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"The goal is certainly not to avoid stress - stress is a part of life. It is
a natural by-product of all our activities...But in order to express yourself
fully, you must first find your optimum stress level and then use your
adaptation energy at a rate and in a direction adjusted to the innate
structure of your mind and body. It is not easy...It takes much practice
and almost constant self-analysis." (Selye, 1956)
"...you must train very hard to make progress: however, you must be able to recover from
your workouts." Jim Schmitz U.S. Olympic Weightlifting Coach 1980, 1988, 1992
OVERREACHING vs. OVERTRAINING
Overreaching is a term used to describe temporary overtraining, which can
require 2 days to 2 weeks of recovery time and true overtraining, which can
require weeks to months of recovery time. "Overreaching occurs when full
recovery is not achieved for an extended time period and fatigue builds up.
This usually occurs slowly over the course of a month or two, but it can
happen much quicker in the face of a dramatic increase in training volume
and/ or intensity. Symptoms associated with overreaching are similar to
fatigue, only more severe. Those of you who have overreached may also notice
an increased resting heart rate, premature fatigue during training, decrease
in work capacity, increased heart rate during submax loads and an increased
thirst, especially at night."
"If you do overreach and do not allow for a period or two of lower intensity
levels the fatigue will continue to accumulate and your body will force you
to take a rest by becoming injured or overtrained. True overtraining takes
several months to set in but once it does you will have to dramatically
decrease your workload anywhere from several weeks to several months in
order to fully restore all bodily systems. During this period it is very
difficult to even maintain current fitness levels, much less improve them,
and a decrease is usually expected. This is why true overtraining is to be
avoided at all costs."
Warning Signs of Overtraining
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Mild leg soreness, general body ache
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Pain in muscles & joints
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Washed-out feeling, tired, drained,
lack of energy
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Sudden drop in ability to run 'normal'
distance or times
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Insomnia
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Headaches
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Inability to relax, twitchy, fidgety
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Insatiable thirst, dehydration
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Lowered resistance to common illnesses;
colds, sore throat, etc.
FATIGUE
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Dehydration: a 3% loss of body weight in water can
result in performance losses from 20-30%. Greater that a 5-6% loss can be a
medical emergency. Weigh yourself before and after workouts to determine how
much fluid you have lost. See
Heat and Hydration for more on this important topic.
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Overheating: at a body temperature of
101 - 104 F you may experience muscle weakness and fatigue;
at 104-105 F disorientation, severe muscle weakness and loss
of balance; above 105 F diminished sweating and loss of
consciousness.
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Depletion of muscle fuels: during intense short-
term exercise, fatigue can result from depletion of muscle glycogen, since
glucose is the only fuel source used to generate energy during anaerobic
activity (ten seconds to several minutes of intense activity). Glycogen
depletion can cause fatigue during long-term exercise and can be combatted
with proper carbohydrate loading.
-
Low blood glucose: consuming up to 80 grams
of carbohydrate per hour can keep maintain glucose levels during long
term exercise. This is critical to proper central nervous system function
and can delay fatigue by 30 to 60 minutes.
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Increased lactic acid levels: as exercise
intensity is increased lactic acid can build up in the muscles. This
will eventually cause you to reach your lactate threshold- the point
at which the level of lactic acid in your blood is greater than your
body can metabolize.
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Central fatigue: this results from
impaired function of the central nervous system and effects
performance. "Research suggests that regular supplementation with
branced-chain amino acids can prevent or forestall central
fatigue by preventing tryptophan from entering the brain."
MUSCLE SORENESS
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Mechanical damage:
Years ago it was thought that muscle soreness was caused by
lactic acid. We now know that this is not the case.
Lactic acid is removed from the muscle in a matter of minutes.
Although we”re not 100% sure, most experts now agree that muscle
soreness is caused by damage (microtrauma) to the muscle fibers
themselves.
"When you strain
your muscles, you produce localized damage such as microscopic
tears to muscle fiber membranes and protein filaments. Over
the twenty-four hours following strenuous exercise, the damaged
muscles become swollen and sore. In addition, there is increased
blood flow to the muscles, which causes the muscle tissued to swell.
Muscle nerves perceive this abnormal state and send pain messages
to your brain as soon as you try to move the morning after
overexertion." "As we grow older, our muscles and their
surrounding tissued lose elasticity, so we feel soreness and
tightness more quickly than we did in high school."
Specifically, it thought that the portion of the muscle cell
called the sarcoplasmic
reticulum (which stores calcium until it is needed for muscular
contraction) tears and leaks calcium into the surrounding area
of the muscle. This leads to a degree of inflammation within the
muscle causing swelling and tenderness.
