Exercise Physiology

Ambient Temperature

The temperature of the environment the athlete is performing in.

Core Temperature

The temperature inside the athlete’s body.

Methods of Heat Loss Within the Body

• Conduction

• Convection

• Radiation

• Evapouration

Conduction - Definition and the factors that determine the rate at which it occurs

Definition: Heat exchanged by 2 objects in contact

Factors:

• The difference in temperature between 2 surfaces (heat flows from hot to cold)

• Surface Area (Increased SA leads to Increased heat loss)

• Thermal conductivity of material (metals are good conductors of heat)

Convection

• Heat exchange by contact with a fluid that is flowing

• Heat is carried away from the body by air or water currents

• The magnitude of heat loss is dependent on the speed and temperature of the air/water.

• The layer of warm air which continually surrounds our body is continually displaced by cold air when air temp is lower than skin temp - heat is continually lost from the body to attempt to warm the air.

Radiation

Occurs when heat is transferred from a warmer body to the cooler surroundings without physical contact.

• heat loss via radiation occurs when a person’s core temp is higher than ambient temp

• Heat gain via radiation occurs when the ambient temp is higher than a person’s core temp

Evapouration

Is the cooling of the body as a result of the evapouration of sweat.

Process of Evapouration

When the body exercises, muscles create heat.

To avoid overheating, the body uses blood to help regulate temperature.

Heat is transferred to the skin’s surface via the blood, where it is released as sweat.

Evapouration of sweat on the skin creates a cooling effect.

As a result, the cooled skin cools the blood travelling to the skin’s surface, maintaining the body’s core temperature.

Impact of Humidity on Evapouration

As humidity increases, evapouration becomes less effective.

This is because the air is already saturated with fluid, and sweat cannot evapourate off skin.

The body will continue to sweat but no heat loss occurs - dehydration becomes an issue due to large volume of fluid being lost.

Factors Influencing Rate of Sweating

• Gender (Males more than Females)

• Number of sweat glands

• Body surface are (increased SA = increased sweating)

• How fit you are (increased fitness = increased sweating if all other factors are equal e.g. SA)

The factors that influence the body’s preferred heat loss mechanism

1. Environment

• If ambient temp is above body’s core temp, evapouration is the only mechanism of heat loss, others result in heat gain.

• Heat loss via convection will occur if windy

• Barriers to convection - Clothing will minimise the effect of convection as it will insulate the boundary layer of air.

• Temp radiating surfaces - light clothing will not absorb as much heat as dark clothing

• Relative humidity - if 100%, no heat loss via evapouration.

2. Age

• Children do not sweat as much as their sweat glands are not as developed as adults

3. Physiological state

• Rate of heat production (how much work the athlete is performing)

• Hydration state - will determine the rate of evapouration as a reduction in plasma volume leads to a decrease in sweat rate.

Stroke Volume

The amount of blood ejected from the heart each beat

Heart rate

The number of times the heart beats per minute

Cardiac Output

The amount of blood circulating the body each minute

SV x HR

Dehydration definition

Occurs when the volume of water leaving the body is greater than the amount being taken in

Ways we lose water in our body

1. Breathing, as humidified air leaves the body

2. Sweating, which is used as a cooling mechanism

3. Urination or bowl movements in the removal of waste products

Double Heat Load Definition

A situation where the body is forced to deal with two forms of heat when exercising in hot conditions.

Metabolic heat created by working muscles and environmental heat in hot conditions.

Double Heat Load Effect

The double heat load creates a competition for blood flow:

1. Muscles and vital organs require blood flow to sustain energy metabolism.

2. Skin blood flow is required to transport heat to the environment to keep the core temperature cool. This blood flow cannot deliver oxygen to the working muscles, impacting performance.

Sweat rate and blood volume

• When exercising in the heat, the body directs blood flow to the skin and away from the working muscles to increase heat loss via evapouration.

• An increase in sweat rate leads to a decrease in blood plasma volume.

• As a result, Cardiovascular Drift occurs

Cardiovascular Drift

• To maintain cardiac output, HR increases

• This increase in HR is relatively smaller than the decrease in SV, therefore cardiac output is reduced.

• As a result, skin blood flow and oxygen sent to working muscles is reduced, placing an extra strain on the body to maintain exercise levels.

