Overtraining/Training Loads
What is overtraining?
Overtraining has been defined as an imbalance between training and non-training stress (physiological, psychological and social) and the recovery process resulting in an unplanned overreached state. If unresolved this increases athlete risk of progressing through the stress/fatigue state continuum, culminating in overtraining.
To improve athletic capacity and performance, we must provide a training stimulus which forces the body to adapt. Inevitably, this will result in some degree of acute fatigue which must be coupled with adequate recovery to avoid performance deficits lasting days to weeks. If left for long enough this will eventuate in overtraining syndrome which results in severe performance deficits requiring months to years to recover from.
To avoid overreaching and overtraining, key training variables must be balanced, and early signs and symptoms of accumulative fatigue must be identified.
Implications for program design
These training variables include volume, intensity, frequency, and training age. Simply, training intensity is a measure of how hard you train which can be estimated using ratings of perceived exertion while training volume is measured using sets and reps for resistance training or duration/distance for skill/conditioning training per session or week.
Following short periods of increased training load (e.g. pre-season), a tapering period with a relative decrease in training load must be employed to reduce fatigue and allow the super-compensation effect (adaptations to training) to occur.
Other factors such as congested competition scheduling with an insufficient reduction in training load, returning too quickly from injury, and life stresses will also contribute to the risk of overtraining and must be accounted for throughout a season.
A rough guide to avoid overtraining is to only increase training loads by no more than 5-10% per week. Moreover, ensure recovery strategies are being implemented including diet, hydration and sleep.
Markers used in the identification of accumulative fatigue
On the more technical end are methods such as hormonal monitoring, heart rate and heart rate variability, and psychomotor speed.
More accessible methods include physical performance measures such as performance in a multistage fitness test, reductions in VO2max, maximal vertical jump height and hop testing. Moreover, questionnaires investigating fatigue and mood states can be used with particular focus on items such as vigour.
Corcoran, G., & Bird, S. P. (2012). Monitoring overtraining in athletes: A brief review and practical applications for strength and conditioning coaches. Journal of Australian Strength and Conditioning, 20(2), 45–57.
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