From: dahls@fhydra.dnet.unit.no (Joern Yngve Dahl-Stamnes)
Subject: Overtraining - SUMMARY.
Reply-To: dahls@fhydra.dnet.unit.no (Joern Yngve Dahl-Stamnes)
Organization: University of Trondheim, NORWAY
Date: Fri, 02 Oct 92 11:57:45 EDT

Some time ago I asked about information about overtraining, like
symptoms, how to avoid it and what to do when you are overtrained.

The most common symptoms seems to be elevated resting pulse, difficulty
sleeping and that your body don't want to push hard. I have talked with
other riders when out racing. They told me about other symptoms which is
typical when you are overtrained over a longer periode. The symptoms may
be "heat waves" (you suddenly feel very hot and the begin to freeze
again shortly after), anxiety and indigestion.

I got some replies, and here they are. But I still want to get more info
about this topic, ie. how to train to avoid overtraining later in the
season. Keep on mailing...

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Eric, praetzel@marconi.uwaterloo.ca

Types of overtraining:
   1) Doing too many miles.  I found that if I did 120 km on Monday, 120 on 
       Tuesday that I would not recover till Friday.  This was after doing
       about 200+ km on the weekend at a touring pace.  In fact I noticed
       that I was not recovered on Tuesday.
   2) Going too hard in one day and not waiting until you have recovered to
       try again.
 
The difference is subtle.  I have found that after the tuesday rides (with
a bunch of faster riders doing sprints and intervals) that I can not do 
_anything_ on the next day.  I had tried going at a race pace but I could not
keep my pulse high and I tried keeping my pulse < 150 but found that it only
hindered my recovery.  Other friends had no problem going hard on both days
but they did more milage than I (600 km / week to my 300 to 400).  I attribute
this to just spending too much time at an elevated pulse rate.  Perhaps I was
not replenishing my body thru my diet but I highly doubt it.
  The more common type of overtraining that is not noticed is trying to go out
hard > 2 times week.  I find that I need 2 days to recover from interval work
outs before I can get my pulse high again.  If you don't listen to your pulse
you will find that you are very consistant day after day but the problem is
that the body never recovers.  I noticed this in the winter because I took a
break and discovered that I could ride with my pulse 10 bpm higher.  Shortly
after that I measured my AT and came to the conclusion that 2 interval
sessions per week was all that I could take.
 
  One of the problems is that there is a large difference between people.  One
person might be burning fat (ie being aerobic) while the riding partner is
buring 10% carbohydrates.  The 2nd person is going to spend > 1 day rebuilding
his carbo stores while the first can go out again the next day.  At the present
the mechanisms of fatigue are not really understood by physiologists.
  So you have to be able to detect it.  I find that resting pulse is one
indicator that works for me.  But it will only tell me if I am not recovered.
It will not tell me that I am recovered.  The only way to really find out is
to get on the bike, push hard as watch you pulse.  If you have trouble holding
your AT then don't bother riding hard.  In fact don't bother riding easy
because it will delay your recovery (well don't make it a long easy ride but a
short easy one should be ok).  For all of this you need a HRM and enough 
experience to know how your body responds.
  My conclusion after several years is that there is no benefit to recovering
completely.  Or if there is it is very small and masked by daily variations
and changes in psychology.  However, interval training allows you to keep your
level of fitness with less time on the bike (well level of power not fitness
really - for that you need to do long sessions).
  I will go into that quite a bit in a few days when I do a _long_ post on
VO2 and training as well as testing yourself at home.  Currently a lot is not
understood and it is not known why there is such a difference between a pro
rider and a "fit" Cat 4 racer.  I am concluding genetics.
  - Eric 
 
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gregory adkins, akins@cis.ohio-state.edu

Lately my training partner have had a running joke about
overtraining. We say that it is getting easier and easier to 
blow of training because we have read all the good articles
on overtraining.  In other words don't use "overtraining" as
an excuse to not work hard.
 
