Fail to prepare and recover…..prepare to fail… 

It is that time of the year when we are trying to plan for next year’s season of competition and racing.  It is important to start planning, and base development.

Make a plan, develop a solid base, expand your knowledge and / or seek a coaching plan.

One aspect of this is to be aware of over- training syndrome and react appropriately.

Sometimes we can feel that the harder you work, the more success you’ll achieve. It’s a principle that however is generally very in-accurate.

Given our culture, it’s not surprising that overtraining can occur with competitive athletes who strive to excel in competition. By having an awareness of it, and how it happens we can prevent it from occurring in the first place

Over training is the result of an imbalance in the training-to-recovery ratio–too much training and competing and too little recovery and regeneration. The difficulty is deciding just what constitutes ‘too much’ and ‘too little.’

To enhance performance we need to train by overloading the body and then allowing it to recover. This stimulus-recovery process is called adaptation, and it’s a characteristic shared by all living organisms.

It is important to understand that while a little is good, more is not necessarily better. The adaptation process has built-in limits that govern both how quickly an athlete can adapt and their maximum capacity to endure intense training. These limitations function as safety mechanisms to protect the body from damage

If you have a coach, family member or training partner, they may notice psychological clues of reduced concentration, anxiety, apathy toward training and irritability which often precedes performance deficits. Eventually if the demands continue, the athlete themselves notice performance-related symptoms because they may have overlooked the psychological clues.  If we can identify or recognize these non-physical signs of overtraining syndrome early and begin intervention early we can avoid the long-term effects and put ourselves back on track for healthy training and adaptation.

Overtraining Prevention

Most instances of overtraining result from poorly conceived programs that can be corrected with forethought and attention to recovery needs.

One key component is to develop a solid base of training and avoid a preseason program that increases intensity and performance demands too early/ quickly, well in advance of the competitive season. The physical and mental stresses of pursuing optimal performance from an inadequate foundation will take their toll over time, increasing the risk for overtraining and most likely creating disappointing results late in the season.

This time of the year it is important to create a hybrid strength and conditioning program that meets the training needs of all sports without creating overstress.

Key message: Develop a solid training base build, comprehensive strength and conditioning program that includes adequate rest, mobility work.  Identify weaknesses work on them and stay aware of not building our intensity or duration

Be aware of the symptoms: Washed-out feeling, tired, drained, lack of energy, mild aches/ pains in joints and muscles, sudden drop on performance, insomnia, head aches, decreased immunity, decreased training capacity/ intensity, moodiness/ irritability, depression, loss of enthusiasm for sport and appetite, increased incidence of niggles/ injury.

The good news is that access to advanced monitoring techniques, solid research, and time-tested workout strategies provides athletes and coaches today with more information about optimal training levels than ever before.

me of the year when we are trying to plan for next year’s season of competition and racing.  It is important to start planning, and base development.

Make a plan, develop a solid base, expand your knowledge and / or seek a coaching plan.

One aspect of this is to be aware of over- training syndrome and react appropriately.

Sometimes we can feel that the harder you work, the more success you’ll achieve. It’s a principle that however is generally very in-accurate.

Given our culture, it’s not surprising that overtraining can occur with competitive athletes who strive to excel in competition. By having an awareness of it, and how it happens we can prevent it from occurring in the first place

Over training is the result of an imbalance in the training-to-recovery ratio–too much training and competing and too little recovery and regeneration. The difficulty is deciding just what constitutes ‘too much’ and ‘too little.’

To enhance performance we need to train by overloading the body and then allowing it to recover. This stimulus-recovery process is called adaptation, and it’s a characteristic shared by all living organisms.

It is important to understand that while a little is good, more is not necessarily better. The adaptation process has built-in limits that govern both how quickly an athlete can adapt and their maximum capacity to endure intense training. These limitations function as safety mechanisms to protect the body from damage

If you have a coach, family member or training partner, they may notice psychological clues of reduced concentration, anxiety, apathy toward training and irritability which often precedes performance deficits. Eventually if the demands continue, the athlete themselves notice performance-related symptoms because they may have overlooked the psychological clues.  If we can identify or recognize these non-physical signs of overtraining syndrome early and begin intervention early we can avoid the long-term effects and put ourselves back on track for healthy training and adaptation.

Overtraining Prevention

Most instances of overtraining result from poorly conceived programs that can be corrected with forethought and attention to recovery needs.

One key component is to develop a solid base of training and avoid a preseason program that increases intensity and performance demands too early/ quickly, well in advance of the competitive season. The physical and mental stresses of pursuing optimal performance from an inadequate foundation will take their toll over time, increasing the risk for overtraining and most likely creating disappointing results late in the season.

This time of the year it is important to create a hybrid strength and conditioning program that meets the training needs of all sports without creating overstress.

Key message: Develop a solid training base build, comprehensive strength and conditioning program that includes adequate rest, mobility work.  Identify weaknesses work on them and stay aware of not building our intensity or duration

Be aware of the symptoms: Washed-out feeling, tired, drained, lack of energy, mild aches/ pains in joints and muscles, sudden drop on performance, insomnia, head aches, decreased immunity, decreased training capacity/ intensity, moodiness/ irritability, depression, loss of enthusiasm for sport and appetite, increased incidence of niggles/ injury.

The good news is that access to advanced monitoring techniques, solid research, and time-tested workout strategies provides athletes and coaches today with more information about optimal training levels than ever before.

 

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