Overtraining and Recovery:
A Delicate Balancing Act
Ben Sporer - Exercise Physiologist
Pacific Sport National Sport Center
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Gears of
Recovery
Training
Sessions
Training
Phases
Reps/Sets
RECOVERY
Illness or
Injury
Acute
Taper
Chronic
Adapted from Wenger (2000)
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Recovery From
Exercise
Physiological
• Restoration of energy
stores
• Fluids
• Removal of waste
• Repair and regeneration
• Hormonal/Stress
Psychological
•
•
•
•
•
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Focus
Attitude
Stress
Mood
Anxiety
Nutritional
Strategies
Hydration
Strategies
Rest/Inactivity Active/Passive Psychological
Strategies
Strategies
Strategies
Optimum Recovery and
Enhanced Performance
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Supercompensation
Performance
Training
Stimulus
Supercompensation
Fatigue
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Training Effects
Performance
Training
Stimuli
↑ performance
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Volume and Intensity
Training
Stimulus
↑ Recovery Time
↑ Fatigue from
Intensity
↑ Fatigue from Volume
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Training Variables
(volume, intensity,
duration)
Strategies
Type of Training
(aerobic, anaerobic,
strength)
(active/passive,
nutritional)
Recovery Time
Post-Activity
External Factors
(rest, recovery,
training session)
(social, emotional,
work, sleep)
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Physiological Adaptation
Strength
High Vol/Int
Low Vol/Int
Aerobic
0
12
24
36
48
60
72
Hours
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84
Recovery Times
• Glycogen repletion takes at least 5 hours with
ideal replenishing strategies and low volumes
– can be as long as 48 hours
• Lactate removal requires up to 2 hours
– effects of low pH may not yet return to normal
• Muscle soreness 12-72 hours
– “endurance” < isometric < isotonic < eccentric
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Balancing Act
RECOVERY
STRESS
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Training Effects
Performance
Training
Stimuli
↓ performance
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Fatigue
Performance
Dynamic Relationship
Volume/Intensity
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Fatigue
Performance
Dynamic Relationship
Volume/Intensity
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Fatigue
Performance
Dynamic Relationship
Volume/Intensity
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Fatigue
Performance
Dynamic Relationship
Volume/Intensity
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Short Term Overtraining:
– Failure to recover from a single
training session within 72 hours
– up to 2 weeks to recover
Long Term Overtraining:
– chronic short term overtraining
– result in loss of a competitive season
or career
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*** Underrecovery
can result in a 36% decrement in
performance
velocity (Flynn et
al., 1994)
2002 Tour de France Prologue
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
- 9.08.78 (45.92 km/h)
- 0.01.73
- 0.03.19
- 0.03.81
- 0.04.69
- 0.06.00
- 0.08.19
- 0.09.02
- 0.12.55
- 0.12.64
- 0.12.90
- 0.13.91
- 0.14.52
- 0.14.77
- 0.14.83
- 0.15.96
- 0.16.14
- 0.16.16
- 0.16.94
- 0.17.13
Recovered = 1st place
Underrecovered = ???
3% = ~26 seconds
6% = ~44 seconds
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Poorer performance
Severe fatigue
Muscle soreness
Overuse injuries
Reduced appetite
Disturbed sleep patterns
Mood disturbances
Immune system deficits
Concentration difficulties
Signs of
Underrecovery
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Avoiding Underrecovery
Steps:
1. understand what is meant by underrecovery
2. determine an assessment tool
3. plan and assess regularly
4. intervene
5. reevaluate
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Assessment
• Performance
– time trials, maximum tests, event specific, skill
assessment
• Physiological
$$$
&
Time
– blood work, lactate, HR, hormonal responses,
immunological
• Psychological
– log books
– rate of perceived exertion (RPE)
– RESTQ-Sport
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Cheap
&
Quick
Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)
10
Maximal
9
8
7
Very Strong
6
5
Strong
4
Somewhat Difficult
3
Moderate
2
Light
1
Very Light
0
Nothing at all
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Using RPE to Monitor Training
Day
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Duration
60
90
120
20
100
150
30
RPE
8
6
8
3
7
7
2
Total
Mean
SD
Load
480
540
960
60
700
1050
60
3850
550
393
Monotony
Strain
Day
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Duration
80
30
90
100
80
90
120
RPE
8
8
8
5
7
7
4
Total
Mean
SD
Load
640
240
720
500
560
630
480
3770
539
156
1.40
Monotony
3.45
5391
Strain
13012
Adapted from Foster et al., (1998)
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RESTQ-Sport
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Intervention & Re-evaluation
•
•
•
•
Reduce volume and/or intensity
Implement more variation to reduce monotony
Address external factors to the sport
Individualize
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“… even though swimmers are always tired, training hard,
and their performances not changing or even getting
worse, good things are still happening to them. THAT IS
WRONG. Constant fatigue states do not make a better
swimmer. Better swimmers come from continual
improvement derived from training effects. If swimmers
are not improving, then they are not experiencing
beneficial training.”
Brent S. Rushall
Powering Sport Performance
www.pacificsport.com
Powering Sport Performance