PRORehab Library

Overtraining: Signs and Symptoms

Overtraining is rather common problem among athletes. Athletes are running, swimming, skating faster, jumping higher, throwing further, and lifting more than ever before. Many records in all sports are being broken. Several factors contribute to these massive improvements in size and strength.

The term overtraining itself is fraught with controversy and confusion. Some coaches and athletes contend that there is no limit beyond which training becomes counterproductive. Overtraining has also been used inconsistently in scientific literature with a variety of labels attached to this condition. The purpose of this article is to recognize overtraining and how to prevent and treat overtraining.

The signs and symptoms of overtraining vary from athlete to athlete depending on their sport and training methods. Changes in the function of the autonomic nervous systems, hormonal status or levels, immunological parameters and other physiology and musculoskeletal changes of their body are a few of the symptoms of over training. The primary symptom of over training is a drop in performance during practice or competition that cannot be tied to injury or illness. Some other physiological symptoms would include the inability to meet previously attained performance standards, a prolong recovery time, and inability to recover from what was previously considered as an easy training session. Athletes will have a change in heart rate at rest, exercise and recovery. Many athletes will express chronic fatigue with a loss of appetite and abnormal sleeping patterns.

Not only do overtrained athletes suffer decreases in physiological changes but also psychological and biochemical changes. Athletes may experience growing feelings of depression, general apathy, lack of self-esteem, emotional instability, and have poor concentration levels. Overtrained athletes may also have increased anxiety and fear of competition.

Not only must coaches and athletic trainers learn how each athlete responds to training, they must also ascertain how each athlete responds to extraneous stressors and their impact on the athlete’s ability to tolerate overload training.

A clear and precise diagnosis of overtraining is hard to achieve in practice, if not impossible. Laboratory tests can be done if you notice an athlete with problems, but the question one must ask is, what do abnormal results, really reflect? The best way to prevent and diagnose an athlete is relatively easy from an objective standpoint, examining their physical and mental states. If an athlete is decreasing in one or both of these areas then there is a good chance that the individual is becoming overtrained. Some athletes often intentionally or unintentionally disregard early signals of overtraining, either for performance reasons or due to lack of education about overtraining.

In order to prevent overtraining athletes, coaches and athletic trainers should monitor athletes’ practice plus the amount of rest they are receiving. There are three important factors in the prevention of overtraining. First, the structure of the training plan must allow adequate regeneration periods for the prevention of injury and excessive fatigue due to extreme levels of training stress. The training load must therefore be individualized and reduced or increased depending on the athlete’s response. Second, day-to-day training should be monitored for fluctuations in stress levels. The data should be recorded in a training logbook, along with specific health-related problems. Once the data is recorded it should be immediately interpreted for early detection of inappropriate responses to the training stress and adjustments should be made. Third, a sport-specific testing program must be developed and incorporated in to the training program. The testing procedures should distinguish the difference between normal fatigue and fatigue due to overtraining. Athletes must also be educated and made sensitive to appropriate nutritional habits and lifestyles and should voluntarily work towards maintaining these habits throughout their careers.

Athletes who are suffering from chronic fatigue or a decreased performance in competition or practice due to overtraining should decrease their intensity and increase rest. The only possible way to correct overtraining is to first identify the exact cause and try to or change the athletes training program. The biggest obstacle with athletes that have overtrained is convincing them to rest. Athletes are not sedentary people and won’t usually comply with enforced rest. The way to deal with this attitude is to change their workouts. Conduct running practice in the pool, plus lower the intensities of their workouts so less stress is placed on the body. Athletes will be conditioning but also receive some rest at the same time.

Overtraining syndrome is a pernicious condition, which can rob athletes of valuable seasons and even years during their careers. As those responsible for planning and conducting training, coaches and athletic trainers should strive to educate themselves on all aspects of training and recovery. Athletes place a great deal of trust in their coach’s and trainer’s knowledge; working to continually expand and refine that knowledge is a critical part of the coach’s and trainer’s responsibility to the athlete.

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