The O Word

In my Applied Sport Psychology II: Professional Practice course we are going over the subject of Overtraining.  As I was studying the assigned reading...I started to think how much this applies to CrossFit (and any other training method)...but BOY OH BOY does this apply to CrossFitters!

I decided to share my discussion on here to see if any convo (conversation) would take place...feel free to chime in.

**Ignore the APA references...I know they are important (blah, blah, blah)... and they are probably all wrong, but the good news is: the grade of my discussion answers are not based off of perfect referencing (thank goodness)

Here it is...enjoy:

Elite level athletes are consistently testing the limits of their work capacity thresholds in an attempt to reach increased athletic dominance in athletic performance and competitions.  Many times they push the envelope and inadvertently become overtrained physically and psychologically.  Kirsten Peterson (2005), author of the chapter, Overtraining: Balancing Practice and Performance points out how the U.S. Olympic Committee defines overtraining: “the syndrome that results when an excessive, usually physical, overload on an athlete occurs without adequate rest, resulting in decreased performance and the inability to train” (Murphy, p. 50).  The concept of “more is better” or “no pain, no gain” is a counterproductive approach to improving athletic performance output over a sustained period of time.  A coach is doing his or her athletes a disservice if they overload them with volume and intensity at the expense of proper rest and recovery.  

Although it is the job of the coach to push athletes to strive for improved ability and motivate them to reach athletic excellence, it is also their responsibility to identify the signs and symptoms of overtraining and implement appropriate interventions to curb the effects of the syndrome.  It must be noted that overtraining and its effects are “highly individualized” (Murphy, p. 57), but there are some classic signs of fatigue to look for that are both caused by physical exertion and psychological stressors; elevated heart rate, weight loss, overuse injuries, loss of self-confidence, sadness, and anxiety to name a few.  Some questions that a coach may want to refer to when in the identification process are:

·         What is going on in your life or the athlete’s life?

·         Which symptoms are evident?

·         When did the symptoms start, and what was going on when they did? (Murphy, p. 57)

As future coaches or sport psychologist it is important to not only understand the principle of overtraining, but it is equally important to be able to educate our athletes on the dangers of overtraining and the adverse effects that it can have on their dreams of reaching success.  We must teach them that doing more does not guarantee more success.  We must also teach them balance.  Adequate rest and recovery is vital to enhancing athleticism and performance just as strength and conditioning, proper nutrition, stretching, and sleep are important.  Teaching athletes that recovery can actually increase performance is a great way to challenge them to incorporate it into their routines.  There is a popular saying now “go hard or go home.”  I think in reference to training it should be “go hard, then go home and rest.”

References: 

Peterson, K. (2005).  Overtraining: balancing practice and performance.  In S. Murphy(Ed.), The

            Sport of psych handbook (pp. 49-70).  Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics