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Overreaching is not equal to overtraining

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Overtraining is the result of your body’s inability to cope with the total amount of stress. Several symptoms are associated with the overtraining syndrome: Decreased performance, mood changes, weight loss, decreased appetite, muscle soreness, reduced motivation and fatigue.

I guess most cyclists have experienced at least one or more of these symptoms, but that doesn’t mean that most cyclists have been overtraining.

Understanding the term overreaching

Distinguishing overtraining from overreaching is important, because overreaching is a very natural process when we train. If you take a look at one of my training programs, you will see that it is based on three weeks with overreaching followed by one recovery week.

When you get to the third week, you will not feel stronger than you were in the first week, but after a recovery week with super compensation, you will be stronger than you were when you entered the program. Using a training program structure like this is what I call ”˜controlled overtraining’.

Overtraining doesn’t happen overnight

Many riders use the term ”˜overtraining’ for both overreaching and overtraining and I guess that is why many riders diagnose themselves as overtrained.

The problem is that if you are really in an overtraining situation, it can take several months before your performance is back at 100%. If you have overreached in a period, a week or two is normally enough to get you back on track.

This principle is often used in tapering protocols, where training volume is reduced the last two or three weeks before a big event. Overtraining syndrome doesn´t happen over a night or week. It takes 6 to 8 weeks or even longer to develop.

The cure is recovery

The cure for overtraining syndrome is often a significantly reduced training volume and intensity. Your body needs time to fully recover from the total accumulated stress in the past months.

When you are overtrained, you have probably forgotten about basic principles of recovery. A differential diagnosis could also be that you have reached a training plateau, which is also a very natural thing, still frustrating though. I covered that topic in two posts ”“ Dealing with training vacuum ”“ Part one and two.

Theories about overtraining

Our understanding of what overtraining really is relies on theories that are not yet proved. Sympathetic and parasympathetic overtraining is often discussed, referring to the autonomic nervous system. In this model the symptoms are caused by an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system. This theory was made back in 1958, but still one of the most referred theories about overtraining.

Minimize the risk

As we don’t know what overtraining exactly is, we should try to use our knowledge about basic exercise physiology to prevent development of overtraining.

A good strategy is to write a training diary. When you notice some of the symptoms mentioned above, then consider whether that is caused by an insufficient recovery from the past training. In this way it is possible to minimize the risk of overtraining, because a training diary implies you to react early.

What is your main strategy to prevent overtraining?

Cycling Training Programs

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12-Week Cycling Training Plans

12-Week Winter Training Program (Recommended)
This training program can be used by a wide range of cyclists who want a high quality training program for their winter training.
12 Week Pre-Season Cycling Training Program
This program is an example of how you can plan the final 12 weeks before the race season begins. If you have been lazy during the winter, starting on this program might be a good chance to catch up.

Time Effective Cycling Training

16 Wk Training Program incl. Tapering Protocol
This exciting new e-book will showcase how you can develop your own individual training program, fine tune your intervals and taper towards a major event.

Indoor Cycling Training Programs

Indoor Cycling Programs – part one
3 super effective indoor training programs that can be used on ergometer bike or in the spinning class.
Indoor Cycling Programs – part two
2 Highly effective indoor training programs that will boost your aerobic engine.
VO2 Max Booster Program
This training program will dramatically boost your race performance in only 14 days. The training program can be used by any cyclist, but riders with a SRM or PowerTap mounted on their bike will get the best value. There are amazing reports from readers who have tried this program. You can improve your VO2 max dramatically in only 14 days using these workouts.

Soy Milk or Semi-skimmed Milk as Recovery Drink?

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This article is a guest post from Shim Ravalia who studies a master in sports rehabilitation at the University of Kent (Gillingham, Medway). Now she is proposing a study on the effects of soy milk and semi skimmed milk in the recovery period after exercise on trained male cyclists by looking at the time to exhaustion. Participants who are regular readers here on Training4cyclists.com are included in this project.

Enjoy her detailed review of the current knowledge about recovery drinks.


Is soy milk a better recovery aid compared to semi-skimmed milk after exercise?
Does it increase time to exhaustion in trained cyclists?

The efficacy and importance of a recovery drink when balanced with training has to be deeply considered. The body is in a state of stress and needs a lot of nourishment after exercise (Carlson, 2008). The body is dehydrated, the blood insulin levels are low and cortisol and other hormones levels would be high; more importantly, the glycogen stores would be low or completely depleted and muscles would be breaking down (Ivy & Portman, 2004). This should be reversed by the nutritional strategy implemented.

