Classifications
If overtraining occurs, there is not sufficient recovery time
between workouts; progress is hampered. Overtraining is often
thought of as absolute, or a black and white phenomenon. Overtraining
should be viewed as a continuum, or in shades of gray. An exerciser
or athlete may be slightly overtrained and make progress, just
not as much as if they were not overtrained.
|
|
Specific |
General |
|
Acute |
- muscle worked to exhaustion
- traumatic orthopedic injury
|
- body exhausted after bout
- glycogen depleted
- sympathetic response elevated
- cortisol levels
increase
|
|
Chronic |
- muscle becomes weaker over time
- orthopedic overuse injury
|
- body becomes weaker over time
- glycogen depleted
over time
- Parasympathetic response
- Increased cortisol
levels
|
Signs of Overtraining
Stone, M.H., Keith, R.E., Kearney, J.T., Fleck,
S.J., Wilson, G.D. and Triplett, N.T. Overtraining: A Review
of the Signs, Symptoms and Possible Causes. The Journal of Applied
Sports Science Research 5:35-50, 1991.
|
Sympathetic |
Parasympathetic |
- Increased resting heart rate
- Increased resting blood pressure
- Decreased maximal power output
- Decreased sports performance
- Decreased maximal blood lactate concentrations
- Slower recovery after exercise
- Weight loss
- Decreased appetite
- Decreased desire to exercise
- Increased irritability and depression
- Increased incidence of injury
- Increased incidence of infection
|
- Decreased resting heart rate
- Faster return of heart rate to resting value after exercise
- Decreased sports performance
- Decreased blood lactate concentrations during submaximal
and maximal exercise
- Unemotional behavior
|
Monitoring Example
Take your pulse upon wakening before getting out of bed for
several days to establish a baseline. Have a easy or short workout
if your morning heart rate is greater than 5% of your baseline.
Take the day off of training if your morning heart rate is greater
than 10% above baseline.
Prevalence in Athletes
10-20%
of athletes who train intensely experience overtraining which
results in chronic decreases in performance and impared ability
to train.
Raglin J, Barzdukas (1999). Overtraining in athletes: The
challenge of prevention. ACSM. Health Fitness J. 3:27-31.
Overreaching & Tapering
Overreaching is characterized by a sharp increase in training
volume. Overreaching is thought to be an early stage of overtraining
which can result in increased fatigue and performance decrements.
However, an increase in performance above baseline can occur,
if an overreaching phase of approximately 1 week is followed
by an immediate return to normal training. A taper following
normal training can result in additional performance increases.
Stone MH, Pierce KC, Sands WA, Stone ME (2006). Weightlifting:
Program Design. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 28 (2), 10-17.
Hormonal Fluctuation Model
A
higher testosterone to cortisol ratio correlates with increases
of maximal strength performance
Hakkinen KA, Pskarinen A, Alen M, Kau hanen H, Komi PV
(1987). Relationships between training volume, physical performance
capacity, and serum hormone concentrations during prolonged training
in elite weight lifters. International Journal of Sports Medicine,
8 (suppli): 61-65.
- 30% drop in Testosterone/Cortisol Ratio is proposed
to be too extreme for effective recovery of performance after
training
- Changes of less that 10% in Testosterone/Cortisol Ratio is
proposed to be too small and lead to lesser performance improvements
- Performance should be optimal if period of training can be
adjusted to lower T/C ratio between 10-30% that is followed by
a period of recovery.
Glutamine/Glutamate Ratio and Overtraining
- GN/GT ratio >5.88 = Normal
- GN/GT ratio >3.58 <5.88 = Adaptation
- GN/GT ratio <3.58 for <2 weeks = Over Reaching
- GN/GT ratio <3.58 for >2 weeks = Over Training
Lon Kilgore, Ph.D., Midwestern State University, Exercise
Science Laboratories and USA Weightlifting Regional Development
Center, Wichita Falls, Texas.
Intervention
- Period of recovery
- Injury
- Lack of progress or other overtraining symptom
- Resume Training
- Determine cause of overtraining
- too much, too fast, too soon
- Weight training example
- Cardio example
- See Causes
of Injury
- Also examine contributors of overtraining occurring outside
of training
- Change program accordingly
- Reassess and readjust program indefinitely
Some authorities mistakenly misattribute injury to a specific
movement when, if fact, other factors such as overtraining were
to blame. See Over
Generalizations and Adaptation
Criteria.
|
|