Abstract
Optimal physical performance is achieved through the careful manipulation of training and recovery. Short-term increases in training demand can induce functional overreaching (FOR) that can lead to improved physical capabilities, whereas nonfunctional overreaching (NFOR) or the overtraining syndrome (OTS) occur when high training-demand is applied for extensive periods with limited recovery. To date, little is known about the OTS in strength sports, particularly from the perspective of the strength sport coach. Fourteen high-performance strength sport coaches from a range of strength sports (weightlifting; n = 5, powerlifting; n = 4, sprinting; n = 2, throws; n = 2, jumps; n = 1) participated in semistructured interviews (mean duration 57; SD = 10 min) to discuss their experiences of the OTS. Reflexive thematic analysis resulted in the identification of four higher order themes: definitions, symptoms, recovery and experiences and observations. Additional subthemes were created to facilitate organisation and presentation of data, and to aid both cohesiveness of reporting and publicising of results. Participants provided varied and sometimes dichotomous perceptions of the OTS and proposed a multifactorial profile of diagnostic symptoms. Prevalence of OTS within strength sports was considered low, with the majority of participants not observing or experiencing long-term reductions in performance with their athletes.
Highlights
In sports such as weightlifting and powerlifting, the goal is to successfully lift the largest mass within a weight class [1]
The aim of this study was to examine high-performance strength coaches’ experiences of OT/overtraining syndrome (OTS) and to provide a new way of understanding and conceptualising these concepts in strength sports. Results of this investigation provide important contextual evidence of training maladaptation from the perspective of the strength sport coach; an area of research not yet explored in this domain
Findings demonstrated that strength sport coaches typically revealed different experiences and understanding of OT/OTS and are unaware of expert consensus literature
Summary
In sports such as weightlifting and powerlifting, the goal is to successfully lift the largest mass within a weight class [1]. Sports that involve maximal effort throwing, jumping, and sprinting are determined by mass-specific force generation and impulsiveness [2]. Optimal performance in these sports is achieved using planned periods of strength training and recovery with the aim of inducing physiological adaptations that underpin performance [3]. This is typically achieved by strategically organising training load to achieve peak performance at key periods within the competition schedule [4]. This method has been referred to as functional overreaching (FOR) [10]
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