Milk has been seen to be an effective recovery drink simply because of the components it has. Milk contains both whey and casein protein; whey is considered as to be a high quality protein and is more soluble than casein protein which also has a higher quality rating. Around 20% of whey is found in milk and 80% of casein is also found in milk (Pasquale, 2008).

Research has shown that the adding of protein to a carbohydrate drink is just as effective as a carbohydrate based drink for recovery after exercise; although carbohydrates is unquestionably of major importance, proteins is now considered to be of larger importance than previously thought (Niles et al, 2001).

A study by Saunders, Kane & Todd (2004) looked at the effects of a carbohydrate protein drink on cycling endurance and also looked into muscle damage. The main aim of the study was to see if cycling endurance performance changed and post exercise muscle damage changed when the carbohydrate protein drink was ingested in comparison to a carbohydrate only drink. The results showed that with the first ride at 75% of V02 peak, the participants rode for 29% longer with the carbohydrate with protein drink than the carbohydrate drink. In the second ride, at 85% V02 peak, the participants rode for 40% longer with the carbohydrate protein drink; to add to these findings, the level of muscle damage was 83% lower with the carbohydrate protein drink.

To support the above, Niles et al (2001) looked at the effects of a carbohydrate with protein drink improving time to exhaustion after recovery from exercise. With the ingestion of a carbohydrate protein drink or a carbohydrate only drink, the overall results showed that the carbohydrate protein drink gave higher insulin levels within 90 minutes into the recovery period and time to exhaustion was also longer in comparison to the carbohydrate only drink.

A very important study by Karp et al (2006) looked at the effects of chocolate milk as a post exercise recovery aid. By using 9 male endurance trained cyclists, the study compared chocolate milk, a fluid replacement drink and a carbohydrate replacement drink. The participants went through a glycogen depletion trial followed by a 4 hour recovery ending on an endurance trial. The results showed that the time to exhaustion and total work performed during the endurance performance trial were greater with the chocolate milk (15 minutes greater) and the fluid replacement (16 minutes greater) trials than the carbohydrate trial. The participants rode 49% and 54% longer with the ingestion of chocolate milk and fluid replacement trials despite the carbohydrate content in the drinks.

 

To add to the concept of using milk as a recovery aid, there has been new and limited research done on the possible benefits of using soy milk; although research is still limited in terms of the use of soy milk in endurance exercise, research has shown some interesting results with resistance exercise. Pasquale (2008) expressed that soy protein has the protein quality of 1.00 meaning that that it is equal in the quality of protein that it exists in other diary and egg proteins. To add to this point, Paul (2005) also stated that soy protein contains 2 high performance amino acids; Arginine and Glutamine which have a vital role in muscle recovery.

Bos et al (2003) cited by Roy (2008) looked at the increase in protein net balance and muscle protein synthesis which was defined by the consumption of 500ml of fat free milk compared to an soy protein beverage. The findings were that the soy based beverage was digested more quickly which led to an increase in blood concentrations of amino acids carrying it to plasma protein and urea synthesis. The rise in blood amino acids in the fat free milk however, was a lot slower and continued rising for a longer time providing more amino acids for muscle protein synthesis, but however, Bos et al (2003) used resistance exercise, not endurance exercise.

The proposed study has extracted the methology from Karp et als study (2006) using chocolate milk as a post recovery aid. With each participant undergoing a V02 max test with a gas analyzer to determine an individual’s maximum oxygen consumption and maximum power output.
Test bike
The participants will also do a glycogen depletion trial starting from 90% maximum power output riding for 2 minutes and then 2 minutes onto 50% recovery; this will be carried out onto a lode bike; the intensities would decrease by 10% every time the participant s can no longer keep up with their cadence. This is then followed by a 4 hour recovery where 355ml of a drink would be administered straight after the glycogen depletion trial and also another 355ml 2 hours into the recovery stage. The last section of the test is the endurance trial where participants have to ride as long as they can at 70% of their maximum power output. Blood lactate measurements will be taken before and after the glycogen depletion trial, 2 hours into recovery and before and after the endurance trial and analysed; body hydration status will be taken before and after both exercise trials using the bio electrical impedance equipment.

References
1.Carlson, A. (2008) Protein Nutrition for Peak Performance, Peak
Performance, P2P Publishing, pp65 ”“ 74.

2.Ivy, J & Portman, R. (2004) Nutrient timing: The future of Sports Nutrition,
Ed:Illustrated, Basic Health Publications.

