Doing Too Much: Why Most Injuries Are About Stress vs. Capacity

Sprains, strains, tendinitis, bursitis — the diagnosis is often simpler than it sounds: you’re doing too much.

Many of the clients I see come in with a list of medical diagnoses from their physicians or orthopedists, but most can be grouped under one umbrella: DTM — Doing Too Much. While this might sound like something that only applies to the overzealous gym-goer, anyone can fall into this trap — even those who rarely exercise.

The Stress–Capacity Equation

There’s a simple formula that explains most injuries:

When stress ≤ capacity → the body is in homeostasis or balance.

When stress > capacity → we experience pain, strain, or injury.

“Stress” can mean far more than just physical exercise. It includes:

• Physical: training, repetitive work tasks, prolonged postures

• Cognitive: heavy workloads, studying, multitasking

• Emotional: relationships, anxiety, mental health challenges

• Lifestyle: poor sleep, nutrition, or recovery

Meanwhile, capacity refers to your body’s total ability to tolerate and respond to those stresses — including physical things like strength, aerobic fitness, power, mobility, stability, balance, and skill.

As adults, our capacity naturally fluctuates. Life happens — jobs, kids, responsibilities — and consistency often suffers. According to the SAID principle (Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands), the body adapts to whatever stress it experiences regularly. Train consistently and you become more resilient. Stop for a while and you lose some of that resilience.

Layer on the GAS principle (General Adaptation Syndrome), which describes how the body responds to stress in three stages: alarm, adaptation, and exhaustion. Training, work, and life all create stress. With enough recovery, we adapt and grow stronger. Without recovery, we eventually break down.

A useful expansion of this idea is the Fitness–Fatigue Model, which explains that every training session simultaneously increases both fitnessand fatigue. Fatigue fades faster than fitness, which means that intelligently balancing stress and recovery — through rest, sleep, nutrition, and periodization — allows for long-term, sustainable progress.

The Optimism Trap

Humans are wonderfully optimistic — sometimes too much so. We decide to “get back in shape,” sign up for a race, or attack a home project with enthusiasm. Motivation is high, but the body might not be ready for that load.

Minor aches, stiffness, and fatigue are early signals that we’re nearing our limits. But instead of adjusting, we often push harder. As David Goggins says, “Stay hard.” It’s a powerful mindset — but when misapplied, it can push you past your current capacity. Those small “niggles and nags” grow louder until you’re sidelined. In frustration, you Google more “corrective” exercises and pile on even more stress.

At that point, you’re pouring gasoline on the fire.

The Rehab Solution: Calm Sht Down, Build Sht Up

When rehabbing, the fix is often simpler than it seems. It’s not about stopping — it’s about finding the right dose of stress.

1. Reduce irritation: Unload the overused area with bracing, gentle soft tissue work, or lower-impact movement.

2. Reintroduce safe loading: Use isometrics or gravity-reduced exercises to rebuild confidence and tissue tolerance.

3. Progress gradually: Add slow, controlled concentric and eccentric resistance before increasing speed or complexity.

4. Advance to performance: Once capacity improves, introduce plyometric or higher-speed work as appropriate.

The Training Solution: Live at or Below Your Means

When training, the same principle applies. Stress must be balanced with recovery.

• Prioritize recovery: Sleep, quality nutrition, rest, and planned downtime are non-negotiable.

• Periodize your training: Organize the year into phases that emphasize different physical qualities — strength, endurance, power, or skill.

• Balance high and low stress: Match intense training or competition blocks with lower-stress, deload, or recovery periods.

• Cross-train: Shift load away from overused regions and challenge the body in new ways.

• Vary your exercises: Small changes in movement patterns build resilience, keep training fresh, and may shift strain on the body.

Ultimately, the goal is to build a bigger boat — Expand your capacity so you can handle more stress without breaking down.

The Takeaway

Injury rarely happens because you’re “weak” or “broken.” It happens when the stress you apply exceeds the capacity you’ve built.

The good news? Both sides of that equation are trainable.

By respecting your limits, progressing gradually, and prioritizing recovery, you can continue building capacity — and keep doing the things you love for years to come.