As the weather outside begins to improve, so does the opportunities for youth to participate in various forms of physical activity. This can range from taking part in a more structured school athletic program, such as a school’s track & field team, or simply enjoying the sun with your friends playing in the park. Regardless of the activity, it is important for parents to ensure their child is not over-training. In James’ article, he provides a thorough explanation as to what over-training is complete with common symptoms that can be recognized, as well as three suggestions on how to avoid the detrimental effects of over-training.By: James Marshall
Exam season is upon us, and they may have pushed your teenager to breaking point
Over-training is common in young athletes due to the high demand put on them by schools and sports teams.
Schools will get talented young athletes to compete in as many sports as possible and these same athletes will also train outside of school for a team they play for in one or more sports.
Recent weeks have shown us how much pressure is put on young people during exam time by parents and teachers alike.
An example week in the life of a young athlete –
- Monday – P.E., School netball training
- Tuesday – School hockey training, Team netball training
- Wednesday – P.E., School netball match, S+C training
- Thursday – School cross country, Team hockey training
- Friday – School hockey training, Team netball training
- Weekend – Match/tournament
What is over-training?
Over-training is a condition (physical, psychological and behavioural) that happens when an individual’s training regime is high in volume and intensity, and does not allow the body to recover from each training session.Surely training more is better?
The more you train, the better you will become right? Yes, in a way, if you think training once a week won’t give you the benefits that training four/five times a week will.But as you can see from the example week above, young athletes can train or play a match every day! In order to improve, get stronger/faster etc. the body needs to recover and adapt.
Young athletes bodies are also not fully developed, so they need rest to replenish their energy stores and grow let alone rest to allow their muscles to recover and adapt.
What are the signs of over-training?
Signs can include –
- Persistent muscle soreness
- Persistent fatigue
- Elevated resting heart rate
- Reduced heart rate variability
- Increased susceptibility to infections
- Increased incidence of injuries
- Irritability
- Depression
- Mental breakdown
What is the difference between over reaching and over training?
Over training is doing too much in your sessions over a long period of time without adequate recovery. Over reaching occurs over a shorter time period (like a training camp) and can be planned into your training, providing it is followed by adequate rest time.In the short term, it is impossible to differentiate between over reaching and over-training.
What can I do to make sure this doesn’t happen?
Planning, diet and sleep are all vital when it comes to preventing over-training.Planning – The best thing to do to keep an eye on your training is to keep a log/diary (get one free here) You can record everything if you do this. Training, intensity, volume, rest, sleeps etc. Writing it down will help you see where you can rest and recover. Planning will make sure you get this time.
Making sure your sessions are planned to so that they are progressive in a safe manner and in a way that suits your individual needs and requirements.
Diet – Getting the right nutrients into the body to support it during the recovery process will help too. Going home after a hard training session and eating a chocolate bar or packet of crisps will not support the body. Getting a good balance of protein, fats and carbohydrates will help with recovery and replenish the energy stores.
Sleep – The most important part of the day in terms of letting your body rest and recover. Lack of sleep or poor quality of sleep will deter this process.
All three of these can be logged. Overtime, you may begin to see a pattern e.g. after a tough session in the evening, your sleep isn’t as good and it affects you the next day. Seeing these patterns and learning about your body will give your training a boost and over-training can be prevented.
Source: Steve Nash Youth Basketball Blog http://ift.tt/1dJiOiv