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Free radical damage: exercise causes
free radical damage. A free radical is an atom or a group of
atoms that is short one electron and is highly unstable. In order
to restabilize, the atom will seek out and steel another electron
from another part of the cell. Free radicals can also be called
oxidants because oxygen is usually the atom that loses an electron.
Anti-oxidents are vitamins (C and E) and vitamin-like nutrients
(OPC) that neutralize free radicals.
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Cortisol is a hormone that is released
by the adrenal glands in response to all kinds of stress, including
exercise. The primary role of cortisol is to help mobilize energy for
the body by increasing protein breakdown. Cortisol also "impedes the entry
of amino acids into muscle cells for protein synthesis, and instead helps
to transport them to the liver to be used for energy. This is why
individuals involved in strength training may experience a decrease in
muscle mass if they do not take the necessary steps to reduce the
release of cortisol and to rebuild muscle protein."
From Burke, Edmund. Optimal Muscle Recovery (Garden City Park, NY:
Avery Publishing Group, 1999).
NUTRITION AND DIET
"If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and
not too much, we would have found the safest way to health."
Hippocrates (460-370BC)
7 Day Diet Diary
Water
If you workout longer than 90 minutes you need more than just water.
You need to replenish your electrolytes, carbohydrates (CHO), and protein.
You must also remember to drink water throughout the remainder of the
day because you cannot fully rehydrate by just gulping down water
immediately after the workout. Your urine should be the color of
Chardonnay wine (pale yellow)- between #1 and #3 on the chart below.
If it is darker you are probably still dehydrated.
Pre-workout Nutrition
Some studies recommend that endurance athletes choose low glycemic
carbohydrate (CHO) foods for their pre-event or pre-training meals.
Unfortunately, other investigations, have not shown a clear
benefit resulting from eating low GI carbohydrate foods before exercise.
The majority of studies show that even if low GI pre-exercise meals produce
better metabolic conditions during exercise compared with high GI meals, the
differences are small and short lived. The bottom line is that athletes
probably perform the same by just making sure to have CHO as a pre-event or
pre-training meal.
Athletes should consume 50 to 100 ounces of water above and beyond their
normal intake the day before the event. On the day of competition athletes
should consume 20 to 32 ounces of cool water 2 hours prior to the event.
Eliminate bladder 15 minutes prior to the event. Drink 6 to 8 ounces of
water five minutes before the event.
During Workout Nutrition
In endurance exercise events (greater than 90 minutes) the most common and
effective strategy used by athletes to promote fuel availability is to
consume carbohydrate-rich drinks or foods during the event. A beverage
with 30-80g of CHO should be consumed every hour. E.g.. a 4%-8% beverage
means that it has 4g-8g CHO per 100ml, so one liter per hour is
recommended. For all day events, i.e.. track and field, a moderate amount
of sodium in the drink is necessary.
Post-Workout Nutrition Recovery: Three phases
The Rapid Phase: first 30 minutes after training
The Intermediate Phase: 90 minutes to 2 hours
The Longer Phase: 2 - 20 hours
Hydration
Rehydration requires a special fluid intake plan since
thirst and voluntary intake will not provide for full restoration of sweat
losses in the acute phase (zero to six hours after workout) of recovery.
Weigh yourself before and after exercise. A loss of one kilogram equals a
fluid deficit of one litre. Remember that you will continue to lose fluid
during recovery via urine losses and ongoing sweating, and that these
losses must also be replaced. Typically you will need to consume about
1.5 times the volume of your post-exercise fluid deficit over the
subsequent two to four hours to fully restore fluid balance. Cool drinks
(eg 10-15°C) are preferred in most situations.
Replacing sodium losses helps maximise
the retention of ingested fluids by minimising urine losses. Options include
sports drinks, commercial oral rehydration solutions, salty foods, or salt
added to post-exercise meals. This is particularly important when fluid
deficits are greater than 2-3% of body weight or 2 litres. A high-sodium beverage
such as an oral rehydration solution (50-90 mmol/L or 2-5 g of salt per
litre), or salt added to post-exercise meals, may be the best way to
guarantee efficient and rapid rehydration after significant fluid loss.
Caffeine-containing fluids (eg cola drinks) and alcohol (avoid for 24-36
hours after hard workouts) are not ideal
rehydration beverages since they may increase urine losses. However, recent studies
have found "little evidence to support the idea that caffeinated drinks have an
adverse effect on hydration during post-exercise recovery." (Peak Performance,
Issue 212, p. 9)
Where possible, avoid post-exercise activities that exacerbate sweat
losses-for example, long exposure to hot spas, saunas or the sun.