3.Karp, R.J, Johnston, D.J, Tecklenburg. S, Mickleborough, D. T, Fly, D. A, &
Stager, M.J (2006) Chocolate milk as a post-exercise recovery aid. Journal
of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, (16), pp. 78-91.

4.Niles, S.E, Lachowetz, T, Garfi, J, Sullivan, W, Smith, C,J, Leyh, P.B &
Headley, A.S. (2001) Carbohydrate-protein drink improves time to exhaustion
after recovery from endurance exercise. Journal of Exercise Physiology, 4
(1)pp. 46 ”“ 52.

5.Pasquale, D.G.M. (2008) Amino acids and proteins for the athlete The
Anabolic Edge, 2nd Ed. CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group.

6.Paul, G.L. (2005) Soy protein and Performance Nutrition New Evidence ”“
New Opportunities. The Solae Company Nutrition Brief, pp. 1-8.

7.Roy, D.B (2008) Benefits of milk consumption with resistance and endurance
sports. Director, Centre for Muscle Metabolism and Biophysics, Faculty
of Applied Health Sciences. Brock University, St. Catharines, ON. CANADA.

8.Saunders, J.M, Kane, D.M & Todd, M.K. (2004) Effects of a carbohydrate ”“
protein beverage on cycling endurance and muscle damage. Medicine &
Science in Sports & Exercise, 36 (7), pp 1233 -1238

9.Williams, M.B, Raven, B.P, Fogt, L.D & Ivy, L.J (2003) Effects of recovery
beverages on glycogen restoration and endurance exercise performance.
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 17 (1), pp. 12 ”“ 19.

VO2 Max Booster Program ”“ Intervals Targeted For VO2 Max

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Welcome to the 2nd day of the VO2 Max Booster Program. Yesterday I told you to perform a 1hour workout including a VO2 max test. 

Doing a physical test at the beginning of a new training program is a great way to get a picture of your current physical status. When you use physical tests to track your progress, it is important to do tests that are relevant for the physical parameters you want to improve. So in our situation we would like to do a test that will give an estimate of what we can perform at intensities around VO2 max.

Day 2 is the first real step in the VO2 Max Booster Program, the part that makes this training program outstanding and helps you to increase your VO2 max in only 14 days.

Day 2 ”“ Intervals targeted for VO2 max

Today we will start with the real part of the VO2 Max Booster Program, the part that makes this training program outstanding and helps you to increase your VO2 max in only 14 days.

One of the secrets behind this program is time effective focused interval training. Working with higher intensity means you need less time toi achieve similar results. Also it is worth remembering that well trained cyclists need training close to their VO2max to continue improvements of this important physiological parameter.

Day 2
Total time: 1hr training
20min incremental warm up
10 x (30+30sec) 100 / 50% VO2 Max
30min Easy/medium rolling

This workout is an appetizer for what you wil meet in the next two weeks. Keep up the good work!

Next step: Day 3 – Reduce Training Volume (Did you miss Day1?)

More Lessons To Be Learned From Runners

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I have previously described what cyclists can learn from marathon runners. Effective use of training planning, goal setting and tapering protocols make marathon runners look more serious in my eyes than many road cyclists. There are more lessons that cyclists have to learn from runners so keep reading!

In my recent posts about VO2 max training, I have written about how well trained athletes can benefit from difficult VO2 max workouts. If you haven’t read the arguments yet, have a look at why VO2 max is crucial in road cycling.

Runners train less, but have comparable high VO2 max
The best runners and cyclists are some of the athletes with the absolutely highest VO2 max. Thus, you would expect them to have equally high training amounts, but for different reasons that is not the case.

Runners train significantly less hours per week than cyclists. I guess that professional runners spend less than half the time training compared to professional cyclists competing at a similar level.

I would like to emphasize that both runners and cyclists train very hard and push their bodies to the limit of what they are capable of. Bottom line, though, is that runners train significantly less but still manage to perform VO2 max results similar to cyclists. Thus, runners training is more time effective and that is quite interesting.

What are the secrets we can learn from these time effective runners?
It is well accepted among scientists that well trained athletes need training intensity close to their VO2 max to secure further progress. That will say an intensity from 80% up to 100%. Most runners do quite a large amount of intervals, speed sessions or races at this high intensity. It should be clear to everyone that these high intensity workouts compensate for many hours of long slow distance training (Read more about LSD Training). I guess it is also obvious that runners train with a relatively higher intensity than cyclists on average.

I believe cyclists like runners can achieve the great results with less training if they spend more time on intervals and speed sessions close to their VO2 max.