March 1, 2005 -- There is much discussion these days about overtraining, and the term has become so popular that many triathletes believe that even if they feel tired over the course of their regular training they
must be overtrained.
Of course, in reality, when you are training for an endurance event that involves three sports, fatigue is going to be part of the deal. In fact, in many training plans, fatigue at certain times is a sign your program is on track. Training is all about getting the right type and amount of physical stress, followed by the right amount of rest. It is in this rest period where you recover and grow stronger. Proper training has a cumulative effect. It takes you through cycles, which will definitely leave you tired from time to time.
That said, feeling fatigued can indeed be a sign of the onset of overtraining. If sufficient rest is not included in a training program, then regeneration cannot occur and your performance will inevitably plateau. If this imbalance between excess training and inadequate rest persists, then performance will eventually decline.
Overtraining can best be defined as the state where the athlete has been repeatedly stressed by training to the point where rest is no longer adequate to allow for recovery. Overtraining is characterized by a collection of emotional, behavioral and physical symptoms and is also known as "burnout" or "staleness."
This is different from the day-to-day variation in performance and post-exercise tiredness that is common in conditioned athletes. Overtraining is marked by cumulative exhaustion that persists even after recovery periods.
The most common symptom is fatigue. This may limit workouts and may be present at rest. The athlete may also become moody, easily irritated, have altered sleep patterns, become depressed or lose the competitive desire and enthusiasm for the sport. Some will report decreased appetite and weight loss. Physical symptoms include persistent muscular soreness, increased frequency of viral illnesses, increased incidence of injuries and abnormal heart rates.
Signs of overtraining
Changed sleep patterns
Moodiness
Excessive muscle soreness
Mental focus decreases & loss of motivation
Altered appetite
Frequent injury or illness
Lack of physical energy (fatigue)
Abnormal heart rate
After reaching a certain level of fatigue, it is critical to allow your body to recover, either through rest or easy recovery workouts. Rather than dealing with the problem once it occurs, it is better to implement a few basic measures in your daily life to avoid overtraining before it begins.
Ways to avoid overtraining
Develop a training plan
There are precise energy systems that need to be worked for certain amounts of time, and a periodized training plan is the only way to achieve this. Developing a plan of attack in your training will keep you from logging junk, help focus your training and ensure that you have built in periods of rest so your body can recover and you can avoid overtraining.
Train your schedule
Many athletes become chronically overtrained trying to keep up with their training partners or someone they know who has had success. Don't copy anyone else's training schedule. Their specific needs may be different from yours. You may respond better to speed than endurance, or your body may require more or less rest before your next hard session than your training buddy. Also, if you have a specific workout scheduled then set your monitor limits to beep when you are out of the prescribed zone. Then you can tell your buddies, "Sorry, but I have to follow my program."
Set goals
You should establish goals to ensure that your training is focused on developing your energy systems correctly. You will need to ask yourself what you expect to achieve from your training program. Do you expect to improve your efficiency, your speed, your power, your endurance or all of these things? Establishing goals ensures that you have a training program that leads you to these goals. You will find that your goals help motivate you while training alone, creating a sense of personal satisfaction from the workouts
Setting goals also requires you to be realistic. If you're new to triathlon, don't let your goal be to win half of the races you enter. Set your goals conservatively at first and you will be pleased with your results. Setting goals too high may push you train beyond your capacity, which could lead to overtraining.
Keep a log
A training log is a great way to monitor athletic progress, but it is also a useful tool to help keep an eye on your body and its level of fatigue. In addition to keeping track of the distance and intensity of workouts, you should record your morning heart rate, weight, general health, how the workout felt, levels of muscular soreness, number of hours of sleep and fatigue. Any significant changes in these parameters may signal overtraining, and you should adjust your training accordingly.
Sleep
People from all walks of life often forget how important sleep is to the recovery process. The amount of sleep and the quality of sleep both affect your body's recovery. While sleeping, growth hormone is released, which is necessary for the body to regenerate, and the more you sleep the more hormones that are released.
The quality of sleep is affected by the sleep cycle. Each night the body goes through numerous phases of sleep called a "sleep cycle." These cycles are repeated many times during the night to give us a restful sleep experience. So, even if you are able to get to sleep, if your body is restless and doesn't go through the normal cycles you won't get quality sleep.
Rest
Get enough rest to recover from training. Recovery occurs during times of rest. During recovery the body mends the damage of training and grows a little stronger than before. Rest time is also when glycogen stores are replenished between workouts, and not allowing adequate rest leads to a decrease in performance. If the training workload remains high with decreased rest time, overtraining becomes a real threat. Most age groupers, especially those with families and demanding jobs, don't get enough rest. A day off, this means no physical training, is a must for all triathletes, and it is OK to take more than one in a week if necessary.
The treatment for the overtraining syndrome is rest. The longer the overtraining has occurred, the more rest required. Therefore, early detection is very important. It is important that the factors that lead to overtraining be identified and corrected, otherwise, the overtraining syndrome is likely to recur. Of course, it is best to avoid overtraining altogether. A well-planned training program, and a coach that can help you navigate this sometimes-tricky water, is the path to faster times and good health.
Lance Watson is a two-time Olympic coach who works with Ironman star Lisa Bentley. For more on Watson, or to check out his coaching packages, visit LifeSport.ca.
If you have a triathlon-training question for Lance Watson, please e-mail Triathlete Magazine Interactive.