Over-Training

Key Point: Bodily Growth and repair occur only during rest or sleep: Never During

Training.

Successful Development -- Three variables:

1. Training Program of Progressive Overload must be applied

2. The correct raw materials (Nutrition) to maintain and repair tissue and build new tissue must be present

3. Sufficient rest and sleep to permit Repair and new growth to take place

Point: The over-training syndrome occurs Primarily because of insufficient Rest

Affects of Over-Training

1. Neuroendocrine system (hormonal) becomes exhausted, altering hormone levels so that performance impossible.

2. Immune system suppression:
   1. Become progressively more susceptible to infection
   2. Increased injuries, muscle strains, and tendonitis
   3. Chronic fatigue

Point: The single greatest cause of improvement is remaining injury free to train (Jeff Galloway, Olympian)

4. Increased training intensity without increasing rest causes sickness, and increase risk or injury.
5. General rule get 7.5 -- 9.5 hours of sleep each night.
6. Athletes who train twice a day need a 30 -- 60 minute nap after the first training session.

Recognizing Over-Training

Physical:

1.      Acute: Specific

Muscle worked to exhaustion

Traumatic orthopedic injury

                             General

                                    Body Exhausted after exercise

                                    Glycogen depleted

                                    Sympathetic response

                                    Cortisol levels increase

2.      Chronic: Specific

Muscle become weaker over time

Orthopedic overuse injury (Strains, Tendonitis, Stress Fracture)

                                 General

Body becomes weaker over time

Glycogen depleted over time

Parasympathetic response

Increased cortisol levels

Signs of Over-Training

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 (unexplained) 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 and Adjusting examples

1. Waking heart rate: Take your pulse immediately on waking before you get out of bed.

Rx: If your waking pulse on any day is elevated by more than 8 beats per minute above its average level for the preceding week, you are falling into over-training.

2. Waking body weight: Your average weight should not vary by more than 2 lbs, weigh as soon as you get up and weigh without any cloths.

Rx: If your weight drops by more than 3 lbs on any day from a previously stable body weight you are falling into over-training.

3. Insomnia: Training late at night-affects the adrenocorticotrophic hormones (e.g. adrenalin and noradrenalin) generated by the exercise, interfering with normal sleep.

Rx: If you don't train at night yet start to suffer from restlessness, inability to fall asleep, or too early wakening, you are falling into over-training.

Recovering Strategies for Over-Training Syndrome

Point: You cannot resolve overtraining by simply increasing your sleep. The one week recovery strategy for all athletes is as follows:

1. Stop training entirely for 7 to 10 days. Running athletes can jog lightly for a mile or two each day. Strength athletes can stretch for 30 minutes each day.

2. Reduce protein intake to 15 to 20% of total calories.

3. Increase carbohydrate intake to 70% of total calories. Use mostly complex carbohydrates of Low glycemic index.

4. Increase antioxidants to 200% of usual intake.

5. Increase sleep to 9 hours solid per night.

Daniel Dodson PhD ATC
Principle/Management
PR2 Systems, LLC
PO Box 7704
13905 Kirkland Ridge
Edmond, OK 73013-7704
405 513 1195
www.pr2systems.com