Why the Real Problem Is Under-Recovery—and How to Fix It

Most guys who are new to the gym are worried about overtraining—and I get it. You’ve probably heard that pushing too hard can lead to injury, reduced performance, and constant fatigue. And sure, those are valid concerns. But here’s the truth: overtraining is not a realistic concern for most people.

When I hear “overtraining,” I picture someone like David Goggins—running on broken legs, refusing to quit. That level of intensity? Most of us aren’t going anywhere near it, and to be honest, that’s probably a good thing. The reality is, most people work a 9–5 job and have limited time to train. They squeeze in 30 minutes to maybe 2 hours of exercise a day if they’re lucky. Between work, life, and responsibilities, how many people really have the time or energy to train hard enough to “overtrain”?

It reminds me of that one scene in Austin Powers where a guy is screaming as a Zamboni slowly approaches him—and all he had to do was move out of the way. Overtraining feels like that. It’s portrayed as this looming danger, but for the average person, it’s just not something they’ll realistically experience.

Now, let’s talk about what the real issue is: under-recovery.

When most people think they’re overtraining, what they’re actually dealing with is a lack of proper recovery. They’re not eating enough, not sleeping enough, and not letting their bodies do the work after the work. Sure, most people understand that rest, nutrition, and sleep are important, but they’re often doing all of it wrong.

There’s a quote from Mike O’Hearn that changed the way I think about recovery. He said, “Nutrition guides the workouts—not the other way around.” That line hit me hard. So many people treat training like the main event, and everything else is secondary. But the truth is, if you’re not fueling and recovering properly, you’re not going to make real progress. And if you’re working long hours, sleeping five hours a night, and still trying to train six days a week for two hours at a time, something’s going to give—and it won’t be the weights.

The solution? Match your training to your recovery capacity. If your job or lifestyle only allows you to sleep six hours and eat two decent meals a day, then doing six high-volume sessions a week is counterproductive. In that case, your workout split should reflect your recovery bandwidth. You can still train hard—but train smart. Hit the gym three to four times a week with high intensity. Make every session count. Focus on progressive overload, not just showing up every day.

Let’s get into the nutrition side, because this is where things really fall apart for most people. If you want to recover properly, you can’t just focus on sleep and rest. What you put in your body matters just as much—if not more.

Here’s the problem: most athletes have no clue what their macros are. And the ones who do know, often hit them by eating fast food, processed garbage, and energy drinks all day long. Hitting your macros doesn’t mean you’re fueling properly. There’s a difference between 150 grams of protein from whole eggs, chicken, and steak—versus 150 grams from gas station beef jerky and protein cookies.

If you want your body to repair, rebuild, and grow stronger, your nutrition needs to be dialed in. That means eating within your macros and eating predominantly whole foods. Real food. Food that your body actually knows how to use.

You want lean proteins, complex carbs, healthy fats, and micronutrients—because all of it plays a role in your recovery. Protein is the raw material for muscle repair. Carbs replenish glycogen and support your workouts. Fats help regulate hormones. Vitamins and minerals help run the entire system behind the scenes. When you live on processed food, your recovery suffers. Period.

So if you’re constantly tired, sore, bloated, or not making progress—don’t just look at your training volume. Look at what you’re feeding your body. You might be training like an athlete, but eating like someone who doesn’t care. If your meals are made in a microwave more than they are on a stove or in a pan, there’s your first red flag.

And if you don’t know your macros—fix that. Figure out what your body actually needs to grow. Once you do, fill those numbers with whole, clean foods, and your energy, sleep, and strength will improve almost immediately.

Another major part of recovery that gets overlooked is sleep—and let’s be real, most people don’t sleep well. No one teaches us how to. So let me give you three simple principles that dramatically improved my own sleep and recovery.

First, stop eating at least three hours before bed. This gives your body time to digest and allows your sleep to focus on restoration, not processing food. Second, don’t train within two hours of going to sleep. Your nervous system needs time to wind down. And third, stay off screens at least an hour before bed. The blue light and stimulation wreck your ability to fall into deep, restorative sleep. When you follow these three principles consistently, you’ll see real improvements in how you feel, how you perform, and how quickly you recover.

One more thing that doesn’t get said enough: rest days aren’t lazy days. Too many people treat rest like an excuse to sit on the couch and do nothing, but that’s not helping your body recover. When you’re inactive, your blood flow slows down, your muscles tighten, and recovery actually becomes harder. Ever take a long car ride after leg day and feel like your legs were about to snap when you stepped out? That’s from lack of movement. Your muscles need blood flow to bring in nutrients and remove waste. So on rest days, go for walks, stretch, do some light movement—whatever gets your body moving without taxing it.

In the end, overtraining isn’t the real threat. The real issue is under-recovery. For 99 percent of people, the answer isn’t “train less”—it’s recover better. Sleep better. Eat better. Move with intention. Let your body rest so it can rebuild. That’s where the gains happen.

And remember, the real growth starts after the gym.