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STRENGTH AND POWER TRAINING INFORMATION FOR THE SERIOUS ATHLETE!

Overtraining?

When an athlete strength trains the question often arises as to whether
or not they are overtraining.

The answer may be reflected in your pulse, but you have to already know what your normal pulse rate averages before this test will provide an indication of your training status.

Take your pulse several mornings in a row to determine if you are approaching a state of overtraining. Do this as soon as you awake and before moving around for the day. Just lay there and get a food reading. Jot down the time and results. After several days if you find that it is ten beats greater than normal then its time to back off on your training intensity. Otherwise you are headed for an injury.

Over training-Excessive training indicators manifest first in psychological form

It is a well known fact that overtraining leads to lower performance and ultimately to injury. Determining when this homeostasis breakdown begins is often difficult, especially with highly motivated individuals.

By the time the physiological indicators of overtraining begin to show up the athlete is already into the overtrained status.

Researchers have studied this physical and mental phenomenon and found that psychological factors appear earlier in the developmental stages than do physiological indicators. One group of scientists
used the Affect Grid, a measuring device that followed two dimensions of affect; pleasure-displeasure and sleepiness-arousal on a daily basis pinpointed the early stages of overtraining.

A second team of research scientists used a measuring protocol that measured cortisol, Energetic Arousal and Tense Arousal (the activation deactivation check list) in their athletes.

In both studies, psychological factors emerged as the first barometer of overtraining. Self reporting of affect relating to lower energy levels were reported along with increased tiredness as the training sessions continued.

The research conducted using the Pleasure-displeasure affect and sleepiness-arousal scales discovered a decrease in these two markers were reduced by 14% and 16% respectively by the midpoint of their training cycle. In each case the athletes were reacting to the excessive physical and mental overloading of their training program as described in Hans Selye’s seminal work on stress and the human body (Stress Adaptation Syndrome 1951).

The point remains that in each test the psychological factors of less sleep, greater irritation and more tension of interaction in their daily lives presented themselves before the physiological factors such as a plateau, decreased performance, or injury occurred.

The astute coach will know the characteristics in the normal daily demeanor of their athlete and be aware of theses outward manifestations of overtraining. The psychological observations and self reporting aspects of these relatively easy to use tests provide a predictable and reliable source of training status information to the coaches.

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