On the other hand this is certainly a valid concern and
I don't mean to minimize the importance of listening to
your body needs.  An article I read recently made an analogy
between a dog and the human athlete.  It suggested that 
a dog, when tired, will simply lie down and rest.  We should
learn from this by paying more attention to the messages that
our body sends us.
 
Last year I started training for a biathlon.  During this time
I was also on a heavy weight training schedule, working 20 hrs/week
and going to school 15 hrs/week.  My training added up to about
3 hours a day.  While the amount of training doesn't seem to 
be excessive, compared to the amount of other activities, the
stress level from school, and the amount of sleep I was getting
I began to feel very fatigued and unmotivated.  From what I 
understand, this is the predominant indicator of overtraining,
a heavy, chronic, fatigue.  Once you start overtraining, 
if you continue, you become susceptible to increased 
frequency of injury.  
 
From what I know, there is no "treatment", only to get plenty
of rest.  The most important thing is, once again, to pay
attention to your bodies needs.  The old school of training
till you drop and then training a little more has become 
outdated.  You will make more consistent gains from training
smarter and staying injury-free, than from working at
100% for a month and spending a week recovering from injuries.
 
I have read alot of articles on this but cannot reference
any controlled studies that may have been done.  If
any other contributers suggest studies that support or refute
these suggestions, could you please forward them to me

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Mike Johnston, mjohnsto@shearson.com

I have nothing empirical to add but my own personal warning signs for
overtraining:
 
	- General tiredness and lack of motivation toward cycling
 
	- Rubbery or dead legs during a 'normal' workout.
 
Usually I just lay off for a day or so, eat lots of pasta, and I'm back
in the saddle soon after.

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Bruce Jackson, jackson@ponder.csci.unt.edu

Back when I raced we religiously checked our pulse rate upon waking
in the morning.  A morning pulse rate more than a few beats/min.
above the average was considered a sign of overtraining.
 
This had a number of drawbacks:
 
many people who wake to an alarm clock have their heart rate race
from the startling effect of the alarm;
 
The morning pulse rate can be effected by how well one sleeps;
 
The elevated morning pulse rate apperently only comes after weeks of
overtraining, by the time it is detected this way, it is too late.
 
Of course I'm not a physiologist and am only paroting what other racers
told me so it could be complete bull.


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Chris Moll, chris@carnival.lbl.gov

Overtraining symptoms:
 
Dead legs
Scratchy throat
Difficulty sleeping
Elevated resting pulse
A vague desire to pitch the bike into the nearest trash heap
 
You can get any or all of these symptoms due to illness as well. 
 
I find that the primary symptom of overtraining is a loss of interest
in riding.  Riding alone is especially deadly.
-- 
Chris Moll                       (510)486-7891

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Paul Gatker, paul@panix.com

Hi:
Re Overtraining:
 
Watch morning pulse. If it is consistently higher than when fit and feeling
good, that is a sign.
 
Frequent colds and sore throats are a sign.
 
Feeling burned out all the time.
 
Poor sleep.
 
 
How to avoid? Big trick: Make sure to carbo-load after training of over 90
minutes. This allows for efficient muscular recovery.
 
Hard/Easy technique: Always follow a hard training/racing day with an easy
one.
 
Lots of sleep. Naps in afternoon are very good. An easy job or indepentantly
wealthy is very good for preventing overtraining! :-}
 
Healthy high carb/low fat diet.
 
Cross training: Cycling/Running-- the best!
 
Hope this helps.

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* I went back to my mother,           * Joern Yngve Dahl-Stamnes           *
* I said, "I'm crazy ma, help me!"    * University of Trondheim            *
* She said, "I know how it feels son, * The Norwegian Institute of Tech.   *
* 'cause it runs in the family."      * Division of Physical Electronics   *
*       - The Who, Quadrophenia       * e-mail: dahls@fhydra.dnet.unit.no  *
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