Protein
0.6g/kg lean body mass. For example, if the athlete is 90kg at 10% body fat, then the
athlete should consume 50g protein after the workout in a liquid form. Whey protein
is probably the best for post workout absorption.
As per Charles Poliquin
Carbohyrate
Rapid resynthesis of muscle glycogen stores is aided by the immediate intake
of CHO. The amount is based on training volume. A general rule is about 2g/kg bodyweight.
A more specific program is:
12-72 reps per workout: 0.6 g/Kg/LBM (Lean Body Mass)
73-200 reps per workout: 0.8 g/kg/LBM
200-360 reps per workout: 1.0 g/kg/LBM
360-450 reps per workout: 1.2 g/kg/LBM
Charles Poliquin says, "Regarding the source of carbohydrates post-workout, I have experimented
with various sources, I like using fruit juices with a high glycemic index (i.e. pineapple, grape)
to provide 30-40% of the carbs, the rest of the carbs coming from carb powders such as Ultra Fuel
from Twinlab."
"For variety sake, I will use different types of juice like a berry blend. You can also any type
of mushy fruit like bananas or peaches. For seriously underweight athletes, I may use
pineapple and/or corn flakes to drive the glycemic index upwards. Instead of using maltodextrin,
you can also use desiccated honey."
Above per Charles Poliquin
Properly balanced meals throughout the remainder of the day are essential.
POST-WORKOUT OR POST GAME RECOVERY
1. Hydration: Subtract your post-game weight from your pre-game weight and convert to
grams (lbs x 2.2=kg kgx1000=grams). The number of grams
of weight lost equals the number of ml of fluid you must drink to make up
the weight. To convert ml to ounces: ml/30=ounces. If you drank any fluid
during the game, you must know that amount and add it to the total.
2. Nutrients:
Glutamine 5 grams
"Glutamine intake: Recent scientific research has demonstrated that consuming glutamine following
exercise can accelerate muscle glycogen resynthesis and glutamine levels, which are critical in
the prevention of overtraining, and the creation of an anabolic environment. I recommend
ingesting 0.33 g/kg of glutamine, so for a 90 kg man that would be 30 grams. If someone has
a higher percentage bodyfat, I up the glutamine and reduce the carbs." (Charles Poliquin)
Vitamin C 1000mg
Vitamin B Complex 50mg
Arginine 3 grams
Calcium 1000mg
Magnesium 500mg
Bromelain 2000gdu
Whey Protein 15-20 grams
Carbohydrate (maltodextrin) 60 - 80 grams
Fish Oils
Branched Chain Amino Acids
3. Use a foam roller:
FOAM ROLLER GUIDE
4. Perform slow, breathing stretching
5. Ice bath (for lower extremities) - 10 minutes
OR
Ice any painful areas with ice massage for 5 minutes
6. Music - something with a steady "feel good" beat, not too fast or too slow
7. Mediation - 10-20 minutes (can be done during ice bath)
8. Post Game Meal - Whole grains, protein, vegetable
9. Epsom Salt & Apple Cider Vinegar (Heinz or White House brands) bath.
Epsom salt baths are taken routinely, just before going to bed, the night before a major
competitive event or race and just after. It also helps with combating jet lag.
Use 1 cup of Epsom Salts per every 60 lbs. of body weight (it is not necessary to exceed 4 cups)
in a hot bath tub of water (104 degrees F or less). The water temperature should be as comfortable,
but as hot as you can take, for 15 to 20 minutes. You can use 2 to 4 times this amount if your
body conditions warrant it. You do not want to burn yourself. You want to rub your skin all
over with a wash cloth to open up the pores for absorption of the Epsom salts. If some areas
are sore rub them a little longer. If you are treating an injury you should rub both the area
of the involved site on one extremity and the same area on the other extremity.
In rubbing both extremities you yield a little extra stimulation to the injured site.
Don't rinse off before getting out of the bath tub. Just dry off and retire for the evening.
More On Epsom Salts Bath
10. Next day - continue to hydrate (weigh yourself and make up any lost weight
not made up from day before), massage, Epsom salt bath for
15-20 minutes.
7 Secrets to Rapid Recovery
Rest and Recovery
SUPPLEMENTS
"Exercise without supplementation is suicide, these are the words of
Dr. Joel D. Wallach. And how true they are. EXERCISE WITHOUT COMPLETE
AND OPTIMAL SUPPLEMENTATION IS SELF DESTRUCTIVE, and suicide. Farmers
and ranchers very systematically put in vitamins, minerals and trace
minerals in animal feeds to prevent and cure disease and illnesses.
