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The Science behind Overtraining

Overtraining is where the body's ability to recover and further adapt is severely diminished. Athletes and clients' suffering from overtraining generally have a significant drop in results and psychologically, lose the motivation to train and/or compete and win. They feel that they no longer have the ability to compete at the highest level.

There can be two divisions of overtraining - parasympathetic and sympathetic.
Parasympathetic (sometimes referred to as addisonoid overtraining) is where the body attempts to slow down its functioning to conserve energy. And commonly occurs amongst aerobic athletes and high volume training associated in older adults.

Some symptoms associated with parasympathetic overtraining include:

	Significantly lower than normal resting heart rate
	Low blood pressure
	Anaemia
	Emotional instability
	Depression

Sympathetic overtraining (sometimes referred to as basedowian overtraining) is where the body speeds up its functioning and consumes more energy. This commonly occurs more amongst anaerobic athletes and high intensity training more so in younger athletes (Bompa, 1999).

Some symptoms associated with sympathetic overtraining include:

	Increased RHR (resting heart rate)
	Rapid weight loss
	Loss of appetite
	Disrupted sleep

Wilmore and Costills' (1994) research has shown and extended prevalence of adrenal hormones such as epinephrine and nor epinephrine in the sympathetic overtrained. This explains the elevated resting heart rate (RHR).

Now because you or your client may be experiencing one or more of these symptoms, this does not necessarily mean you are overtrained. I often hear this from people and when I begin to delve into their exercise and work history I realize that this is not the case, simply they are unhealthy or trying to 'burn the candle at both ends.' If you are experiencing one or more of these symptoms for an extended period of time and you are training and working (occupation) quite frequently (4 times per week minimum) intensely, then yes you may be overtrained. However, view the whole picture and look at your performance and progression factors to determine if this is the case.

On a more biochemical level, athletes or clients suffering from overtraining will exhibit elevated levels of cortisol, and a decrease in the levels of testosterone. This becomes detrimental to the athletes performance and adaptation qualities because cortisol is a catabolic hormone (breaks down) involved in breakdown of muscle, and testosterone is an anabolic component (forms, builds), involved in protein synthesis (repair and strengthening of muscle).

Common Causes of Overtraining

There are a number of major causes of overtraining. The main ones I wish to briefly discuss in this article are:

	Nutritional Deficiency
	Inadequate Quality of Recovery
	'Too much, too soon' Intensity/Load

Quality of recovery is also extremely important and occurs in synergy with quality nutrition. Factors that may affect quality of recovery include the following:

	Interrupted sleep
	Insufficient sleep (consistently less than 6 hours)
	Over exertion in non-training activities
	Lack of motivation

Without a correct periodised approach athletes can become prone to the 'Too much, too soon' scenario. This not only applies to the un-trained but also well- trained. A sudden significant increase in variables such as frequency and intensity can diminish an athlete’s adaptive reserve and therefore body's ability to adapt and recover - increasing the chance of exposing the athlete to overtraining.

Prevention & Recovery of Overtraining

Let's begin with the principal of 'Individuality'. The severity of the signs and symptoms vary between individuals. Unfortunately, if these signs and symptoms appear, the person is already suffering from overtraining (if correctly diagnosed). Hence, the recovery process must be allowed to take place. Some of the recovery methods employed in this situation include:

	Decrease in training load
	Decrease in training intensity
	Decrease in frequency of training
	Increase in quality and quantity of nutrition

Complete rest is not necessarily the best form of medicine -again it depends on the individual. However what must also be considered is the psychological component of a person being told that they can't train or must decrease their training load, especially if they are 'gun ho' and extremely focused and determined on achieving their goals.

Secondly, a periodised approach is essential, especially when dealing with athletes on any level. Periodising when to increase/decrease training load, intensity and frequency is extremely important not only for prevention of overtraining but also prevention of injury and allowing the athlete to peak at the correct levels. Within the periodised approach you should calculate performance indicators. This is to allow you to determine where the athlete should be and at what stage of their development or program (i.e. anatomical adaptation, general preparation, etc). If your client isn't close to the performance indicators/standards set by you, then you need to establish why.

Keeping training records is important in establishing how the athlete is progressing and monitoring the signs and symptoms of overtraining before they take a hold. Some documented evidence of the following should be record and attained by athlete and coach:

Date / Day Session duration Exercises completed Distance / speed etc How the athlete / person felt before & after session

Training times Perceived Exertion Sets / Reps / Tempo etc Total load for the week/session/month

Last but not least, encourage variety in training both physically and mentally. Training can be fun and challenging with a change in environment. If you normally train your client inside then maybe take them outside to the beach, or instead of the usual weights session, try a cardio session.

Other common suggestions for treatment of overtraining may involve cessation of training for a few days - complete rest, change in nutrition, increase in fluid intake or maybe an alternate work-out routine for variety. Maybe aim to get a therapeutic massage once a week.

Conclusion

It is important that athletes and respective coaches begin to understand their athletes more and understand the signs and possible symptoms of overtraining in their quest to compensate or assist in preventing it. No one should know their body more than the athlete themselves.

Remember there are four major categories of symptoms when it comes to overtraining. They are physiological, psychological, biochemical and immunological. Some of the common ones to be aware of include:

	Elevated RHR (resting heart rate)
	Mild leg soreness, & continual upper body soreness
	Pain in muscles & joints
	Lethargic feeling, tired, drained, lack of energy
	Sudden drop in performance
	Unable to maintain training volume / intensity
	Insomnia
	Headaches, migraines
	Inability to relax, fidgety
	Insatiable thirst, dehydration
	Increase in incidence of common illnesses; colds, sore throat, etc.

If you are suffering from several of these warning signs and symptoms, then I suggest you seek advice from a health professional suitably qualified in this area. They will assist you in treatment and clarification of your condition.

References

Bompa, T. (1999) Periodisation: Training for Sports Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL.

Wilmore, J.H., & Costill, D.L., (1994) Physiology of Sport and Exercise Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL.

Spits, D (2000) Fitness Foundations 2 Fitlink Training College, Brisbane, Australia