第116页 | The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing | 阅读 ‧ 电子书库

Stage 1: Functional Overtraining

The first stage of overtraining is not usually accompanied by obvious problems, but rather, by very subtle or subclinical ones. The most obvious may be an abnormal plateau or regression in your MAF Test, indicating an imbalance between aerobic and anaerobic function. In addition, changes in such measurements as heart rate variability begin to appear, and resting heart rate may start to rise.

Interestingly, this first stage of overtraining is sometimes accompanied by a sudden, short-lived improvement in competitive performance that may convince one that training is progressing well. This temporary improvement, which often exists in one race, for example, may be caused by the autonomic nervous system imbalance resulting in overactivity of the sympathetic part, temporarily improving muscle function and strength. This is accompanied by an imbalance between the aerobic and anaerobic systems.

The aerobic and anaerobic imbalance may be determined by various tests, some of which are not readily accessible to many athletes. These include an evaluation of respiratory quotient (RQ), salivary cortisol measurements, and others. However, the easiest evaluations for all athletes are the MAF Test and testing the resting heart rate. In addition, comparing max aerobic training performance, such as the first mile of an MAF Test, with competitive performance, such as the average pace per mile in a 10K race, could demonstrate this imbalance. Runners, for example, will have a relatively slower aerobic pace, as per their MAF Test, compared to a faster race pace. This occurs because, in this first stage of overtraining, the aerobic system is deficient, while the anaerobic system is overactive.

Stage 1 overtraining develops out of the phenomenon of overreaching, the normal state in which athletes train slightly beyond their ability. This slight stress on the body’s physical, chemical, and mental state is an important aspect of becoming a better athlete, so it’s necessary. In fact, studies show this gray area between easy training and overtraining—overreaching—can boost performance. But without backing off, many athletes continue pushing down the road to overtraining. Exactly when you go from overreaching to overtraining is difficult to assess. But if the MAF Test shows a slowing of pace, you’ve passed the normal state of overreaching into the first stage of overtraining. You may even have one last good performance in you, although in some cases you’re already injured and can’t race. In the overreaching state, more time is needed for recovery, and when this is not done, the onset of overtraining amplifies minor functional imbalances, often progressing to symptoms of pain or fatigue, along with signs of higher resting heart rates and slowing MAF Tests.

The first stage of overtraining is usually accompanied by two other functional problems. The first is adrenal gland dysfunction and, typically, aerobic deficiency is also part of the overtraining syndrome at this early period. Fatigue, physical injury, sleeping irregularities, abnormal hunger, or cravings, especially for sweets and refined carbohydrates, and other complaints related to adrenal and aerobic problems mark a more obvious Stage 1 overtraining. Some athletes may be unable to lose that extra body fat, get sleepy after meals, and have an uncanny craving for caffeine, or other signs and symptoms.

Other complaints common in the first stage of overtraining include:

 

 

Increasing vulnerability to back, knee, ankle, and foot injuriesAbnormal adrenal hormone levels—typically, elevations in cortisol only at certain times of the day or evening, with secondary lowering of testosterone, estrogen, and/or DHEA levelsAmenorrhea in women, or secondarily, premenstrual syndrome or menopausal symptomsReduced sexual desire, with infertility in some casesMental and emotional stress, including mild depression and anxiety