Beware of The Big " O"!

In a past post I wrote about the importance of hard work and consistency. These are two of the key fundamentals to success in all aspects of life. In our quest to become better it is not uncommon for some people to take this to the extreme and follow the philosophy that "if a little is good then a lot will be better". Unfortunately, this is not usually the case and in sports training this will certainly lead to the big "O" or Over Training!

Over training is the act of training harder and longer than the body's ability to recover. Due to the increased competitive nature of sports in our society today athletes of all ages have a tougher time managing training time, practice, game schedules, school, family and friends. This combined with the fact that most sports now play year round over many different leagues really puts today's athletes behind the eight ball. Realizing this problem is the first step to addressing it head on.

To better understand over training lets first look at the common signs of what over training is. The following list is most of the common signs athlete's will experience.
1) Chronic fatigue
2) Headaches
3) Chronic muscle and joint soreness
4) Loss of appetite
5) Irritability
6) Weight loss
7) Elevated resting heart rate
8) Weakened immune system (increased incidence of sickness, colds, infections, etc.)
9) Increased incidence of injuries
10) Depression
11) Decrease in performances
12) Loss of strength
13) Stomach upset
14) Insomnia
15) Poor performance
16) Inability to complete workouts
17) Loss of menstruation
18) Loss of motivation
19) Decreased aerobic and anaerobic capacity
20) Inability to concentrate and stay focused
21) Early onset of fatigue

As you can see there are many signs and symptoms an athlete may experience.

There are many possible mechanisms that may cause over training. One or a combination of multiple mechanisms is possible.

Among these mechanism are:

• Micro Trauma to muscle tissue is created faster than the body can heal or recover from it. This also leads to scar tissue development and overuse injuries!
• Protein or "amino acids" are used up faster than they are supplied causing loss of muscle tissue!
  
• Increased caloric deficit causing further muscle tissue breakdown!
• Increased production of cortisol that is elevated for long periods of time creating a catabolic state or state of "breakdown". Cortisol is a catabolic hormone created by increased stress on the body.
  
• Excessive strain and fatigue to the nervous system.
  

Now that you understand the symptoms and common mechanisms of over training what can you do to prevent it?

1) Decrease training volume. This can be done by shorter workouts, proper workout periodization, adding more days of rest, etc.
2) Improve nutrition
3) Improve quality and quantity of sleep
4) Supplementation
5) Massage, cryotherapy (ice), whirlpool bath, contrast therapy, etc.
6) Taking a break from training to allow time for recovery.

So as an athlete or coach it is very important to realize that quality of training is better than shear quantity of training. Remember training is only the stimulus for your body to adapt and become stronger or faster, etc. The true benefit comes through proper recovery allowing the body to super compensate for the training. It is only then that the true benefits of training can shine on the field!