Impact of Cardiovascular Drift

• A reduction in blood flow to the working muscles increases the production of lactic acid

• Reducing blood flow to the skin reduces the sweating rate, inhibiting the body’s ability to lose heat via evapouration. These changes lead to a rise in core temperature and negatively affect performance.

Heat exhaustion

Dehydration and ineffective circulatory system.

Dehydration because of exercising in heat is caused by the decrease in stroke volume (decrease plasma volume) and a decrease in blood pressure, which causes the body to increase the heart rate.

This can lead to symptoms such as dizziness, headache, general fatigue, and nausea.

Heat Stroke

Extreme dehydration cause by excessive sweating. This will affect the body and its ability to lose heat and maintain performance levels.

A decrease in plasma volume > decrease blood flow to skin and muscles

. v v

decrease in stroke volume decrease sweating leading to dry skin

. v v

increase heart rate decrease heat loss via evapouration

. v v

decrease cardiac output increase body temp - can lead to unconsciousness, confusion

. brain damage, coma, or death

Hyperthermia definition

Elevated body temperature above 38 degrees due to failed thermoregulation that occurs when the bodyproduces or absorbs more heat than it dissipates.

Hyperthermia process

• if the body becomes too hot, the cardiovascular system directs blood to the skin so heat is lost to the environment by sweating.

• The skin blood vessels will vasodilate (increase diameter), so more blood flows to the skin.

• the body also responds by increasing sweat production to cool the body off via the evapouration of sweat on the skin’s surface

• if the body loses too muh fluid though sweating, the body stops sending blood to the skin, resulting in not further fluid loss, but there is an increase in core temp due to evapouration no longer being a method of heat loss.

Fluid Replacement strategies to minimise dehydration - Pre exercise

• involves increasing the body’s fluid stores by consuming extra fluid before an event.

• Consume a total of 1L is recommended:

600ml 3-4 hours before game

400ml just before the game to PRIME the stomach

Avoid drinks containing caffeine as they act as a diuretic and will increase fluid loss

Allows athletes to sweat more before performance is inhibited

Fluid Replacement strategies to minimise dehydration - During exercise

• Drink approx 200ml of water every 15min during activity. The amount is influenced by environment and exercise intensity.

• Don’t just drink when thirsty - you are usually dehydrated already.

• Avoid drinking just water as salt lost in sweat needs to be replaced (sports drinks are effective)

Fluid Replacement strategies to minimise dehydration - Post Exercise

• the goal is to replenish back to pre-exercise weight

• for every 1L of sweat loss, consume 1.5L as you will urinate most of this out.

• Consume slightly salty fluid to keep osmolality higher so you don’t urinate as much

Hyponatremia

• An abnormally low concentration of salts/electrolytes in the blood

• When a person sweats profusely for an extended period, drinking too much water can cause problems because the body is losing salt and water in the sweat, but only water is being replaced.

• imbalance or lack of salt can interfere with brain, heart, and muscle function.

Benefits of Sports Drinks

• contain carbohydrates, potassium, and sodium

• Effective due to the fact they:

Taste good > athletes want to drink more

Provide athletes with a rapid supply of energy (high GI CHO) and assist in glycogen sparing

Replace lost electrolytes

Rehydrate the performer

ATP Definition

A chemical compound called Adenosine Triphosphate which produces energy for movement.

When energy is required for muscular contraction, one of the phosphate molecules breaks off, releasing energy.

ATP in the body

• Only a very small amount of ATP is stored within the muscles, so ATP must continually be resynthesised to provide energy for longer periods.

• ATP can be resynthesised from the breakdown of phosphocreatine or macronutrients in our diet.

Energy source vs Fuel Source

Energy source = refers to which energy system is used to produce ATP- ATP/PC, Lactic Acid, Aerobic

Fuel source = refers to what’s required to fuel the exercise - carbohydrates, fats, protein, creatine phosphate

Performance Enhancers - Illegal vs Legal

Legal - Protein powders, Caffeine, Creatine

Illegal - Anabolic Steroids, EPO, Blood Doping

Protein Powders - How it is consumed

• Protein supplements (eg. powders) are convenient post-training - contain concentrated amounts of high-quality protein and are usually without food preparation

Protein Powders - Physiological Benefits

• Increased protein consumption may assist in increasing muscle bulk (hypertrophy) and repair damaged tissue.

• Protein powders decrease muscle catabolism using protein as a fuel source to maintain muscle mass.

