Edward Maya

Leslie Drake
March 28, 2016
Does Overtraining Syndrome exist?
Abstract
This bibliographic essay can be used to gather information to comprehend how
overtraining can affect an athlete. Overtraining has been occurring with athletes for many years
but the past few years it has received a lot of attention from many people including athletes,
coaches, physical trainers, and those that are involved in sports. Athletes everyday are training as
much as three times a day in order to improve, it is vital that athletes understand the effects that
overtraining can have in their performance and development. More specifically, athletes should
be aware how overtraining can affect their health, which is most important. This paper includes
articles that not only explain the impact that overtraining has on athletes but also sources that:
explain the causes of overtraining, effects of overtraining, theories to why overtraining occurs,
and finally sources that explain situations in which overtraining occurs with an athlete. The essay
includes multiple types of sources including academic journals, periodicals, and examples from a
book. All of the sources included in the essay are discussed and are then referenced at the end of
the essay for future access. The sources look to inform the readers about overtraining and how it
can be detrimental to an athletes life and how to prevent it. Sources contain scholarly
information and the writing is formal so the reader will need some sort of Exercise Science
knowledge in order to understand the information.
Introduction
Overtraining Syndrome is a state of prolonged fatigue in an athlete caused primarily by
excessive training and characterized by static or decrements in performance despite continued

training. Overtraining is considered to be a general stress response to high volume, high intensity
training with not enough rest between training sessions. With the increase of competition in
sports, athletes have been training more than the norm but have neglected rest which is
sometimes more important than training. In the article Crash and Burnout (Reynolds,
Gretchen, 2008) the authors give examples of how it can occur and people that have been
diagnosed with it. To show that not only do recreational athletes can get diagnosed with
Overtraining, an example of a professional athlete that was diagnosed with overtraining
syndrome was Whitney Myers, a world class swimmer attending the University of Arizona. After
having an extraordinary performance in 2006, the following year the athlete floundered badly at
the 2007 long course championships due to excess of training and lack of rest. This article is not
peer reviewed and the audience is general. The authors credentials are that she is a writer for the
New York Times.
Controversy involving Overtraining
With the increasing participation in youth sports, young athletes strive to achieve higher
performances through improving their health and fitness, with resistance training used to
improve the athletes performance. Due to this, the concern of about the possible harmful effects
of intensive training in young athletes has increased. In the article Controversies about intensive
training in young athletes (Maffuli N. & Helms, P., 1988), the authors talk about the physical,
physiological, injuries, and psychological effects that overtraining can have. This article is
targeting the scholarly audience. The author explains that the effects of training are difficult to
separate from those of normal puberty. The author in this article focuses mainly in athletes that
are teenagers undergoing puberty. Most studies have concluded that a certain amount of physical
activity is required for growth, but fails to identify what the minimum is and what are the

disadvantages of intensive training. Injuries are likely to occur due to the presence of growth
cartilage and the process of growth itself. Those injuries will most likely occur on the bones and
joints of the young athlete. In the psychological aspect, the most serious concerns involve stress
and anxiety due to competition and the pressure that is put on the young athletes to perform well
by their parents.
On the other hand, in the article Trainability of young athletes and overtraining (Matos,
Nuno and Winsley, J. Richard, 2007), the authors talk about strength trainability during a young
age. This article is targeting the scholarly audience and it is peer reviewed. The authors state that
The development of muscle strength through resistance training in children is still the subject of
some debate and criticism (Page 1). The authors describe how strength training for children is
beneficial and provide proof with studies. When it comes to overtraining in young athletes, it is
said in the article that very few investigations have been directed to young athletes and therefore,
it is not known if the same symptoms that occur when over exertion is present with adults will be
present with the children.
Theories about Overtraining
The aim of training is to increase and to improve physical performance. Whenever there
is an excess of training occurring and along with it an inadequate recovery time there is always
consequences. The consequences are known as Overtraining. In the article, Overtraining:
theories, diagnosis and markers (Cunha, dos Santos Giovani; Ribeiro, Luiz Jerri; and Oliveira,
Alvaro Reischak, 2006), the authors talk about theories being researched about Overtraining. The
article is written in formal language and it is targeting the scholarly audience. It has been argued
that a neuroendocrine imbalance is one of the main reasons of Overtraining. Another theory is
brought by Newsholme. He proposes the glutamine theory, which in response to the decrease of

the immune responses and associated with an increase of infections rate presented during
Overtraining, the glutamine suffers a decrease in its blood indices. Another theory that is
provided in this article is the glycogen hypothesis. It was suggested due to that many athletes are
not able to keep a sufficient caloric intake. This could result in a decrease of muscular glycogen
and be partly responsible for the fatigue and decrease of performance. Another theory was
provided by Foster and Lehman, which says that Overtraining can be caused by repetitive
trainings in which there is no variations in the training session.
Causes of Overtraining
In the article Overtraining (Laurel Traeger Mackinnon, 1991), the authors state some
causes of Overtraining. The article is written in a formal language and it is targeting the scholarly
audience. The article is peer reviewed. The three symptoms that have been stated in this source
involves recovery, high intensity training, and training loads. Lack of recovery from training
sessions is a big cause of Overtraining. Excessive amounts of high intensity training is also a
cause. Sudden increases in training loads can affect the athletes body. Since some athletes
experience Overtraining, even with a decent training plan, it has been concluded that stressors
can also cause Overtraining. Some of these stressors involve inadequate nutrition, insufficient
sleep and rest, anxiety of life events, mental conflicts and many more.
Symptoms
Overtraining has many signs and symptoms that have been discovered and they are easily
recognizable. In the article Overreaching/Overtraining: More is not Always Better (Roy, Brad
A., 2015), the author gives examples of symptoms and these includes: Persistent heavy, stiff, and
sore muscles, Persistent fatigue, washed-out feeling, Decreased performance and ability to

