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Overtraining
PETE GLADDEN
Pete’s World
Published: September 16, 2019
So you’re heading down the homestretch of this year’s racing season…and for some reason you’re feeling beat, broken, slower and lacking motivation. As a coach, hearing such feedback immediately rings my alarm bells. And it begs the question: Might you be overtrained?
Now I’d be willing to bet that almost every endurance athlete has at one time or another experienced overtraining. And let me tell you, I’ve been there - several times actually - and at the very least it’s a frustrating situation that can sometimes have you questioning and re-questioning every move you make. At the very worst it can become a malady that’s nothing short of a season killer.
So what exactly is overtraining and what are some non-clinical markers we can use to predict whether or not we’re on the verge of stepping into this abyss? And finally, how can we prevent overtraining?
Well, before we fast forward to some answers, let’s first look at just what the training process involves and how it can sometimes lead to overtraining.
Okay, so training - any kind of physical training - involves the manipulation of three key components: intensity, duration and frequency.
Now if during the training process, one or more of these three factors continually exceeds the athlete’s ability to adapt to the increasing stresses, overreaching and overtraining may occur.
Overreaching, short-term unadaptable training stresses without sufficient recovery, is a great training stimulus when programmed in a scientific and thoughtful manner and when interspersed with periods of quality recovery.
Overtraining on the other hand is kind of like amplified overreaching which is devoid of qualitative recovery.
Hence, when one’s adaptability to the training stressors is insufficient, and when coupled with insufficient to negligible periods of recovery, decrements in physical performance can occur.
Overtrain too long - chronic overtraining - and you risk long-term impairments in performance as well as a host of other conditions that could quite possibly require medical intervention.
Now when we talk about overtraining, current theory postulates that it comes in two varieties, sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system dominant.
Exercise physiologists think aerobic endurance overtraining results primarily from exorbitant overloads in exercise volume which is parasympathetic dominant.
Conversely anaerobic overtraining and resistance overtraining result primarily from exorbitant overloads in high-intensity training which is sympathetic dominant.
So all that brings us back to the question concerning those non-clinical markers which might indicate overtraining.
The first and probably the most important marker is the aforementioned decrement in performance. Now that in and of itself isn’t a sure sign of overtraining, because it could be the byproduct of an overreaching cycle.
But when you couple decrements in performance with several other key markers, that’s the time to start looking seriously at the potential of overtraining. These markers include: fatigue, malaise, increased soreness, loss of enthusiasm, elevated resting heart rate, and weight loss. Experiencing several or more days where these markers are prevalent is a strong indication that overtraining can be occurring.
Finally, as to the question of preventing overtraining, one of the best ways to steer clear of overtraining situations is by utilizing a properly planned periodization program - breaking a seasonal plan up into specific training blocks, such that each block has definitive goals with respect to the training stresses, recovery and adaptation.
And key to any periodization program is rest, because rest facilitates recovery, and recovery facilitates adaptation. Now an important thing to know about rest is that its volume depends on the duration and intensity of the training block, as well as the fitness level of the athlete.
Thus, a proper, periodized training program requires a balance between those sessions of intense training stresses and those sessions of rest/recovery.
Too much training stress and not enough recovery can result in both physiological and psychological symptoms that can hinder performance and result in overtraining.
Now a great way to nip overtraining in the bud is by keeping some kind of basic training diary - be it paper, electronic, or the cloud - so you can visually track those aforementioned overtraining markers like fatigue, malaise, increased soreness, etc., etc.
Actually seeing trends laid out in the diary, starring you in the face, that can be an epiphany. And steering clear of those overtraining trends can help to send you down the homestretch of your racing season feeling strong, tough, fast and full of confidence.