• Protein powders improve the rate of recovery from training sessions

• Increased muscle mass only occurs if the athlete is doing a resistance training program

Protein Powders - Physiological Risks/Side Effects

• increased risk of osteoporosis

• Colon cancer

• Kidney Damage

• Increased water retention

Protein Powders - Athletes who Benefit

• Sports people hoping to increase muscle bulk (eg. bodybuilders and weightlifters)

• Athletes in heavy training - assists with recovery

Caffeine - How it is consumed

• Most common dietary sources - coffee, tea, chocolate, cola drinks

• The addition of guarana to ‘energy drinks’ and sports foods or supplements can provide double the amount of caffeine per serve.

Caffeine - Physiological Benefits

• Acts as an analgesic (suppresses neurotransmitters in the nervous system), reducing the perception of effort and therefore increasing the time to exhaustion in short-distance events.

• Stimulates the CNS, increasing alertness and arousal levels and decreasing reaction times.

• It is thought to also create a glycogen-sparing effect through the oxidation of free fatty acids

-Through the mobilisation of fats as a fuel source during moderate to high intensity exercise, the athlete’s spare their glycogen supplies, improving performance in long-duration events.

Caffeine - Physiological Risks/Side Effects

• Potent diuretic - May cause an unnecessary loss of fluid pre-exercise, having a negative effect on the athlete’s ability to regulate temperature

• Increased heart rate/cardiovascular activity

• increased muscle shakes/tremors/twitching

• Insomnia

• Withdrawal effects

• Headaches

• Excessive intake may lead to over-arousal

Caffeine - Athletes who Benefit

• Endurance events of 90+ minutes

• Short duration high intensity efforts

• Events requiring fast reaction times

Creatine - How it is consumed

• An amino acid that occurs in high levels in meat and fish

• Naturally occurring compounds found in skeletal muscle

• Creatine monohydrate is the supplemented form

Creatine - Performance Benefits

It is used to improve muscular power and reduce muscle damage.

It is thought to:

• Provide increased CP in the muscles, which reduces dependance on the Anaerobic Glycolysis system, thus increasing ATP and delaying the onset of fatigue

• Stimulates protein synthesis, reducing protein degradation and improving muscle enlargement.

• Improve buffering effect on ADP, leading to increased supply of ATP

Creatine - Physiological Risks/Side Effects

• Weight gain

• Cramping

• Diarrhoea

• Dehydration

• Dizziness

Creatine - Athletes who Benefit

Short duration, high intensity explosive power activities.

E.g. Weight lifting

Anabolic Steroids - How consumed

• Can be consumed orally, injected intramuscularly, or taken as gels or creams that are applied to the skin.

• They are synthetically produced drugs that mimic the effect of the hormone testosterone

• Testosterone = promotes bone density, muscle growth and rapid recovery, and the maturing of male secondary sexual characteristics such as muscle mass.

Anabolic Steroids - Physiological Benefits

• increase the performer’s size, strength, and power

• Decreases recovery time

• Stimulates protein synthesis

• Improved rate of tissue repair

Anabolic Steroids - Physiological Risks/Side Effects

• Acne

• Liver disease/cancer/disfunction/damage

• Kidney disease/cancer/disfunction/damage\

• Hypertrophy of the clitoris

• Depression

• Aggression

• Hypertension (high blood pressure)

• Infertility

• Testicular atrophy

• Increased masculinity

• Male breast enlargement/female breast atrophy

Anabolic Steroids - Athletes who Benefit

Sports requiring strength and power as athletes can train harder and more frequently

Blood Doping (Blood Transfusions) - How it is consumed

It involves infusing extra human blood (RBCs) into the athlete via transfusions of their own blood (autologous) or a donor’s (homologous) with the same blood type.

1. Remove 500ml-1000ml of blood from the athlete for up to 6 weeks before the competition

2. Place blood in a centrifuge to separate RBCs from the plasma

3. RBCs are stored (in a refrigerator) for up to 6 weeks

4. During this time, the body recognises there is a shortage of RBCs

5. RBCs are reinfused before the competition

Blood Doping (Blood Transfusions) - Physiological Benefits

• Increased RBC number

• Allows for more oxygen to be delivered to the muscles

• Improved aerobic capacity and VO2 max of the athlete

• Better aerobic performance

Blood Doping (Blood Transfusions) - Physiological Risks/Side Effects

• Risk of infection

• Risk of communication of infectious diseases and the possibility of a transfusion reaction

