Overtraining ???

[Zulu]

how would you go about peaking at certain times Zulu?

Having rest periods of just say 2 weeks from training a few times throughout the year?

Yeah, something like that BM, there is a basic concept in training called periodization. Where a training schedule is planned out over the course of a season with intense weeks of training interspersed with 'down' weeks. This type of training schedule is designed to allow a team to peak at various times in a year.

[orangeman]

Could you elaborate please Zulu ?

[Hank Everlast]

I have to say last nite training was horrible, only one of the floodlight came on so it was decided seeing as we were all out we wud do a bit of running.   The pitch was like a beach to run on and it was about minus 40!! We ran for 30 mins constant except for a 1 minute water break and stretch which lasted for a minute at the half way point.....

[el_cuervo_fc]

I have to say last nite training was horrible, only one of the floodlight came on so it was decided seeing as we were all out we wud do a bit of running.   The pitch was like a beach to run on and it was about minus 40!! We ran for 30 mins constant except for a 1 minute water break and stretch which lasted for a minute at the half way point.....

So much for your training not being too tough at the minute then Hank.  You spoke too soon. 

[Zulu]

Could you elaborate please Zulu ?

Well OM every coach should get a list of games his players are involved in during the coming season. So if your training the senior footballers in order to plan your training season properly you should know when all your games are fixed for. Not only that but you should know when the U21's and minors are playing if you have some of those lads on your squad. If your a dual cub you should know about all the hurling matches that your footballers are involved in. Of course you'll need to agree a training regieme with all these coaches so as to make sure no-one is doing too much. You'll also need to take into account lads who played soccer, rugby or any other game during the winter as these lads may not need the same type of pre-season training. Now when you have all this done you need to plan out your season with these factors in mind. Break up the season into blocks of 4-6 weeks with a goal for each block e.g. the first block will build up stamina. After each block of training you have a down week. This might consist of one easy night of training or a game of soccer/rugby/basketball etc.
                           As for IC players, clubs need to be careful here, counties often give IC players a week off but clubs insist that they attend all their training sessions during that week. This means that the players aren't getting any break and this can influence their form later in the season. What coaches need to remember is that the only purpose of training is to prepare for games and then act accordingly.

[AbbeySider]

Could you elaborate please Zulu ?

Break up the season into blocks of 4-6 weeks with a goal for each block e.g. the first block will build up stamina.
After each block of training you have a down week. This might consist of one easy night of training or a game of soccer/rugby/basketball etc.

Zulu
In your opinion is a 'down week' say every 6 weeks enough of a break for a team training 3 times a week on the training ground and 1-2 nights in the gym?
As what often happens in Mayo there is very few club games around July / August because of the Inter County Championship. Do you think that (within reason) when there is no club games in that period that a club could use a 1-2 week period to recharge the batteries and rest up (not necessarily going on the beer) ?? As I mentioned before this has worked for county teams.

[Zulu]

Yeah definately, if I was coaching a team in Mayo and I knew we would have 7-8 weeks without a competitive game, I would take field training down to 2 nights a week in the first week, down to 1 night the second week and let them off altogether in week 3. Then I'd bring them back for 3 nights a week for week 4-6/7 with at least two games in those weeks. And in the week of the game it would be back to 2 nights with both sessions 45min-1 hour in duration. So the 2 month period would look something like this;

Week 1- 2 sessions
Week 2 - 1 light session
Week 3 - off
Week 4 - 3 sessions (1 game)
Week 5 - 3 sessions
Week 6 - 3 sessions (1 game)
Week 7 - 3 sessions
Week 8 (game week) - 2 short sessions (45 - 60 min)                             

[orangeman]

Thanks for that Zulu !

[AbbeySider]

Yeah definately, if I was coaching a team in Mayo and I knew we would have 7-8 weeks without a competitive game, I would take field training down to 2 nights a week in the first week, down to 1 night the second week and let them off altogether in week 3. Then I'd bring them back for 3 nights a week for week 4-6/7 with at least two games in those weeks. And in the week of the game it would be back to 2 nights with both sessions 45min-1 hour in duration. So the 2 month period would look something like this;

Week 1- 2 sessions
Week 2 - 1 light session
Week 3 - off
Week 4 - 3 sessions (1 game)
Week 5 - 3 sessions
Week 6 - 3 sessions (1 game)
Week 7 - 3 sessions
Week 8 (game week) - 2 short sessions (45 - 60 min)                             

Fair play Zulu, your talking a lot of sense there. Im curious now as to who you were training in Mayo but you dont have to answer that with forum anonymity and all that!  Are you in the field of sports science or professional training ?

[Zulu]

Nah AB, I never trained a team in Mayo, but I'd love to and hope to do so one day. I don't have any connections there or anything just feel that it would be a good county to develop a team in.

