Overtraining Syndrome and
Training Monitoring
Ana Carolina Paludo
Ana Carolina Paludo
Physiology of Sport and Exercise
carolina.paludo@fsps.muni.cz
Learning Objectives
Concept of overtraining syndrome
How to prevent overtraining monitoring athletes' training
dose- response
Practical approach - training monitoring
To achieve highest highest performance
Sport at the professional level, looking for ? The focus is preparing the athlete/team to reach the peak
of performance during competition
Intense training routine to optimize the athletes'
performance - Physical and Technical
Supercompensation: training dose- response
The peak of performance at the
competition
Supercompensation: positive/null/negative
Overtraining Syndrome (OTS) - Literature Description
Is a condition associated with a long-term imbalance between training and recovery
Weakley, Halson and Mujika (2022)
Characterized by performance decrements, fatigue, and mood disturbances and has been proposed
to affect between 20% and 60% of athletes throughout their careers.
OTS is defined as “a sports-specific decrease in performance together with disturbances in mood
state. Underperformance persists despite a period of recovery lasting weeks or months.
Issues:
Vague terminology, complex nature.
Difficult to understand, diagnose and treat.
Attention:
Athletic performance
Physiological changes
Psychological signs and symptoms
Proposed versus Demonstrated
Decreased sensitivity of serotonin
receptors
Increased occurrence of upper
respiratory tract infections
Blunted (mitigate) cortisol awakening
responses
Blunted (mitigate) hormonal responses
to exercise
Increase exercise induced muscle damage
Reduction in maximal performance
and time to fatigue. No change in
submaximal performance
Mood disturbance and loss of vigour
Decreased caloric intake
Changes in HRV and resting and
exercising heart rate
Change in steroid hormone quantity
and ratios
Elevated IL-1B, IL-6 and TNF
following exercise
Increased risk of injury
It should be noted that while this
review cannot provide evidence of
sufficient quality regarding changes
in performance and mood state
associated with OTS, it is plausible
practitioners and researchers have
indeed observed OTS but have been
unable to document these changes
How to prevent and/or diagnose the OTS symptoms?
Athletic performance Physiological changes Psychological signs and symptoms
Monitoring/tracking / registering the athletes' responses to training and competition demands
Which variables and parameters???
Physical tests
(e.g., sport modality
characteristics)
Sport-specific test
Cardiac autonomic responses
(e.g., VO2max, HR, HRV)
Hormonal concentration
(e.g., testosterone, cortisol,
estrogen...)
Blood markers
Mood disturbance
Droop on motivation to train and compete
Perception of wellbeing
Mental fatigue
(e.g., evaluation by scales, questionnaires
and athletes' conversation/report)
Monitoring Process
Coach and team-staff Athlete
Commercial Platform
Input and data report
Player long-term monitoring
Algorithm to prevent injury and OTS
HRV4 training application - hands on
Shorter interval: higher bpm
Major interval: slower bpm
Parasympathetic fibers: inhibitory
Sympathetic fibers: excitatory
Sinoatrial Node (pacemaker)
HRV values
(RMSSD)
Performance/health
HRV values
(RMSSD) Risk of OTS/ stress/
maladaptation
Measurement of HRV and perceptual parameters
(wellbeing, training intensity and recovery)
Monitoring session/competition/ individual athletes/ menstrual cycle - hands on
Example of a spreadsheet created on
excel and Power BI
TAKE NOTE
• Sports at the professional level require high training intensity
• Adequate training load (dose) and recovery is ideal for a supercompensation on
performance (response)
• Inadequate training and recovery can trigger the OTS
• OTS is characterized by a decrease in performance and physiological and
psychological responses. It will take months to recover (initial conditions)
• OTS is a vague concept
• Monitoring long-term athletes' responses can help to prevent and diagnose OTS
• Many options to monitor/track athletes' physiological and perceptual responses to
training. Use of commercial app; coaches can build their own tools.
carolina.paludo@fsps.muni.cz
Obrigada
Complementary:
Overtraining syndrome symptoms and diagnosis in athletes: where is the research? a systematic review
https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2021-0448.
Preventing chronic fatigue in Czech young athletes: the features description of the 'SmartTraining' mobile
application
https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2022.919982.