1. RECOVERY FOR ENDURANCE
ATHLETES
Overtrained or
under-recovered?

2. aims
• Understand what recovery, over-reaching,
over-training syndrome mean
• Understand how they happen
• Find out what steps we can take to optimise
recovery and prevent over-training
• Find out what we can monitor to identify
over-training before it’s too late.

3. Recovery: key defining features
(Kallus and Kellmann, 2000)
• Process in time, dependent on type and
duration of training stress
• Depends on reduction of stress, change of
stress, or a break from stress
• Specific to individual and depends on
individual appraisal
• Can be passive, active or pro-active
• Closely tied to situational conditions

4. AIS: $17 million recovery and swim centre
QAS: $10 million recovery centre in 2008
US Olympic Training Centre, Colorado
Springs

7. Over-reaching
• Accumulation of training and/or non-training
stress
• Short-term decrement in performance
capacity
• Restoration of performance may take several
days to several weeks
• Functional vs non-functional
• Jeukendreup: performance plus mood
disturbance

8. Overtraining
• Accumulation of training and/or non-training
stress
• Long-term performance decrement
• Restoration of performance can take several
weeks to months

9. Overtraining symptoms may include
• Depressed mood • Loss of appetite
• General apathy • Increased resting heart
• Decreased self esteem rate
• Emotional instability • Increased vulnerability
• Impaired performance to injury
• Hormonal changes
• Restlessness
• Lack of
• Irritability
supercompensation
• Disturbed sleep
• Susceptibility to
• Weight loss infection and depressed
• Fatigue immune response

10. Facets of over-reaching/training
• Physiological
• Biochemical
– No single marker diagnostic
– Reduced sympathetic nervous system response
(adrenal fatigue)
• Psychological
– Altered mood states
• Immunological

12. PRE-REQUISITES FOR ADAPTATION
• Training
– Intensity
– Volume
– Frequency
• Next session timed with peak of
supercompensation part of curve ie allow
time for recovery and “overshoot”
• Re-set baseline at higher level
• Athlete healthy

14. Sport Social
Work Friends
Study Health
Finite Family Travel
capacity Growth
Money
Coping Positive
mechanisms Stress
effects
Negative
effects
Stress

15. Monitoring Training
• Heart rate :
– average,
– %max,
– %lactate threshold
– Time in different zones
• Run/swim pace, TT
• Power: IF, NP, TSS, CTL
• Time
• Distance, Speed

16. Measuring recovery/overtraining
• Physical measures
– “Performance decrement” universal
– Resting HR unreliable
– Sleeping HR increased
– Submax HR unclear
– Maximal HR reduced
– Body weight
– Biochemistry: lactate, hormone levels
– HR variability (sympathetic vs parasympathetic
nerve input to heart)

17. iThlete

18. Psychological measures
• POMS, cumbersome, difficult to interpret
• TQR, similar to RPE scale
• DALDA, self administered, sensitive to over-
training
• Evidence that psychological changes are
evident early in overtraining
• Key is to pick up over-reaching/training
before it is established, with a test that
doesn’t worsen fatigue or training stress

19. DALDA
• Daily analysis of life demands for athletes
• Self reported stress index
– Sources: sport and non-sport
– Symptoms
• Identifies sources of stress
• Identifies changes in stress levels, both
excessive and inadequate training stress
• Understood by Year 6 students

20. DALDA PART A
Stress source Worse than normal Normal Better than
normal
Diet
Home life
School/college/work
Friends
Training & exercise
Climate
Sleep
Recreation
Health

21. DALDA Part B: Symptoms
Muscle pains Weight
Technique Throat
Tiredness Internal
Need for a rest Unexplained aches
Supplementary work Technique power
Boredom Enough sleep
Recovery time Between sessions
recovery
Irritability General weakness

22. DALDA Part B
Interest
Arguments
Skin rashes
Congestion
Training effort
Temper
Swellings
Likeability
Running nose

23. Adaptation vs overtraining
• Majority of body’s resources dealing with
training loads
• Resistance to other stresses reduced
• Maximum adaptation: baseline number of
sources and symptoms reported as “worse
than normal”
• Acute overload: transient increase, reduces
next day
• Over-reaching: score remains elevated for 4
days. Need to reduce training.

