Maybe? Though I'm still not convinced it's possible. One of the signs of over training is a change in mood. More specifically a a jump in anxiety type symptoms. There are others. Extended muscle soreness. Depression. Weight gain (or no weight loss). Decreased libido. Loss of concentration. Lack of energy. Over training is actually a recognized medical condition, though as far as I can tell it's never been officially studied. It even has a technical definition. "A physiological state caused by an excess accumulation of physiological, psychological, emotional, environmental, and chemical stress that leads to a sustained decrease in physical and mental performance, and that requires a relatively long recovery period." Sounds fancy doesn't it? And it's rare, or so they say. What isn't as rare is excess cortisol levels. And that can be caused by many things. Including depression, because depression sucks and totally screws with your body. Cortisol is a steroid hormone, in the glucocorticoid class of hormones. When used as a medication, it is known as hydrocortisone. It is produced in humans by the zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex within the adrenal gland. It is released in response to stress and low blood-glucose concentration. The adrenal gland also produces testosterone. So if it's busy pumping out cortisol..... As well as Epinephrine (Adrenaline) and Norepinephrine (Noradrenaline). These all contribute to depression. So while I may not be "over training" I'm thinking I may be pushing myself to a point that really isn't beneficial.
There is a thing called a "workout hangover". It's just short of over training. Maybe that's where I'm at. Though when I read the symptoms of what classifies as over training I seem to pretty much nail all of them. HERE is a good article that describes the "workout hangover", what causes it and what to do about it. I've been looking at my weekly average for volume and it's, well, kind of high. And I don't mean that in a braggadocios way, I average 75,000 pounds lifted per every one hour gym session. Now I don't feel like that's a lot until I look at what other people do. Leg days are almost always over 100,000 pounds. My lightest days are arms (strictly triceps and biceps) and chest. And those are never under 30k pounds. I lift between 30 and 100 thousand pounds in an hour. 5 days a weeks. And I'm wondering why I'm feeling burned out. I noticed lately that my depression and anxiety are far, far worse so I've been pushing harder in the gym, only to notice them getting worse. I think I'm understanding why. One article list; "You feel drained and crappy after what normally would be a good workout.". Yup, that about nails it right there. And then there's the one about "aches and pains". Though that's a hard one being as I deal with chronic pain.
I want to push myself. Hell, I need to push myself. And I am loath to make excuses, that's a habit I got out of a while ago. But I think I also need to accept the reality that I'm pushing just a little to hard and if I don't stop it's going to be more than just a little burned out. "If you’re a weight lifter and are overtrained, your parasympathetic nervous system becomes overly stimulated, leading to a decrease in testosterone, an increase in cortisol, a crushing fatigue (mental and physical), and a stubborn tendency to hang onto body fat." And if you already have clinical depression and anxiety it makes that shit worse. So I guess in the end it's really not worth it. What is the point of working out to feel better if it's not making me feel better, the opposite in fact? I think it's time to take a couple weeks, while not off, at least down. Work some lighter weights. Get some more cardio (I fucking loath cardio). See what happens. Sometimes I wish I could afford a personal trainer. Or at least a workout partner.
REFERENCES:
https://www.t-nation.com/training/what-overtraining-is-and-isnt
https://www.precor.com/en-us/resources/7-signs-tell-if-youre-overtraining
https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/the-truth-about-overtraining.html
https://www.muscleforlife.com/8-signs-of-overtraining/
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