Discussion on overtraining, training progression, and periodisation in endurance training with insights from cross-country skiing. Exploring prevention strategies, monitoring techniques, and effects of training load intensity. Gender disparities in triathlon and reflections on influential mentors and colleagues.
Overtraining and non-functional overreaching can harm athletes if not identified early and managed properly.
Strategies like monitoring heart rate and fatigue can help detect and prevent overtraining in athletes.
Research suggests balancing training intensity and volume is key for optimal performance adaptations in athletes.
Cross-country skiers use a mix of physiological tests and internal intensity measures for effective training progress monitoring.
Deep dives
Effect of Overtraining on Endurance Athletes
Overtraining in endurance athletes can lead to negative outcomes, including non-functional athletes. Research has shown that inadequate recovery, excessive training loads, and other stressors can contribute to overreaching and overtraining syndrome. Different concepts like acute fatigue, overreaching, and overtraining have been defined in the literature. Signs and symptoms, such as fatigue, reduced performance, and physiological changes, accompany overtraining. Low-energy availability and relative energy deficiency in sport are also linked to overtraining in many cases.
Identifying and Managing Overtraining in Athletes
Early identification of overtraining is crucial to prevent severe underperformance in athletes. Monitoring tools like daily measures of resting heart rate and subjective assessments of fatigue can help in detecting overtraining symptoms. Additionally, physiological tests, including blood lactate profiles and maximal exercise protocols, can provide insights into an athlete's training status. Coaches play a vital role in observing athletes for signs of fatigue and adjusting training plans accordingly.
Training Interventions and Performance Changes
A study on junior cross-country skiers compared the effects of increasing training load through volume or intensification. Both training models led to performance improvements, with the high-intensity group showing a significant increase in peak power output. However, these benefits were balanced out during subsequent training periods with similar performance improvements in both groups. The study emphasized the importance of balancing training load and quality to optimize adaptations in athletes.
Testing and Training Practices in Cross-Country Skiing
Cross-country skiers rely on a mix of physiological testing, including maximal and submaximal tests, to monitor their training progress and guide training decisions. Testing often involves a combination of running and roller skiing assessments to capture specific and general physiological capacities. Athletes use internal intensity measures like heart rate and rate of perceived exertion to control training intensities, given the variable external conditions in skiing environments.
Training Structure and Volume in Elite Cross-Country Skiers
Elite cross-country skiers typically have a structured training week consisting of 10-12 sessions totaling 20-30 training hours. Training sessions vary in duration, with a focus on longer endurance sessions, interval training, and strength work for a balanced training approach. Skiers often incorporate longer duration sessions, around three hours, into their weekly training routine, combining different exercise modes to balance load distribution and enhance training adaptation.
Differences in Endurance Sports Traditions
Each endurance sport has its unique traditions and best practices. Cross-country skiing, unlike running and cycling, involves constant changes in incline, speed, and sub-techniques, leading to complexity in exercise intensity and energy turnover, including anaerobic contributions. These variations challenge athletes differently, highlighting the sport's unique demands.
Training Advice for Amateur Endurance Athletes
Amateur endurance athletes can benefit from keeping training simple, avoiding excessive complexity. Balancing training intensity is vital as many athletes tend to train too hard, risking burnout and poor adaptations. Better pacing strategies, both in training and competition, can enhance performance and prevent premature fatigue, ensuring a more balanced load-recovery approach.
Rune Kjøsen Talsnes, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. In this interview, we discuss overtraining, training progression and periodisation, and some general topics within endurance training and in particular, insights from the world of cross-country skiing.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:
-Overtraining and non-functional overreaching: definitions and diagnosis
-Prevention strategies and monitoring for overtraining and non-functional overreaching
-Research on increasing training load via intensity and volume, and implications for short and medium-term performance and physiological markers
-Training insights from the world of cross-country skiing
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