[AbbeySider]

I meant to post the follow up to this article last week.
Mickey Harte talks about the signs of over training and player fatigue.

************************************

From the Galway Independent 6th Feb 08


Rest and recovery – how to avoid overtraining

Last week we asked Mickey Harte about the telltale signs that a coach is overtraining his charges. This week the Tyrone manager advises how coaches can prevent and treat overtraining.
Image

"A crucial factor in preventing fatigue is players' own nutrition and rest. It's critical that players eat and drink properly and have at least seven hours quality sleep each night.

Players need more protein after intensive training to rebuild muscle tissue. By increasing their carbohydrate intake from 50% to 70%, players can restore muscle glycogen reserves – basically energy stored in the muscles – in 24 hours, rather than it taking up to twice this time.

However, it's also important that coaches tailor their programmes to guard against over-exertion. Coaches should cycle sessions of heavy training with lighter work and recovery sessions. Swimming pools are ideal for active recovery sessions because players can exercise lightly and remove lactic acid without any impact forces.

With young players who are in demand for several teams, and where burnout is a real worry, it is vital to put a limit on training and playing schedules – five days per week at most, with two full days rest each week and a two-month complete closed season each year.

Players showing signs of chronic fatigue should seek medical advice. But rest and regeneration is the key to recovering from overtraining. Massage and hydrotherapy will help.

There is a simple five-step recovery regime that many players find beneficial:

1. Drink and eat. Start restoring energy levels within five minutes of completing training with a sports drink, light sandwich or fruit.

2. Stretch and shower. Lightly stretch while the muscles are still warm to prevent blood pooling in the limbs and help remove lactic acid. Continue to rehydrate and refuel and restretch muscles in a warm shower. Alternate between hot and cold water every 30 seconds for three to five minutes.

3. Continue recovery. Have a meal within an hour and half of completing training. Drink regular fluids. Try a relaxation technique or simply listen to music to unwind.

4. Prepare for sleep. After a tiring session, it's important to switch off from the day with breathing exercises of visualisation techniques.

5. Morning check. Players should check resting heart rate for fluctuations and measure body weight to monitor hydration."

Mickey Harte has just launched a Player's Training Diary, available at www.sporttracker.ie. The Coach is compiled by Liam Horan.



Original Article...

Pushing them too hard? The signs of overtraining.

An Intermediate football club's coach asks: "We trained harder than ever last season. But when it came to our biggest game of the year, the lads looked very flat. I'm worried we left it, as they say, on the training field. What are the signs of overtraining?"

We talked to Tyrone manager Mickey Harte, whose Tyrone teams famously adopt a less-is-more approach to training, yet maintain impressive fitness and hunger levels when championship comes round.

"We've always adopted a policy of organising collective training one night per week until the clocks change. Then we step it up to a second night. And if we have no game at the weekend we might sometimes have a third session.

Obviously everyone has their own ideas, but it's my feeling that if you have guys slogging through the muck four nights week in the depths of winter, it's awful hard to ask them to step up another level when the summer evenings come round.

But guys have their own strength and conditioning programmes, so it's still important to watch carefully for signs of overtraining.

Every player responds differently to training regimes but there are ways a coach can gauge players' different levels of fatigue. You can get players to record their own heart rate before they get out of bed each morning. Increased resting heart rate is a real indicator of overtraining.

Blood tests also very revealing. Overtraining can be detected from changes in blood variables.

But the important thing is to know your players. Watch them carefully. The symptoms of overtraining typically appear in three stages.

   1. Psychological; the tired player will exhibit mood changes and increased levels of mental fatigue, tension, depression and disinterest.
   2. Performance; watch the players' movement and the way they run. With a fatigued player, the execution of skills and movement patterns that were previously smooth, now appear strained.
   3. Physiological; in the final stages of overtraining-related fatigue, the tired player will suffer joint and muscle soreness and stiffness, heart rate may increase and the player may suffer loss of appetite and bodyweight and become more susceptible to headcolds and headaches."

Next week, Mickey talks about the ways you can prevent and treat overtraining. Mickey Harte has just launched a Player's Training Diary, available at sporttracker.ie Questions to coach@dvdsales.ie

[Davitt Man]

Have a meal within an hour and half of completing training.

How can you have a meal after a training session when your not home untill maybe 10.30 on a week night. What kind of meal should you be having? I usually just have a sandwich after training, thats all i am able for and then off to bed

[Zulu]

DM, you could prepare one beforehand and bring it with you, for example, you could bring a wholemeal chicken salad sandwhich and apple with you to training and eat them on the way home.

[imtommygunn]

Should be high in protein by all accounts for muscle regeneration I think.

High in carbs too.

Best one I've heard is tuna pasta salad.

[Zulu]

All your meals should have a good balance of protein and quality carbs. Another way of getting your nutritional needs quickly after a training session is to have a protien supplement powder with an isotonic drink.