They learned that all working and producing animals, (all the way from
the cow to the race horse), need additional nutrients above and beyond
subsistence and maintenance levels. The same goes, and more so with humans.
In many studies done we find an increase in the frequency and severity of
sports injuries, behavioral problems, degenerative diseases, and even death
in athletes because of this neglect....
Unsupplemented high-output athletes are more susceptible to emotional,
traumatic, and degenerative diseases than the classic couch potatoe (or
is that potato?). Certainly the average weekend athlete with common sense
would not throw their life away by not supplementing with the known 103
essential nutrients each day (72 minerals, 16 vitamins, 12 essential amino
acids and 3 essential fatty acids). Certainly then, the highly conditioned
and trained serious athlete who invests considerable amount of time and
money in their training and fitness programs would not throw their health
or lives away by not supplementing. Yet the majority of people who exercise
do not supplement because they have bought into the medical dogma that if
"you eat right, you do not need to supplement, you can get everything you
need from the four food groups" (WHICH IN MOST CASES IS TONS AND TONS OF
TOO MANY CARBS).......
Or if you supplement "it only gives you expensive urine". Our farm and range
soils are so depleted of nutrients, as a result of 100 to 200 years of
intensive farming without appropriate mineral replacement. Why is it
they cannot seem to make the connection that the food on their plate is
anemic in nutrients? Two and two still equals four, so be smart as an athlete
and supplement. Not only will it enhance your performance but it could save
your life."
WHAT ATHLETES NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PAIN RELIEF MEDICATION
According to a report in the June 17, 1999 issue of the
New England Journal of Medicine, non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs- aspirin, ibuprofen
[Motrin, Advil, Nuprin], naprosyn [Aleve], Lodine, Votaren, etc.)
caused fatal ulcers and killed about 16,500 people in 1997.
If the toxic effects of NSAIDs were given its own category,
it would be classified as the 15th most common cause of death
in the U.S. NSAIDs cause more deaths than bone marrow cancers, asthma, cervical cancer or
Hodgkin's disease and about as many as HIV/AIDS (Journal of Rheumatology 1999;26 Supp56:18-24).
To make matters worse, these
ulcers and other gastrointestinal complications are often not
preceded by warning signs. Do I have your attention?
Researchers looked at patients who had undergone spinal fusion treatment, where two or more
vertebrae are fused together, and discovered that patients who had taken a conventional NSAID
(Toradol) were five times less likely to achieve successful union of the vertebrae than those who
had taken no NSAID. (Spine 1998;23(7):834-838)
NSAIDS and MUSCLE INJURY
Stretch-induced muscle injuries or strains, muscle contusions and delayed-onset muscle soreness
(DOMS) are common muscle problems in athletes. Anti-inflammatory treatment is often used for the
pain and disability associated with these injuries. The most recent studies on nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in strains and contusions suggest that the use of NSAIDs can
result in a modest inhibition of the initial inflammatory response and its symptoms. However,
this may be associated with some small negative effects later in the healing phase.
Corticosteroids have generally been shown to adversely affect the healing of these acute
injuries. Animal studies have suggested that anabolic steroids may actually aid in the
healing process, but clinical studies are not yet available and the exact role of these
drugs has yet to be determined. Studies on anti-inflammatory treatment of DOMS have yielded
conflicting results. However, the effect of NSAIDs on DOMS appears small at best. Future
research may have to focus on different aspects of these injuries as the emphasis on
anti-inflammatory treatment has yielded somewhat disappointing results.
Abstract from Anti-Inflammatory Treatment of Muscular Injuries in Sport: An Update of Recent Studies,
Sports Medicine, Volume 28, Number 6, 1 December 1999, pp. 383-388(6)
So how can we fight inflammation naturally:
1. Omega-3 oils, especially EPA (fish oils) - 3 grams
2. Bromelain - 2000 - 4000gdu
3. GLA (Gamma-linolenic acid) - 2-3 grams
4. Ginger - 100mg
5. Curcumin (tumeric) - 2 mg
6. Cat's Claw
7. Anti-oxidants: Vitamin C - 1000mg and Vitamin E - 400IU (mixed tocopherols)
8. Glucosamine/Chondroitin - 1500mg/1200mg
9. MSM - 500-1000mg
WARM-UP
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Moist heat- 5 minutes on appropriate
body areas. Try a focus meditation during this time and think about
exactly what you wish to accomplish during your workout
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Use
The Stick
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Walk, ride stationary bike
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Dynamic Flexibility
COOL-DOWN
SLEEP
Sleep deprivation causes decreased reaction time and diminished ability to sustain attention.