• Increased viscosity of blood can cause it to clot or coagulate more readily, increasing the chance of heart attack, stroke, and pulmonary embolism

Blood Doping (Blood Transfusions) - Athletes who benefit

Endurance athletes

Blood Doping (Erythropoietin EPO ) - How it is consumed

• It is a naturally occurring hormone in the body that is secreted by the kidneys - EPO stimulates the production of RBCs in the bone marrow

• EPO is given as an injection under the skin (subcutaneously)

Blood Doping (Erythropoietin EPO ) - Physiological Benefits

• Stimulates the bone marrow to produce more RBCs

• Increased RBCs ensures more O2 is transported around the muscles

• Greater aerobic endurance and VO2 max

Blood Doping (Erythropoietin EPO ) - Physiological Risks/Side Effects

• Increased blood viscosity - increased risk of clots, heart attack, stroke, and dehydration

• Potential for contracting infectious diseases

• Hypertension occurs when the substance is introduced too quickly

• Convulsions

• Influenza-like symptoms, bone aches and shivering following injection

• Liver or pancreatic damage

Blood Doping (Erythropoietin EPO ) - Athletes who Benefit

Endurance athletes

Blood Doping (Synthetic Oxygen Carriers) - How it is Consumed

• It involves the athlete injecting purified proteins or chemical that carry oxygen

• Examples include = Haemoglobin-based Oxygen Carriers, Perfluorocarbons

Blood Doping (Synthetic Oxygen Carriers) - Physiological Benefits

• Like RBCs, they work to deliver oxygen to the muscles, increasing aerobic capacity and endurance

• It can also increase EPO levels and reduce lactic acid production

Blood Doping (Synthetic Oxygen Carriers) - Physiological Risks/Side Effects (NOTE: Same as EPO)

• Increased blood viscosity - increased risk of clots, heart attack, stroke, and dehydration

• Potential for contracting infectious diseases

• Hypertension occurs when the substance is introduced too quickly

• Convulsions

• Influenza-like symptoms, bone aches and shivering following injection

• Liver or pancreatic damage

Blood Doping (Synthetic Oxygen Carriers) - Athletes who Benefit

Endurance Athletes

Periodisation - Definition

The planning, well in advance, of training variables to achieve optimal performance at the most crucial times or the design of a training program that involves specific training phases based upon increasing and decreasing volume, frequency, or intensity.

Benefits of Periodisation

• Help avoid staleness, overtraining and burnout

• Promotes higher levels of enthusiasm in the player group

• Ensures proper application of the principle of progressive overload in the players’ physical conditioning

• Minimises likelihood of injuries

• Improves the psychological, physiological, technical, and tactical levels of the players

• Plans for the athlete to ‘peak’ at the right time

• Plans for rest/recovery periods

Macrocycle

Represents the whole block of training

e.g. the whole year

Mesocycle

Represent the phases of training

e.g. Pre-season, in-season, off-season

Microcyle

Several microcyles form from the mesocycle

Phases of Training

• Pre-season

• In-season

• Off-season

Pre-Season - General Preparation (Objective and Type of Exercise)

Objective: Training is designed to build a suitable aerobic base and skill level leading into the competition.

• Involves high volume training with low/medium levels of intensity

Continuous/interval/fartlek training

Flexibility training

Basic skill work

• Fitness testing is used to gather baseline data and compare it to other players, teams, previous seasons.

Pre-Season - Specific Preparation (Objective and Type of Exercise)

Objective: Develop game-specific fitness, skills, and strategies

• Reduced training volume with increased intensity

HIIT

Weight training

Plyometrics training

Flexibility/Agility training

• Appropriate mental skills developed

In-Season - Pre Competition (Objective and Type of Exercise)

Objective: To reach peak match condition

• Focus on training moves to match specific intensities, durations, and tactics

• Application of the principle Specificity is cruicial

• Continue to develop appropriate mental skills

• Intensity of training increases, volume of training decreases

• Recovery between sessions is essential

• Play trial games

In-Season - Competition (Objective and Type of Exercise)

Objective: Fitness is maintained - dependent on individual situations

• Players are at optimal levels of skills and fitness

• Focus on psychological and tactical preparation

• Recovery sessions are crucial, especially after games when players may be sore

• Constant peaking and tapering are crucial in allowing players sufficient recovery during the season

Off-Season - (Objective and Type of Exercise)

Objective: To allow the player to fully recover physiologically and psychologically and maintain aerobic fitness to a certain extent to avoid detraining.

