Monitoring rowers to determine under-performance

Jürgen Michael Steinacker,Marion Schneider,Mahdi Sareban,Uwe Schumann,Martina Zügel,Hohmann Harald,Katja Machus,Gunnar Treff

doi:10.1186/2052-1847-7-s1-o15

Jürgen Michael Steinacker, Marion Schneider + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/2052-1847-7-s1-o15

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Abstract

Over the past few years, training load and performance in competition has continuously increased and is fraught with risk to result in the accumulation of fatiguing conditions. The coach determines training success by controlling boat speed, performance, power and soft parameters like stability of rowing technique, capacity to teamwork, and mood state. However, in team sports like rowing, monitoring of individual rowers fatigue to optimize regeneration is difficult. While training should voluntarily cause acute fatigue, the accumulation of training leads to more severe fatigue, which is called “overreaching”. When fatigue is more prolonged and recovery is impaired, the condition is defined as “non-functional overreaching” ending in a primarily unexplained, long-term, and unplanned decreasing performance, a condition defined as “Unexplained Underperformance Syndrome” (UUPS) or “overtraining syndrome” (OTS). Good standards and appropriate markers for diagnosis and treatment are currently lacking.

Highlights

Over the past few years, training load and performance in competition has continuously increased and is fraught with risk to result in the accumulation of fatiguing conditions
Clinical signs of Unexplained Underperformance Syndrome” (UUPS) / overtraining syndrome” (OTS) Athletes present with the key symptoms of prolonged underperformance and/or reduced trainability or disturbed regeneration following a period of heavy training load
Carbohydrate metabolism is involved with insulin resistance and increased catabolic hormones like cortisol

Summary

Introduction

Over the past few years, training load and performance in competition has continuously increased and is fraught with risk to result in the accumulation of fatiguing conditions. Clinical signs of UUPS / OTS Athletes present with the key symptoms of prolonged underperformance and/or reduced trainability or disturbed regeneration following a period of heavy training load. Lethargy, exhaustion, sleep disturbances, and increased susceptibility to infections are present; athletes experience increased levels of perceived stress, decreased levels of regeneration and burnout. Physical signs include muscle pain, non-specific irritation of the mucous membranes, increased heart rate at rest and during a given workload, performance, and maximum oxygen uptake and maximum lactate levels are decreased.

Results

Conclusion