Tip of the Month -- August 2007

Training On Your Own: Summer Training And Risking Overtraining

By Joseph Staub

“The Season is won or lost during the summer”, “You work to get better before the season not during it”, most every competitive athlete has heard a coach say something very similar to or even exactly that to them. While it makes logical sense and is arguably the truth to achieving success, the main problem behind these sayings are that a large portion of collegiate athletes are not able to spend their entire summers working specifically with their coaches to improve themselves.

Most, if not all athletes are on their own, regardless if they are told or given everything that they should be doing or simply just a general outline, they are still on their own. While being on their own, athletes risk overtraining, not just in the weight room but also in all other aspects of their respected sport.

Keeping it simple, overtraining occurs when the volume (or amount) and intensity of an individual's exercise exceeds their ability to recover (feel fresh) “defined as a plateau and/or a decrease in performance”¹.  That means overtraining leads to lack of progress and can even cause a loss of strength and/or power, clearly not helping any athlete achieve greater success!

Athletes working on their own and not under a knowledgeable eye may face overtraining due to

-Pushing too hard too often or trying to make gains faster then they can be made. Always increasing the amount lifted in the weight room and not properly building towards gains is a major cause of overtraining. As well as trying to train at near 100% intensity every drill every step every time. The programs your coaches give you are designed to make you work hard and get better but also give you the correct time to heal and recover.

- Athletes may not be giving themselves enough rest time to recover properly. Not factoring in rest days and trying to get in as much as they can everyday are possible signs of what could result in overtraining. If you are given just a general outline for summer training, make sure you take the time to talk over with your coach what you will be and would like to do so as to not risk doing more harm then good.

Just because you’re “doing a little extra” doesn’t mean it is always good for you. Understand what your doing and have a purpose in doing it will help prevent potential overtraining.

The most important things for an athlete working alone during summer training to remember are; communication, recovery, hard work and desire.

Communication – Communicate with your coaches and teammates. Call, e-mail or IM; take the time to talk about what and how you’ve been doing and what else could be done. Making sure you have a plan of action and you’re not just pulling things to do out of the sky each day will greatly reduce the risk of overtraining.

Recovery – Remember, a light day of training or a total day off in the summer may help prevent missing a day when it counts! Always factor in time away from training in a training schedule. A simple rule to follow is a 10 day cycle that has 1 day totally off and 1 very light day (stretching, easy jog, simple drills). Make sure you allow time to relax and enjoy, release stress and take a breath now and again!

Hard Work – Improved performance can only come about if one works harder then they have before! But remember, not every moment of every day can you train at 100%. Try as you may, you must also listen to your body and adapt training when possible. Don’t just beat yourself to a pulp every chance you get but do get the most quality and effective workouts you can every time.

Desire – The mind set one has is a critical part of training. Especially while training alone, without the constant feedback from a coach or teammate. It may become discouraging to get out there and do what needs to be done day in and day out by yourself. Self motivation is key to making sure your working as hard as you should be when you’re alone. Understanding your training to lay the foundation towards greater success down the road and not just in the short term is critical to keeping the internal intensity to get out there and get better!