• Training volume and intensity are significantly reduced - give their body time to recover

• Aerobic fitness is maintained through enjoyable activities such as different sports, surfing, swimming etc.

• Monitor nutrition to ensure a return to active participation close to playing weight

• Opportunity for corrective surgery and rehabilitation

• Specialised programs to correct structural or skill deficiencies.

Overview of the Principles of Training

• Tapering

• Peaking

• Recovery

• Maintenance

Tapering - Description

• Involves decreasing the volume of training whilst maintaining or increasing intensity. An athlete does this to allow the body time to recover from the stresses placed on them during training.

• Physically the taper period should be long enough to repair tissues damaged during training and the refueling of energy stores.

• Mentally, the aim of the taper is to help the athlete reach their Ideal Performance State (IPS)

• Normally done after a hard block of training or leading into a major competition.

Tapering - Duration

• Tapers are normally between 4-28 days depending on the type of event being tapered for and the individual.

• Endurance athletes = short taper (because aerobic muscle enzymes decrease rapidly so continued training is important)

• Strength and power athletes = longer tapers are important for sprint and strength events as strength and speed are suppressed with intense with intense periods of high volume training.

Strategies Used to Taper

1. Reduce training volume and maintain or increase training intensity to a level greater than or equal to competition activity

2. Increase the use of recovery techniques between sessions to improve the quality of recovery

3. Monitering diet to ensure athlete has adequate glycogen stores

4. Individualise the program to ensure athletes’ needs are fully met.

Peaking - Definition

• The term used to describe a temporary training state which allows the athlete to perform at their optimal level.

• Peaking at key times is a result of a well thought out training plan.

• Players who have peaked are said to be in the IPS or in “The Zone” which includes being at their optimal readiness to perform from a psychological, physiological, technical, and tactical perspective.

Characteristics of an Athlete Peaking

Physiological:

• Injury free

• Improved rate of recovery

• Optimal cardiovascular, muscular, and energy systems

• Responds automatically to demands

Psychological:

• Increased self confidence

• Ignores irrelevant cues

• Mentally relaxed while still alert

Tactical and Technical:

• Ideal technical efficiency

• Tactically prepared

Recovery - Definition

• Recovery strategies are designed to reverse the impacts of fatigue and return the athlete to performance readiness both physically and mentally.

• Fatigue is when an athlete is not able to work at normal levels but not as a result of injury or illness

• The faster recovery is achieved, the sooner the athlete is prepared for their next effort.

3 Key Areas of Recovery

1. Nutritional Recovery

2. Physical Recovery

3. Psychological strategies

Nutritional Recovery Description

1. Hydration post exercise

• For every 1L of fluid lost, consume 1.5L of water

• Avoid alcohol and caffeine - diuretic

• Consume slightly salty food to keep osmolality higher so you don’t urinate as much

2. Food/fuel post exercise

• Ingestion of protein and carbohydrates immediately post exercise - 30-60min

• Enhances the synthesis of glycogen and stimulates muscle protein synthesis - helps repair the micro-trauma inside the muscles, aids in muscle growth

Physical Recovery - Ultrasound

• Utilises high or low-frequency sound waves to treat musculoskeletal injuries and promote tissue healing

• The sound waves cause tiny vibrations in the deep tissue molecules, increasing heat and friction. The warming of the tissue promotes healing by increasing the blood flow and therefore the metabolism at the level of the tissue cells.

Physical Recovery - Hydrotherapy (Low intensity pool sessions)

• Non-weight bearing activities are effective in the removal of waste products by stimulating blood flow to muscles.

• Reduces tissue damage and pain

Physical Recovery - Hydrotherapy (Cold Water Immersion)

• Takes place at less than 20 degrees Celsius (10-15 degrees)

• Recommended athletes spend approximately a total of 5 minutes in the cold water with short breaks in between

• It benefits the athlete by reducing inflammation by causing vasoconstriction of the periphery blood vessels. This overall reduces the blood flow to external inflammation, reducing inflammation.

