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The Sport Digest - ISSN: 1558-6448

Overtraining Syndrome

Submitted by: Derrick Tinsley, Candidate for Master’s Degree, USSA

Overtraining syndrome is a serious problem marked by decreased performance, increased fatigue, persistent muscle soreness, mood disturbances, and a ‘burnt out’ feeling. The problem has been well known for several years. Prevention is still the best cure, so athletes, coaches, and physicians need to recognize the early warning signs. Overtraining syndrome is due primarily to long term imbalance of physical training and recovery.

Athletes who push themselves too much can impair their performance and their immune systems. The most obvious symptom is a plateau in their performance levels. Since the syndrome can manifest itself differently in everyone, the phenomenon poses a real dilemma for coaches. If 10 athletes are doing the same program, five of them could be increasing their levels of performance while five of them could be developing overtraining syndrome. Overtraining can force the body into a weakened state, which can produce a cold or flu or tear muscles ligaments and tendons.

So what does an athlete do to prevent this? It has been suggested that less is more. In other words, doing five exercises per muscle and doing each muscle four times a week is far better for the athlete than working out seven times a week for three to four hours each time. Below is a list of symptoms to help detect signs of overtraining:

  1. Decreased muscle size and strength
  2. Longer-than-average recovery time after workout
  3. Elevated walking pulse rate
  4. Elevated morning blood pressure
  5. Increased joint and muscle aches
  6. Headaches
  7. Tiredness
  8. Listlessness
  9. Insomnia
  10. Injury
  11. Illness
  12. Loss or decrease in appetite

Overtraining syndrome can have adverse, if not devastating, effects on the condition of an athlete, because recovery requires an extended period away from training and competition. Overtraining syndrome can only be diagnosed after other causes have been excluded. Treatment for overtraining syndrome is practical in nature. Below is a useful list to help treat overtraining syndrome:

  1. Rest is the foundation of treatment of overtraining, because the condition represents an imbalance of stress and recovery.
  2. Competitive athletes prefer a treatment plan based on “therapeutic exercise” rather than complete rest.
  3. Mood monitoring may require coordination of care with a sports psychologist or other mental health professional familiar with challenges of competitive athletics.
  4. Before advising a return to training or competition, mood state, fatigue, sleep quality, and muscle soreness should have normalized. A careful analysis of training factors that led to the syndrome should be identified.
  5. As training levels increase, athletes should be monitored for signs of overtraining. Maintaining a training log may be helpful.

Because overtraining syndrome can prematurely end an athlete’s season or career, prevention remains the ideal goal. The foundations of treatment are resting, minimizing psychosocial stressors, and improving nutrition. Identifying the training excess will also help prevent recurrence. Other ways to reduce the risk of overtraining include the following:

  1. Emphasize carbohydrates; make them 60-70% of your total diet. Take carbohydrates 2 hours prior to exercising and immediately following exercise. Research has shown that fatigued muscles seem most responsive to energy storage within the first 30 minutes following a workout. There is a lesser response for the next 10 hours.
  2. Take protein 1 to 2 hours before and immediately following exercise. I use regular food, but see no problem with supplementation to save time (at the expense of more money). Research has also shown the body to be more receptive to protein immediately following a workout.
  3. Continue eating high carbohydrate foods every 2 hours during the first 4 to 6 hours after hard training. During the first 6 hours post-exercise, simple sugars appear to replace muscle glycogen better than complex carbohydrates. Post-exercise muscle glycogen storage can be enhanced with a combination carbohydrate-protein supplement as a result of the interaction of carbohydrate and protein on insulin secretion. The addition of protein with carbohydrates can allow a more rapid recovery.
  4. Drink a hydration beverage (like Gatorade) during and after exercise. Take periodic layoffs. Use the best “miracle supplement” there is - WATER. You can’t “overdose” on water. The worst side effect you can get is a few more trips to the washroom. Your body functions optimally when it is fully hydrated. A general recommendation is to consume at least 128 ounces (one gallon) of water a day. During hot weather, you should double or triple this amount.