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Issue 99 - June 1997
The 'work ethic', common in sport, dictates that more training means better results. Generally, this is true, although using volume (ie : mileage) as the only yardstick to improvement is misplaced, since high intensity training (which by definition will be of short duration), rest days and 'easy' weeks are essential components of any well-structured training plan.
However, even in the most carefully monitored training programmes, there are times when the demands placed upon the body outstrip its ability to adapt and continued training will be detrimental. Spotting this, working out the cause and knowing when to take it easy or change what has been scheduled is vital if you are to have a successful season.
Too tired to train? An early warning symptom of a lack of adaptation to training, or of a specific problem which will interfere with your body's response to training, is when you are genuinely too tired to train. Resting heart rates may be elevated ten beats above normal, and training heart rates are easily reached at lower work rates or sometimes cannot be reached at all. If this is the case and there are no other obvious illnesses or work or lifestyle changes which might be the cause (shift work, new job, new baby, etc) then you should consider the following :
Poorly structured training programmes
This is a cause which occurs most often in individuals who are intent upon training themselves in the absence of professional input. Invariably, it is seen in people who attempt to follow another person's training programme, usually that of an elite oarsman or woman. Insufficient recovery time between exercise sessions and excessive loading in these sessions are the culprits. Check back through your training diary. Have you done more sessions than normal in the last few weeks? Have you increased the training intensity?
If you have, it is perhaps appropriate to re-assess your training goals and set more realistic targets and training sessions with the help of a coach. If you do not, not only will you continue to feel exhausted, it is likely that you are risking injury (see 'Keep training on the rails', Regatta, May) and illness which could mean that you end up having to severally limit your physical activity for several weeks or more.
Dietary changes and dehydration
If you are attempting the transition from heavyweight to lightweight, or just coming down from your winter weight, it could be that you are trying to lose weight too quickly. Severely limited your energy intake can mean that your muscles are constantly depleted of carbohydrate, leading to poor power output and sensations of fatigue, whilst the associates low blood sugar level means that you will be both irritable and lethargic. These same symptoms are also associated with an inadequate diet.
Check your eating habits, preferably by compiling a seven day eating diary ; are you falling into the trap of cutting our more calories than you should, or even of just eating badly and not consuming enough carbohydrate? Remember that a restricted calorie intake coupled with vigorous, frequent exercise is an established cause of persistent weakness and tiredness.
If you are trying to lose weight, aim for a realistic fat loss (up to 0.5kg per week) and discuss this with sports dictation if possible. Alternatively, consult one of the many excellent sports nutrition texts now available and monitor changes in body composition rather than weight changes if you are able. You may also like to check (through your GP) whether your iron intake is sufficient, particularly if you eat a poorly planned vegetarian diet and if female, have frequent, heavy menstrual bleeding.
When assessing your diet, it makes sense to look at your fluid intake since dehydration is a known cause of muscle weakness and fatigue. By way of example, in a recent study of eight international lightweight oarsmen who followed a 24 hour dehydration regime (which resulted in a 5 percent loss in body weight), a simulated laboratory assessment equivalent to a 200m race took 22 seconds longer to complete when dehydrated and there was a significant decrease in the ability to sustain work at high intensity.
As the authors of this study point out, the increase in time taken to 'cover the distance' could be equated to losing a 2km race by approximately 117m in an eight.(reference 1) Other researchers have previously shown that dehydration which results in a 5 per cent of body weight can decrease work capacity by up to 30 per cent. (reference 2) So, drink plenty of fluids (water or commercially available carbohydrate solutions) before, during and after training particularly in hot, humid conditions.
Whilst fluid losses vary from individual to individual, seat rates can be as high as two litres per hour (equivalent to 2kg of body weight) when training in the heat and a loss of just 2 per cent body weight through sweating is sufficient to significantly impair performance.
Medical causes
Whilst there are many medical reasons for 'being tired' (including early undiagnosed pregnancy!) most healthy individuals need not worry unduly. Attention should obviously be paid to any accompanying heart palpitations, ankle swelling or chest pain, unaccustomed shortness of breath, diarrhoea, or general malaise, and such problems reported to your GP.
Indeed, any 'medical' symptoms which accompany unusual fatigue should always be reported to your doctor. The early stages of colds and flu invariably lead to sensations of fatigue and the so-called 'neck check' is useful if your symptoms are above the neck (such as a stuffy or runny nose, sneezing or a sore throat) then exercise of low to moderate intensity (up to 70 percent maximum heart rate) is probably safe. If after a few minutes or so you still feel fine, then continued, if you feel worse, you should stop. However, if you have any below the neck symptoms (such as muscle aches, a cough, fever, chills, diarrhoea or vomiting) then you should avoid training and seek medical advice. There is nothing to be gained by exercising through a viral infection and everything to lose, since you are likely to suffer the symptoms for longer, gain absolutely nothing from the poor quality exercise you do, and even succumb to potentially dangerous and fatal secondary problems such as viral myocarditis, in which the heart is subsequently affected by the initial infection.
The overtraining syndrome
This is something which tends to affect elite competitive sportsmen and women but which is also seen in club athletes, particularly those in endurance sports and is a chronic condition of being too tired to train. It has been described by Olympic oarsman Dr Richard Budgett as 'the process of excessive training which can be defined as a state of prolonged fatigue and underperformance caused by hard training and competition. There should be an objective measure of the loss of form, which will have lasted at least two weeks despite adequate rest and will have no identifiable cause. Symptoms of a minor infection, typically an upper respiratory tract infection, may recur each time the athlete returns to training after inadequate rest?' (reference 3)
Budgett lists the symptoms of overtraining as: fatigue, heavy muscles, underperformance, depression (loss of purpose, competitive drive and libido) ; loss of appetite and weight; increase anxiety and irritability; fatigue; sleep disturbance; frequent minor infections; raised resting pulse and excessive sweating. Treatment is difficult, he argues, and involves rest and regeneration strategies, with recovery generally taking between six and twelve weeks.
If you suspect you are suffering from the overtraining syndrome, you must seek medical advice so that other causes of chronic fatigue can be excluded and your return to sport is made as swift as possible.
Finally, perhaps it is important for all of us to appreciate that to achieve personal best performances means being happy and healthy, eating and sleeping well, listening to our bodies and doing what works for us through a committed, consistent, structured approach to training which takes our responses and adaptations as the signals for change.
References
© Copyright Tony Lycholat, 1997.
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