Physical Recovery - Hydrotherapy (Hot Water Immersion)

• Takes place in water warmer than 36 degrees Celsius

• Aims to increase blood flow and increase the range of motion due to the relaxation of soft muscle tissue

• Recommended athletes spend approximately 15 minutes in total - must maintain fluids as dehydration following exercise can be magnified during this process

Physical Recovery - Hydrotherapy (Contrast Water Therapy CWT)

• Involves switching between cold and hot water and can be useful as it combines the effects of cold and hot water immersions.

• CWT operates on the principle of increasing blood flow by constricting and dilating blood vessels, assisting the muscle pump action.

• This has a greater effect on removing metabolites or exercise by-products, therefore decreasing stiffness or soreness.

• Recommended 2 min cold, 2 min hot (repeat 3-4 times)

Physical Recovery - Massage

• Aids recovery physically and psychologically

• Should occur 1-2 hours after training or competition

• Helps relax the muscles and clear away lactic acid by increasing blood flow by HEATING the muscle

• Can reduce muscle tension and promote flexibility

• Should not be used on soft tissue injuries for the first 72 hours

Physical Recovery - Recovery Clothing/Compression Garments

• The use of compression clothing helps reduce fatigue, minimise soreness and improve recovery by assisting blood flow to muscles.

• Helps veins pump blood back to the heart by placing the muscle under high pressure

Physical Recovery - Sleep/Rest (Benefits)

• Allows brain to recover

• Immune function

• Tissue growth and repair

• Improved weight through better nutritional choices

• Improved stamina and motivation

• Improved decision making and accuracy of movements

Effect of Lack of Sleep

• Lack of sleep can cause the athlete to function at a less-than-optimal level via reduced:

-Reaction times

-Agility

-Speed

-Visual processing

-Concentration

• Decreased ability to metabolise glucose for energy production

• Increased levels of stress hormones such as cortisol

• Decreased activity of human growth hormone essential for tissue repair

• Decreased aerobic endurance

• Increased perceived exertion

• Increased feeling of tiredness

• Increased moodiness

• Reduced brain function and ability to make decisions

Physical Recovery - Cool Down (active recovery)

• Involves submaximal exercise

• Helps reduce muscle soreness and aid recovery

• Active recovery is most beneficial in events where lactic acid has been produced as increased blood flow to muscles assists in the removal of metabolic by-products.

Physical Recovery - Cool Down (passive recovery)

• Involves little or no movement

• Beneficial for events where replenishment of ATP-CP stores is a priority

Physical Recovery - Static Stretching

• Used to help reduce muscle tension and increase muscle relaxation.

• Individuals should prioritise muscle groups utilised during the workout

• 10-15 min duration

Physical Recovery - Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

• Used to treat soft tissue injuries and promote recovery

• Athletes’ breath in pure oxygen to increase oxygen concentration in the blood - Results in more oxygen being delivered to fatigued muscles and a more rapid recovery process due to reduced muscle inflammation and increased ability for removal of waste products.

Maintenance Definition

When fitness levels are sustained but not developed or overloaded.

• The body cannot continuously be overloaded - it needs time to recover, and it is usually during the competition phase of the season that the maintenance phase takes place.

• During the season, the athlete aims to maintain the high fitness and strength levels built up during the pre-season, whilst increasing the recovery to ensure they are physically fresh for games.

• It is achieved by reducing the volume and increasing or maintaining the intensity of the training.

Overtraining Definition

Occurs when the athlete has been repeatedly stressed by training to the point where the rest periods between sessions are no longer adequate for recovery to occur. As a result, training no longer leads to a performance improvement.

Symptoms of Overtraining

Psychological

• Reduced self-esteem/confidence

• Easily irritated and moody

• Depression/increased anxiety

• Loss of motivation

• Insomnia

• Drop in concentration

• Altered sleep pattern

Physiological

• General soreness

• Weight loss

• Increase in viral illness

• Increase injuries

• Increase resting HR

• Loss of appetite

• Nausea

• Prolonged fatigue

Behavioural

• Decreased effort

• Performance drops

• Gives up

• Reduced coordination

Common Causes of Overtraining

• Workload too high

• Lack of variety in training sessions leading to staleness

• Insufficient recovery from injury

• Incorrect application of the progressive overload principle

• Insufficient recovery methods which lead to an imbalance between rest, training, and competition.

Preventing Overtraining

• Have a well-planned training programme which incorporates sufficient rest

• Look for variations in the players’ behaviour, moods and performance

• Have a variety in the training sessions

• Reduce training load or stop training if athlete shows signs of overtraining

• Ensure a balanced diet to maintain energy stores