Knowing When To Take A Break and Avoiding OTS
A study on the 1996 Olympics shows that 28% of the athletes who competed reported that they had overtrained for the event and their overtraining had a negative impact on their performance. They identified the need to taper, rest, travel less and stay healthy as the changes they would make if they could prepare again for the Olympics.
This time of year it is extremely important to make sure you are getting enough recovery from the compiled effects of training and racing. As type-A hyper-competitive athletes, one of the hardest things to do is know when to take a break from training. We are wired to think that “not training” will only make us lose fitness and set us back. The truth is, taking a break is one of the best things we can do for the body and mind. Racing and training are constant stresses on the central nervous system. Every time we do a race, intervals, or chase a Strava segment we are putting the body in fight or flight mode which drains the sympathetic nervous system. Compile this with poor sleep, work, time on the feet, any additional life stress, and it’s just a matter of time before your fitness starts to plateau. This plateau is your first warning sign that you may be experiencing some form of Over Training Syndrome (OTS).
Let’s start by defining OTS. Overtraining Syndrome has been traditionally described as a diminished athletic performance that results from excessively increased training volume and/or intensity and competition. However, often it can be more complex and refer to an imbalance of physical, biochemical, and/or mental-emotional stress in an athlete’s life. Understanding the warning signs is a crucial component in determining if you are experiencing OTS. Having a coach is a great way to have someone take a birds-eye view of your training and someone to talk to if you are not sure if you are just tired from compiled training and need a few days off or if the problem is more serious and you need to take a bigger break from structured training.
Training = Workout + Recovery
One simple rule of thumb I always preach to my athletes is “you’ve got to recover as hard as you train”. The greater the volume and the higher the intensity and/or both, the greater the recovery time should allow. Understanding the difference between overreaching and overtraining is important to give the athlete a better understanding of when it’s time to take a day or two off or when it’s time to take a longer break.
Overreaching- An accumulation of training and/or non-training stress resulting in a short-term decrement in performance capacity with or without related physiological and psychological signs and symptoms of overtraining in which restoration of performance capacity may take anywhere from several days to several weeks. Overreaching is caused by several days of training beyond your power to recover by the next day’s ride. This is easily reversible with a few day’s rest. Carefully planned overreaching is necessary for top riders to reach the elite level. Overreaching is typically a compiled drain of the sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system.
Overtraining: An accumulation of training and/or non-training stress resulting in a long-term decrement in performance capacity with or without related physiological and psychological signs and symptoms of overtraining in which restoration of performance capacity may take from several weeks to several months. Overtraining develops after weeks or months of hard workouts with inadequate recovery. It creates a negative training adaptation — you get worse rather than better from hard training. And it takes months to recover. Overtraining is typically a compiled drain of the sympathetic nervous system that eventually drains the parasympathetic nervous system (one’s ability to rest and digest).
Now it may seem obvious but overreaching is what we are trying to do with compiled training to create a training stimulus-response that once recovered from creates an increase in performance. On the other hand, overtraining is when the body has acquired too much stress (training stress + life stress) and the athlete starts to see diminishing performance returns. Recognizing the warning signs is a key component to knowing the difference and therefore when it’s a beneficial time to take an extended break.
Warning Signs of Overtraining-
-loss of performance
-fatigue/lethargy
-heavy muscles/persistent soreness
-slower recovery between workouts/inability to complete routine training
-poor sleep
-elevated resting HR
-frequent injuries, infections, headaches, colds
-low libido, feelings of depression
-stomach upsets/poor digestion
-poor memory and concentration
-loss of competitive drive
-menstrual irregularities
-cravings for sugar and stimulants
-lack of motivation to train or a compulsive need to train
How To Identify Or Prevent OTS-
-Heart rate variability (HRV): This is an excellent measure of the overall health of your nervous system. It measures the interval between each heartbeat or the inter-beat interval. Someone with a healthy and well-functioning nervous system has more variability between heartbeats. HRV is linked to your autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the balance between the parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) and sympathetic (fight-or-flight) branches. By balancing the two forces, the ANS helps you respond to daily stressors and regulate some of your body’s most important systems, including heart rate, respiration, and digestion.
-Resting heart rate (RHR): Your resting heart rate is how fast your heart beats when you are at rest. In this case, lower is generally better. As your aerobic fitness improves, your RHR will generally drop. If you are unable to measure your HRV, your RHR is an adequate substitute. Many Garmin devices will track your RHR if you wear them while you sleep. If you don’t have one of these devices, simply take your heart rate manually first thing in the morning (as soon as you open your eyes).
-Have a coach: Whether you’re an elite athlete or not, it’s important to recognize how you’re feeling, the impact that has on your performance, and how to adjust your schedule to adapt to what the data (both the metrics and how you’re feeling) is telling you. This is a skill that can be hard to develop on your own, especially if you’re prone to pushing through when you shouldn’t or you have a hard time motivating yourself to train. Working with a good coach who will listen to what you’re feeling and help you adapt is a good way to hone this skill and avoid overtraining.
-Recovery: Recovery is one of the most underrated and underutilized pieces of training and optimizing performance. It’s probably safe to say that recovery is the most important part of your training plan.
-Rest: take a few complete days off from any type of exercise.
-Sleep: The average adult needs at least seven hours of sleep per night. If you’re an athlete, you need more. Start winding down an hour before sleep. Drink calming tea, limit screen time, read, avoid stimulating TV/movies, put your legs up against the wall.
-Hot/Cold Therapy: A small dose has a beneficial effect but a large dose has a negative effect.
-Massage: Helps your muscles recover and stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system for deep restoration of the body and mind.
-Meditation: Even just five to ten minutes per day is enough to help get you out of a sympathetic dominant state and into a parasympathetic dominant state. Also, a great tool for improved sleep.
-Active Recovery: Easy, flat, high cadence/low power output cycling, walking.
-Restorative Yoga/ stretching: longer holds (1-2 min), deep breathing.
-Nutrition: Eating a balanced diet of carbs, fats, and proteins. Organic fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, and eggs. Eat foods high in antioxidants to kill off the free radicals in your body which are very reactive molecules that cause tissue damage.
-Hydration: 80oz H2O/day
-Cut back on stimulants: decrease caffeine/sugar intake.
Often Less is More: If you’re feeling like you need to do a workout but you know you need a break, do less of the workout. In these cases, you’ll probably get more of a physiological adaptation because you’re hitting a better balance between training and recovery. Sometimes the smallest effective dose that still positively affects your overall fitness but isn’t big enough to push you over the edge is the best balance for training and recovery.
