Are you Overtraining?

Do you feel exhausted even after a good nights’ sleep? Are your muscles more fatigued than normal after a day on the slopes? If so you might be overtraining.

According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), overtraining can be described as “excessive frequency, volume, or intensity of training, resulting in fatigue.” They explain that overtraining is progressive and occurs in four stages:

1. Overload: Directly relates to the workload an athlete first experiences in a workout
2. Acute Fatigue: Glucose storage (immediate energy source) in the cells is drained in order to accommodate the workload thus limiting performance.
3. Overreaching: Decreased motor control, mood disturbances, altered immune function and altered hormonal concentrations, become evident.
4. Overtraining: Physical ailments such as sickness and infection along with psychological factors that include emotional and sleep disturbances.

The final stage is the one we, as coaches, are most concerned about; however, we as coaches like to prevent this from happening before he or she gets to that point? Below are a couple of insights into what might help you mitigate overtraining:

1. Recovery: Once the muscles have experienced intense levels of exertion (this varies from person to person depending upon conditioning level) and damage, they must have time to recover. For the beginner, a two to three day workout routine with at least one day of rest is a good guide to follow. For an advanced athlete a five to six day plan with at least one day and probably two days of recovery is recommended.

2. Periodization must be included in a proper training routine. The General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) developed by Hans Selye is a good place to start for basic information. Here are the basic concepts:
-The alarm phase is the first of three phases that make up the GAS model. It is the first response of the body when subjected to intense resistance training or exercise conditioning.
-The second phase (resistance phase) involves the body’s ability to adapt to training loads.
-The third and final phase is the exhaustion phase, when the body loses the ability to compensate for the amount of stress that it is under. This phase can directly be associated with the overtraining syndrome. Thus, your strength and conditioning routine must be carefully assessed in order to prevent overtraining.

Overtraining Questionairre
Use the guide below to help prevent overtraining. It is not the “cure all”, but it may help improve your performance both on and off the slopes.
Record the following on a daily basis:

Weight : Waking Pulse:

Appetite:
(5=very good, 4=good, 3=poor, 2=eat because I should, 1=did not eat)

Sleep Quality:
(5=very deep, 4=normal, 3=restless, 2=bad with breaks, 1=not at all

Tiredness Sensations:
(5=very rested, 4=normal, 3=tired, 2=very tired, 1=painfully tired)

Training Willingness:
(5=very good, 4=good, 3=poor, 2=train because I should, 1=did not train)

Bodyweight Shift:
(3= within two pounds of average, 2=three or more pounds higher than normal, 1=three or more pounds less than average)

Waking Pulse Shift:
(3=within two beats of average, 2=three or more beats less than average, 1=three or more beats higher than average)

Recovery Index Score:

What this means:
5=Training is going extremely well!
4=Training is going well
3=Moderate overtrained state-do not work out until you reach an index of 3.1 or higher
2=Serve overtrained state-do not work out until you reach an index of 3.1 or higher

Resources
1. http://www.nsca-lift.org
2. http://sportsmedicine.about.com