IB Sports, exercise and health science A.3.1.3 Risks of Poor Programme Design, Recovery, and Injury Prevention Strategies Notes

Consequences of poorly designed training programmes

1. A well-designed training programme is essential to ensure that athletes improve their fitness levels without causing harm to their body or performance.
2. Poorly designed programmes can lead to overreaching, overtraining, and other negative consequences that hinder performance and potentially cause long-term damage.

Overreaching

1. Overreaching is a short-term training stress that exceeds the body's current recovery capacity, producing a temporary drop in performance.
2. Functional overreaching is when recovery takes days to a few weeks and is followed by adaptation, making it a useful training tool.
3. Non-functional overreaching is when recovery takes weeks to months, performance does not improve, and the symptom pattern overlaps with overtraining syndrome.

Causes of overreaching

1. Increased Training Intensity: Pushing the body beyond its normal limits for a brief period without sufficient recovery.
2. Lack of Recovery: Insufficient rest periods between training sessions or between intense training cycles.
3. Inadequate Nutrition: Not providing enough fuel (e.g., carbohydrates, protein) to support recovery and adaptation.

Overtraining and overtraining syndrome (OTS)

1. Overtraining is the process of training too much, too often, or at too high an intensity over a prolonged period, paired with insufficient recovery.
2. Overtraining syndrome (OTS) is the condition that develops from sustained overtraining; recovery can take weeks to months or longer, and some athletes never return to their best level.
3. Stresses outside training (family, financial, work or school, life events) also contribute, because total stress on the body is a single budget rather than separate accounts.
4. Biological females appear less susceptible to OTS than biological males, on current evidence.

Causes of overtraining

1. Excessive Training Volume: Too much exercise with insufficient rest periods.
2. Inadequate Recovery: Not enough time between training sessions for the body to repair and rebuild.
3. Psychological Stress: Mental stress, over-commitment, and lack of motivation can add to total stress and push the athlete into overtraining.
4. Nutritional Deficiencies: Not replenishing the body's energy stores can contribute to the development of overtraining syndrome.

Five aspects shape overall athletic performance

1. Overall athletic performance is shaped by five interacting aspects: physiology, biomechanics, psychology, tactics, and health and lifestyle.
2. An excess in any one of these aspects (training load, technique, focus, tactical demands, work or school or life stress) can contribute to the development of OTS.
3. Programme design needs to consider the whole picture, not just the training itself.

OTS is a syndrome of exclusion

1. Over 80 symptoms of OTS have been identified, and no single diagnostic test confirms the condition on its own.
2. OTS is diagnosed only when all other possible causes have been ruled out, including anaemia, magnesium deficiency, viral infections, muscle damage, hormone disorders, eating disorders, depression, allergies, cardiovascular disease, and asthma.
3. The causative mechanism is currently unknown, and the only known cure is prolonged rest from training and competition.

How overtraining affects the body and performance

Physiological effects of overtraining

1. Decreased Strength and Endurance: Overtraining reduces muscle strength, endurance, and overall performance because muscles are not given enough time to repair and adapt.
2. Hormonal Imbalances: Overtraining can disrupt the balance of key hormones such as cortisol (the stress hormone), testosterone, and growth hormone, contributing to muscle breakdown and hindering recovery.
3. Immune System Suppression: Heavy training suppresses immune function, with abnormally low lymphocytes and antibodies, and increased risk of upper respiratory tract infections.
4. Increased Resting Heart Rate (RHR): Chronic overtraining can elevate resting heart rate because the body remains under stress.
5. Altered Sleep Patterns: Overtraining can lead to fewer hours asleep and increased movement during sleep, hindering recovery and further exacerbating fatigue.
6. Persistent Muscle Soreness: Soreness is not relieved by rest; chronic inflammation can spread systemically through cytokines, producing reduced appetite, lethargy, tiredness, and mood changes.
7. Persistent Fatigue: Caused by both central (brain chemistry) and peripheral (hormones, muscle metabolism) changes; medical causes of underperformance must always be investigated first.
8. Decreased Appetite: Increased serotonin can reduce appetite, and a prolonged energy-deficient state can exacerbate or even initiate OTS.