Overtraining in Fitness Affects Performance

One of the most popular factors with successful athletes and fitness enthusiasts appears to be that the more they train, the better they will perform. However, performance and results depends not only on a high level of commitment, it relies on a carefully designed program where training is complemented by appropriate recovery.

The US Olympic Committee defines overtraining as "the syndrome that results when an excessive, usually physical, overload on an athlete occurs without adequate rest, resulting in a decrease in performance and the inability to train."

The "no pain, no gain" attitude can lead to reduced performance through overtraining syndrome (OTS). It appears that OTS is a very common phenomenon. It has been reported to be present in:

• more than 60% of elite distance runners at least once in their career.
• more than 50% of soccer players in a competitive season.
• 28% of athletes competing in the 1996 Summer Olympics.
• 10% of athletes competing in the 1998 Winter Olympics.

The Root of the Problem

Why is overtraining so prevalent when our knowledge of sports science is increasing all the time? It appears that both athletes and coaches are to blame. Training loads (mainly the responsibility of coaches) are increasing. When Mark Spitz won seven gold medals at the 1972 Olympics, he swam an average of 9000 metres per day in his training routine. This was surpassed by average university/college swimmers by 1990 and almost quadrupled (35000 metres) by Olympic swimmers in 1995. However, coaches should not shoulder all the responsibility. It appears that an athlete’s drive for continuous performance improvements is at least partly to blame, as Armstrong and VanHeest point out in their excellent review, "Athlete frustration leads to increased practice time each day and increased training intensity, which results in less regeneration, increased fatigue and worsening of performance." It would appear that both athletes and coaches have not caught on to what sports science tells us: sometimes less is more.

The price to pay for overtraining can be a high one. While most athletes who become overtrained miss only a few days of training (if action is taken early), the symptoms can and do last much longer. This is particularly true for those who ignore the early warning signs.

Overtraining Prevention

Due to the long term repercussions of OTS, it is critical that coaches and individuals prevent overstepping the mark between overreaching and overtraining. As this mark is often blurred and differs from individual to individual, overreaching should only be practiced by those who know what they are doing. Remember that we don’t know we are overtraining until it has happened! Additionally, it is key that the individual aggressively recovers (either complete rest or a drastic reduction in training volume and intensity) as soon as some of the symptoms appear.

Train Smart

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