The Underperformance Syndrome:
Beyond overtraining

By Chris Harnish, M.S.

  When athletes are starting out, training seems so simple: train as much, and as hard as possible and you will get better. This type of strategy is applied to some extent even as we progress in the sport. Long-term improvement requires sufficient stress (overload), some training variation, and adequate recovery. Inadequate recovery from training leads to a failing adaptation – the body fails to compensate for the stress placed on it, leading to reduced performance. In the short-term, this “over-reaching” can lead to significant super compensation. However, continual over-reaching can lead to a vicious cycle of under-performance, or even more severe under-performance, “over-training” – figure 1 provides a graphic depiction of the differences between normal training and super-compensation, over-reaching and overtraining.

Overtraining: Too much training, too little recovery, or something else?

  The term over-training can be ambiguous and a bit misleading. While it is certainly possible to train too much (and recover too little), severe cases of over-training are often more complex, involving a number of factors including heavy training loads and sparse recovery periods. Recent perspectives (1) on overtraining suggest it is closely linked to a stress-related disorder, which present themselves with a very diverse group of symptoms. Moreover, Dr. Richard Budgett, a leading expert on over-training, has recommended renaming the problem the unexplained underperformance syndrome to hone in on the one key symptom present, poor performance (UPS).

  The term UPS allows us to move beyond training as an over-riding factor to becoming one of many root causes. In fact, most researchers agree that training alone is but one factor involved in “overtraining”, or UPS. Likewise, the presenting symptoms can differ widely among athletes making diagnosis difficult, making prevention even more important. The following are suggestions for preventing UPS:

• PERIODIZATION – It cannot be stressed enough that proper pre-season planning is the cornerstone to athletic success. Know where you’re going before you leave!
• FLEXIBILITY – Sure stretching will help recovery, but the flexibility I’m talking about is psychological and training flexibility. Most competitive athletes often try to maintain too rigid approach to both training and recovery. Unfortunately, many athletes often feel pressured to train a certain way and recover in a specified period, often ignoring our stressful lives and the signs that more recovery is needed. Be flexible in your approach to training and to life!
• RECOVERY – This seems obvious, but it is worth reiterating that performance gains occur AFTER we recover from training. Let’s say you live in California, an earthquake hits, and your house is wrecked. Would you prefer that another earthquake hit while you’re rebuilding your house or after you have build a new, stronger house? Your body is the same way; it prefers to be fully prepared for your next training bout or race, so give it time!
• SLEEP – This goes beyond simple recovery. Quality sleep can mean the difference between winning and losing. If a few extra hours of sleep mean cutting back on some training, consider it. A rested body rides faster than a tired one!
• NUTRITION – Without getting into too many details, proper nutrition is critical to performance. Drink plenty of fluids before, during and after training. Also, do not be afraid to periodize your nutrition, which involves changing your diet to meet your training needs. Obviously, at the height of the season or a period of high intensity training, the last thing you want to do is cut back on carbohydrates. Eat what you need!
• FUN – While success in any sport requires serious dedication, too much focus, momentous training or unending periods of racing and travel can definitely diminish one’s performance capacity. No matter what your goals are, don’t forget to enjoy yourself along the way!

HELP, I’m over-trained!

  Hopefully you have planned well and improved throughout the season. If you were smart, you took a short break mid-season too! What if you messed up, though, or maybe the stresses of the job or family have left you in the dumps, unable to hang with the slow group on the Friday night beer ride? Well the first thing you do is REST – rest means complete time off the bike doing something else. Once you’re resting it’s time to figure out what is going on, which likely means a visit to the doctor and some blood testing to rule out underlying illness or deficiencies. If the blood tests are good, then compare how you feel with some of the most common indicators of UPS listed in table 1. Exhibiting a prolonged decrease in performance and any of the others listed strongly supports the need for serious rest. With any luck, you will be back training in 2 – 4 weeks, but do not feel rushed. Use this time off to have a little fun, address other issues in your life, like excessive stress, and certainly take the time to figure out how you got here and devise a plan out.

The Road to Recovery

  As stated above, the first step to recovery is REST! This can be a bitter pill for most of us to swallow, but rest need not be limited to the couch potato program. For most athletes simply doing something else active is enough, while others may need complete rest. When in doubt, “go to the beach” – i.e., just relax. Under the worst-case scenario, it could take as much as 6 weeks or more to recover, so use the time to your advantage. Once you are feeling better plan out a reasonable schedule then halve it, because you will be applying what you could do, which is likely more than you can handle. If you believe you can ride an hour at recovery intensity, ride a half hour. After a week or two of slow build up in training volume, begin adding a few short bursts with total recovery between each. These sprints will help improve anaerobic capacity and muscular force production, not to mention make you feel like you are training (2). The most important thing is to take it slow!

  The underperformance syndrome, formerly known as overtraining, is a complicated condition, usually caused by too little recovery rather than too much training, but has a strong link to stress-related disorders. While prevention is best, recovery from UPS is possible but requires patience and faith. Use the time away from the sport to appreciate all those things we often take for granted in the pursuit of excellence. A good coach can be a great asset during the recovery process, not to mention help prevent future problems with UPS.

References

  1. Angeli, A., M. Minetto, A. Dovia, and Pacotti. The overtraining syndrome in athletes: A stress-related disorder. J Endocrinol Invest. 27(6):603-12, 2004.

  2. Budgett, R. The Unexplained Underperformane Syndrome. Thematic Presentation. ACSM National Conference, Orlando, FL, 1999.

  Acknowledgements: I'd like to thank Tom Swensen, Ph.D. for his review of this article.

Chris Harnish, M.S. is an Exercise Physiologist and Coach living, writing and training on Cape Cod. In addition to his coaching work with The Peaks Coaching Group, Harnish runs Tradewind Sports, which offers a variety of services including performance testing, training products and international racing opportunities. In 2004, Harnish ran New England’s top Junior Team, which included the top ranked New England Junior and qualified a rider for Junior Worlds. He is a Category 1 road cyclist competing across the U.S. and abroad.