26. Other benefits
• Jet lag monitoring
• Undertraining
• Taper/Peaking
– Worse than normal reduces, better than normal
increases

27. Does it work??
• Cyclists (Halson et al, 2002)
– overtrained for middle 2 weeks of 6 week block
– Trained 7 days, tested 5 days (V02 max, 1 hr TT,
Intermittent max test (2x 10min intervals)
– Doubled training volume, all in HR Zone 3,4,5
– Lower V02max after 2nd week only, incr RPE
– Lower max power
– TT performance 10% worse,
– No change lactate, fuel used, hormone levels
– Increase DALDA scores 3-7 days into intensive
training

28. Does it work?
• Triathletes
– Overreached, training increased 290%
– DALDA, 5 bound test increased in association with
reduced 3km run TT and 3 day average training
load.
– No change in submax HR, lactate, between
groups

29. Conclusion
• Psychological measures are useful non-
invasive, non exerting measure to detect
early stages of over-reaching/overtraining
• My proposal:

31. RECOVERY METHODS
• Physical • Recuperative
– Stretching – Adequate sleep
– Active recovery – Daytime naps
• Passive – Meditation,
– Massage – Self-hypnosis,
– Compression wear – Yoga
• Hydrotherapy – Relaxation
– Cold immersion • Dietary
– Contrast immersion

32. Stretching
• No studies looking at passive stretching and
recovery
• Anecdotal evidence: reduces sensation of
muscle tightness and soreness
• Sustained stretches 30secs+

33. Active recovery
• Low intensity aerobic exercise
• Helps lactate clearance (likely to clear
anyway by next session)
• Expends energy
• Impractical/unattractive for most endurance
athletes
• Incorporate walk at end of session?

34. Massage
• Reduces muscle force production, increased
confusion, decreased vigor on POMS
• Reduced muscle soreness
• Decreased DOMS symptoms, CK release,
muscle soreness, swelling. No change
flexibility or strength
• Improved recovery HRV, diastolic BP
• No change lactate clearance, better fatigue
index on Wingate test

35. Massage
• Recovery of HRV and diastolic blood
pressure
• Decreased soreness biceps after eccentric
exercise. No change strength or flexibility
• Decreased soreness hamstring.
• Lack of vigor and increased confusion post-
massage, decreased quads activation.
• Improved immune function

36. Contrast/cold immersion evidence
• Varied findings:
• Lactate clearance, decreased HR, no change
in sprint performance in Rugby players
• Lactate clearance in cyclists
• better performance sprint & TT over 5 days
cycling with cold and contrast

37. Contrast/cold immersion evidence
• No change leg power, HR, temperature.
Better perceived recovery and “lighter legs” in
soccer players with cold/active recovery
• Cyclists: no change TT performance, lactate,
inflammatory markers. Increased immune
response with cold. Perception of recovery
better with cold
• Basketball: cold > stretch and CHO >
compression for sprint and jump

38. Cold and contrast protocols
• Cold: 1 minute cold immersion, 2 minutes
standing. Repeat x 4-5
• Contrast: 2 minutes hot, 1 minute cold x 4-5.
Finish on cold
• Don’t use:
– cold or virus,
– bruised,
– heart disease,
– recent injury

39. Compression
• Very mixed findings on effect of compression
garments. Variety of brands tested.
• Different protocols:
– Submax and max running
– Eccentric muscle damage (box jump plyos)
• UK: reduced deficit in jump performance,
quads strength, better muscle pain scores,
no change in creatine kinase
• Charles Sturt: no change repeat sprint,
bounding, muscle strength, HR, RPE, lactate,
CK. Better muscle pain scores

40. Compression: suggested mechanisms
• Increase venous circulation
• Reduce swelling in lower limbs (travel,
standing occupations)
• Remove muscle damage by-products
• Reduce blood lactate accumulation
• Reduce muscle oscillation/vibration
• Suggested protocol: air travel, post exercise

43. Recuperative
• Yoga
– Shifts ANS to parasympathetic, changes HRV
– Improves quality of next sleep
• Meditation
– Reduces stress hormone levels
– Decreased blood pressure, stress levels
– Structural changes in brain stress centre

47. Sleep
• Need 6.5-8.5 hours per night
• 3-5 90 minute cycles of REM and non-REM
sleep
• Stage 3 sleep: release of growth hormones
from pituitary gland, immune system
response. Time for fighting disease and
tissue repair.

48. Sleep tips
• Turn clocks away from sleeping position
• Turn off mobile phone
• Don’t work in bed: sleep or sex only
• Reduce caffeine late in day
• Avoid high protein food and large meals a few hours
before bed
• Develop consistent schedule, slow down 30 mins
before bed
• Cool room
• Naps : 20 minutes at 2pm
• Milk and sit in dark if can’t sleep

49. Shift workers
• Nap at work
• Avoid morning light
– Drive straight home to bed
– Wear sunglasses
• Make arrangements to sleep
– Family
– Room
– appointments
• Schedule a recovery day

51. SUMMARY
• Nutrition
• Ice bath/contrast
• Compression after session
• Massage when you feel necessary
• Stretching when you feel tight
• Stimulate parasympathetic nervous system
with relaxation strategies
• Be aware of signs of poor recovery and make
changes early