improving, you don’t have to jump back to the same load immediately. Elbows love the “I thought it was fine... and then it hit back” story.

3.) Shoulder: scapula + mobility + loading, not just “stretching”

For me the shoulder formula is usually: lots of posture stress + stress + monitor time, and it locks up, hurts, and gets stiff.

What I do here:

• thoracic spine/chest mobility,
• scapula control,
• light rotator cuff activation with a band (external/internal rotation), plus work with a stick.

4) Back: a “locked up” back isn’t always weak, it just got too much

For me back pain is often a mix of overload + tension. Then I do:

• walking,
• easy hip mobility,
• basic core (e.g. easier plank),
• breathing (when you’re stressed, your whole torso turns into “armor”).

And if something radiates, goes numb, or gets worse, I don’t mess around: professional help.

When do I ask for help? (because this is health awareness too)

I don’t wait forever in these cases:

• if there’s no meaningful improvement in 2-3 weeks,
• if it always comes back to the same spot,
• if my movement changes (I compensate, become one-sided),
• if there’s numbness/weakness/instability.

7-day mini challenge: 10 minutes a day (for anyone, not just athletes)

No gym needed. No perfect motivation needed. 10 minutes a day. That’s it.

Rule: pain max 3/10, and the next day it shouldn’t be worse.

10-minute daily routine (same every day, that’s why it works):

• 1 minute get the pulse up (marching in place, light bouncing, stairs)
• 3 minutes mobility: ankle circles 30-30 sec; hip circles/hip openers 1 min; chest opening/shoulder circles 1 min
• 3 minutes activation: glute squeezes/slow mini squats 1 min; core: dead bug or easier plank 1 min; scapula: “down into the pocket” + controlled arm raises 1 min
• 3 minutes targeted block (pick 1):
  forearm: slow wrist extension 1 min + slow wrist flexion 1 min + gentle stretch 1 min
  or shoulder: band external rotation 1 min + scapula squeeze 1 min + chest opening 1 min
  or back: cat-cow 1 min + hip mobility 1 min + easy trunk rotations 1 min

Bonus: if you only take ONE thing from this week:
5 minutes of “calming down” before sleep (no phone). Often this makes the biggest difference, because recovery starts when you stop running your system on overdrive.

Final thought

If you recognized yourself, you’re not alone. Most people aren’t lazy or “weak”, we were simply never taught how to keep load and recovery in balance.

The body gives signals.
The question is whether you listen... and whether you do something about it.