maintain the training regimen, Increased susceptibility to infections, colds, headaches, Nagging
and somewhat chronic injuries, and the most recognizable symptom is depression. This article is
written in a formal language and it is targeting the scholarly audience.
In the article A Review of Overtraining Syndrome- Recognizing the Signs and
Symptoms (Johnson, Mary Black, Thiese, Steven M., 1992), the author provides signs and
symptoms that differ from the previous article. The article is written in formal and is targeting
the scholarly audience. The first symptom provided was an increase in the circulatory system of
the athlete. This means an increase of resting heart rate and also an abnormal change in blood
pressure. The second sign provided by this article is unexplained weight loss. The third symptom
is excessive thirst. The athlete may feel dehydrated and may also have a lack of perspiration
during practice since the body is trying to maintain fluid balance by retaining fluids. The next
symptom provided is an alteration in sleeping patterns. Disruption of normal sleep patterns, such
as time to bed and the amount and quality of sleep, alters the ability of the body to adapt to the
stress of training. The final symptom provided by this article is a psychological discomfort. A
change in the athletes mood or approach to his/her sport may be a signal of staleness.
In the article Fatigue and underperformance in athletes: the overtraining syndrome
(Budgett, Richard, 1998), the authors state that the main complaint is of underperformance. The
audience is scholarly and it is peer reviewed. The authors state that athletes will often ignore
fatigue, heavy muscles, and depression until performance stars dropping. There may be also a
loss of appetite, loss of competitive drive and libido, and increased emotional ability, anxiety,
and irritability. Reported signs are often caused by associated illness and are inconsistent and
generally unhelpful in making the diagnosis.

In the article Overtraining, Exercise, and Adrenal Insufficiency (Brooks, KA and

Carter, JG, 2013), the authors discuss Adrenal insufficiency, symptoms and how it can cause
Overtraining. This articles language is formal and the audience is scholarly. It is also peer
reviewed. Some symptoms that were discussed in this article include Irritability, depression,
muscle spasms, loss of appetite, increased pigmentation of the skin, allergies, and Hypoglycemia.
Treatment and Prevention
In the article Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the overtraining syndrome: Joint
consensus statement of the European College of Sport Science (ECSS) and the American College
of Sports Medicine (Meeusen, R., 2013), the authors talk about ways to treat Overtraining and
they include many ways. The article is targeting the scholarly audience and is peer reviewed. The
first two the authors talk about in the article are Biochemistry and hormones. In the biochemistry
testing the author states that they are going to increase levels of Creatine Kinase. The other
treatments include performance testing, psychology, physiology, and immune system. In the
article Overtraining Syndrome and Athletes (Quinn, Elizabeth, 2015), the author discusses
ways to treat and prevent overtraining. This articles language is casual and the audience is
general. The author mentions to hydrate, get a sports massage, begin cross training, and rest and
recovery in order to treat Overtraining Syndrome. To prevent Overtraining, the author mentions
to schedule a significant rest time in the athletes agenda.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Overtraining is a topic that is always overlooked due to that many fitness
specialists do not believe that exists. On the other hand, those that are more into the science of
fitness they are sure that Overtraining exists due to past occasions. Overtraining, if diagnosed

with, can be really dangerous to the athletes health according to many scientists. Other fitness
professionals believe that it is just a little bit of fatigue. Even if Overtraining does or does not
exist, athletes should be aware of their training schedule and make sure to not overwhelm
themselves.

References

1. Brooks, KA and Carter, JG. Overtraining, Exercise, and Adrenal Insufficiency.

National Institutes of Health. Pg. 1-10. February 16, 2013.
2. Quinn, Elizabeth. Overtraining Syndrome and Athletes. About health. November 10,
2015.
3. Meeusen, R. Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the overtraining syndrome: Joint
consesnsus statement of the European College of Sport Science (ECSS) and the American
College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). European Journal of Sport Science. 17 July 2012.
1-24. Print.
4. Budgett, Richard. Fatigue and underperformance in athletes: the overtraining
syndrome. Br f Sports Med. 10 March 1998. 107-110. Print.
5. Matos, Nuno, and Winsley, Richard J. Trainability of young athletes and overtraining.
Journal of Sports and Medicine. (2007). Version 6. Pg. 353-367. July 18, 2007.
6. Helms, P and Maffulli, N. Controversies about intensive training in young athletes
Archives of Disease in Childhood. (1988) Version 63. Pg. 1405-1407.
7. Reynolds, Gretchen. Crash and Burnout. The New York Times. March 2, 2008.
8. Hooper, Sue and Mackinnon, Laurel Traeger. Overtraining. State Of The Art Review.
No. 26. February 1991.
9. Johnson, Mary Black and Thiese, Steven M. A Review of Overtraining SyndromeRecognizing the Signs and Symptoms. Journal of Athletic Training. (1992). Vol.27.
No.4.
10. Cunha, Giovani dos Santos; Oliveira, Alvaro Reischak de; and Ribeiro, Jerri Luiz.
Overtraining: theories, diagnosis and markers. Rev Bras Med Esporte. (2006). Vol.12.
No.5. June 15, 2006.
11. Roy, Brad A. Overreaching/Overtraining: More is Not Always Better. ACSM Health
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