These skills, called psychomotor vigilance, are needed for not only sports performance but also
everyday activities such as driving. They are highly sensitive to sleep loss, often experienced by athletes
on road trips, particularly after they cross multiple time zones.
Sleep Debt
Chronic sleep restriction, widespread among American adults, has serious adverse consequences for physical and mental
performance, asserted sleep researcher William Dement, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University.
The most important aspect of the body's homeostatic regulation of sleep, he said, is that sleep loss is cumulative.
"When total nightly sleep is reduced by exactly the same amount each night for several consecutive nights," he reported,
"the tendency to fall asleep in the daytime becomes progressively stronger each day."
Dement calls this phenomenon "sleep debt." As he explains, the brain records as a debt every hour of sleep that is less
than a person's nightly requirement. This snowballing debt may include an hour of sleep lost a week or month ago, as well
as the hour lost last night, he speculated. A large sleep debt can be reduced only by extra sleep.
In a landmark 1994 National Institute of Mental Health study, subjects stayed in bed in the dark 14 hours every night for
28 consecutive nights. At first, they slept as long as 12 hours a night, suggesting they entered the study with sizeable
sleep debts, Dement said. By the fourth week, their sleep stabilized at a nightly average of eight hours and 15 minutes-a
figure interpreted to mean that most adults need this amount of sleep each night.
From
Sleep May Be Athlete's Best Performance Booster
TRAINING LOG
Even apparently healthy, experienced exercisers undergo constant fluctuations
in their health status. Fatigue from previous training sessions, impending
illness, stress, and other factors can quickly and dramatically increase your
risk of injury. Remain aware about your perceived comfort levels. Often, the
body can be more "honest" about how it's feeling than the person occupying
that body! Err on the side of caution. Long and slow wins the game. Smart
trainees value safety and injury prevention over rapid changes in body
composition.
Make a chart for each day of the month and rate each of the following
variables on whatever scale you wish.
Weight, Body temperature, Pulse rate, Hours of sleep, Times up
Sleep, Stress, Fatigue, Soreness, Stiffness, Quality of workout,
Mood, Appetite
I like a 0-10 scale. For example, if I felt
very fatigued upon awakening, I would rate fatigue a 7 or 8 (10 would be
complete exhaustion) and if I felt energetic, I would rate fatigue a 0 or 1
(0 would be full of energy and ready to go!).
Training Recovery Chart
A simple assessment can be done each morning by answering the following
questions. The answer must be yes to all these questions; otherwise
take the day off or go easy.
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I slept well last night
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I am looking forward to today's workout
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I am optimistic about my future performance
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I feel vigorous and energetic
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My appetite is great
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I have little muscle soreness
Orthostatic Heart Rate Test
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Lay down and rest for at least 15 minutes
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Record your pulse rate (beats/min) - R1
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Stand up
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15 seconds later record you pulse rate
(beats/min) - R2
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Record the difference between R1 and R2
If the difference is greater than 15-20 beats then it is probable that
the athlete has not recovered from the previous days training or is under
stress. The athlete should consider adjusting the training program to allow
him/her to fully recover.
TOPICAL COUNTERIRRITANTS
Almost all the available creams and ointments have two main ingredients:
menthol and camphor. They may differ in concentration. Additionally, some
have capsaicin, which is a pepper derivative that some people fine too hot
on their skin. Some have methyl salicylate, which is a topical aspirin
derivative. These creams do not "fix" anything, nor do they truly warm-up
your muscles. They do help decrease pain by confusing the nerve endings in
the skin. Your skin feels the cream, not the pain. They can be used before
and/or after a workout, but they DO NOT take the place of moist heat or ice.
SLEEP
Type of bed: I prefer either the Tempurpedic or Select Comfort beds
Position: On your side with a pillow between the knees and a pillow that
fills in the distance from your ear and neck to the edge of your shoulder.
Supplements: 5-hydroxytryptophan and melatonin (be careful, no more than 1 gram)
INTERESTING READING:
UNDERRECOVERY AND OVERTRAINING: DIFFERENT CONCEPTS-SIMILAR IMPACT? by,
Michael Kellmann (Ruhr-University of Bochum, Germany)
Overtraining Prevention and Recovery Enhancement, by Michael Kellmann
Underrecovery and Overtraining: Different Concepts, Similar Impact??, by Michael Kellmann
Overtraining, by Angela Peterson, Curtin University School of Physiotherapy
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RECOVERY AND EXERCISE