Overtraining

Under overtraining is understood in sports medicine chronic overload reaction, which is usually triggered by continuously high training intensities to high training volume and / or insufficient recovery times between workouts. The performance level of the athlete concerned falls. Associated symptoms such as increased resting and exercise heart rate, insomnia or headaches occur. This condition has clinical significance. As a preliminary stage of overtraining overloading is considered. The transitions are fluid, with respect to the nomenclature is so far no consensus binding.

Classification

The classification is not yet internationally uniform. In German-speaking, ultimately symptom-oriented concepts, basedowoides (also sympathetic or classical ) and addisonoides (also parasympathetic or modern ) Overtraining can be distinguished. In the Anglo- American world, however, is rather a distinction between a lighter and shorter -lasting form, the overreaching and a longer-term, more severe form, the Overtraining Syndrome. The transitions between the different forms are fluid, not yet established hard diagnostic criteria.

Causes

This is due to a mismatch between exercise intensity and recovery and resilience, with two factors based on current knowledge is likely to play the same meaning. On the Origin of "disease" overtraining there are only hypotheses. Here you can see the hypotheses, among other things in cause-related (eg hypothesis of psychic genesis, monotony hypothesis by Foster and Lehmann), clinic -based (eg hypothesis regarding imbalance of the autonomic nervous system ), pathophysiologically oriented (eg glycogen hypothesis, BCAA hypothesis and more " substrate hypotheses ") and the cytokine hypothesis divided.

Symptoms

The severity of symptoms can vary greatly. Overtraining not only in a reduction in power of the athlete concerned but also accompanying symptoms such as insomnia, headache, increased resting and exercise heart rate, increased infection and / or susceptibility to injury as well as discomfort in muscles and tendons. Also, depression can be triggered.

Therapy

The therapy of overtraining can from his severity depend very difficult and tedious. Early detection and prevention (eg, cyclic alternation of heavy and light workouts) a special meaning therefore come ( concentration problems eg poor night's sleep, ) to. Mistakenly is always tried in recreational sports, to compensate for over-training by doping.

In overt overtraining a load break is obligatory. A sports medicine treatment is indicated in such cases. A therapeutic strategy in the sense of " evidence based medicine " does not yet exist.