The importance of knowing when an athlete has reached load limit

One of the greatest challenges faced by an athlete and coach is not necessarily among those they face on the sports field. Probably the biggest obstacle they have to overcome is ensuring the athlete is in the best possible condition to compete at the maximum level when it matters most. Getting the preparation right is the key to success and one of the most important factors is not falling into the trap of over-training. This is an issue that has been at the forefront of sport as the demands to be that bit stronger, run that bit faster or jump that bit higher are increasing all the time. In these circumstances, it is essential for an athlete to push themselves to the limit in training – but the key is knowing when you have reached the limit. This can often be the most difficult part of the process. Going just that little bit too far can undo much of the good work and bring on factors that are detrimental to an athlete’s performance. Factors such as physical fatigue, mental fatigue, muscle soreness, irritability and loss of appetite are common symptoms of over-training that can significantly affect performance, while one of the biggest and perhaps most disruptive consequences is that it can lead to injury and illness.

How much is too much?

As a consequence, it is vital for athletes and coaches to know when load in sport becomes too much, and this topic has been covered in detail in a very interesting article published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

How much is too much? (Part 1) International Olympic Committee consensus statement on load in sport and risk of injury is the result of the International Olympic Committee convening an expert group to examine the issues. The report is tasked with reviewing

the scientific evidence for the relationship of load (defined broadly to include rapid changes in training and competition load, competition calendar congestion, psychological load and travel) and health outcomes in sport

and its findings are certainly of interest to those involved in sport. The authors agreed on a broad definition of ‘load’ as

the sport and non-sport burden (single or multiple physiological, psychological or mechanical stressors) as a stimulus that is applied to a human biological system (including subcellular elements, a single cell, tissues, one or multiple organ systems, or the individual. Load can be applied to the individual human biological system over varying time periods (seconds, minutes, hours to days, weeks, months and years) and with varying magnitude (ie, duration, frequency and intensity)

Load management is a risk factor

The report recognizes the evolution of sport from a leisurely or entertaining pursuit, to a professional industry where the demands on players are not just to succeed but to perform on a more regular basis in a more condensed calendar. The increased performance demands are coupled with the necessity to push hard in training and as a result, there is concern that this combination can result in poorly managed training loads. The report points out that

evidence has emerged that load management is a major risk factor for injury. Insufficient respect of the balance between loading and recovery can lead to prolonged fatigue and abnormal training responses (maladaptation), and an increased risk of injury and illness

The authors have come up with a number of recommendations to reduce the risk of injury through poor load management. They state that athletes respond significantly better to relatively small increases (and decreases), rather than larger fluctuations in loading, while pointing out that squad rotation will help manage load in cases where teams are asked to play with less than an week between games. They also point out that load should always be prescribed on an individual and flexible basis, while special attention should be given to load management in developing athletes, and also that variation in an athlete’s psychological stressors should also guide the prescription of training and/or competition loads. The report adds that coaches and support staff must schedule adequate recovery, particularly after intensive training periods, competitions and travel, including:-

• nutrition and hydration
• sleep and rest
• active rest
• relaxation strategies and
• emotional support

Also, sports governing bodies must consider the health of the athletes, and hence, the competition load when planning their event calendars.

Monitoring is key

The report concludes that

Regular athlete monitoring is fundamental to ensure appropriate and therapeutic levels of external and internal loads and thus to maximise performance and minimise the risk of injury

and this is a point also highlighted by Tim J Gabbett in The training-injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder.

Benefits of monitoring

Gabbett summarizes his findings by revealing that appropriate training loads will assist in improving levels of fitness, and as a consequence will provide protection against injury. The benefits of this are that increased physical condition will improve individual performance and in team sports, ensure a higher proportion of players available every week. He continues to point out that the benefits of monitoring in the future will allow practitioners to determine if athletes are in a state of ‘fitness’ or ‘fatigue’, and also allows them to develop individual training programmes to athletes. To sum up his views on this crucial area of athlete preparation, Gabbett states

Excessive and rapid increases in training loads are likely responsible for a large proportion of non-contact, soft-tissue injuries. However, physically hard (and appropriate) training develops physical qualities, which in turn protects against injuries. This paper highlights the importance of monitoring training load, including the load that athletes are prepared for (by calculating the acute:chronic workload ratio), as a best practice approach to the long-term reduction of training-related injuries

Monitoring with Metrifit

Keeping track of an athlete’s routine not only in terms of training, but also nutrition and sleep along with overall well-being is a facility offered by Metrift and one that has been highly successful when implemented in High Schools and Colleges throughout the United States, and with sports teams right across the globe.

Metrifit is an athlete monitoring system that gathers subjective and objective information from both coaches and athletes to drive behavior modification and improvement through insights modeled on descriptive and predictive analytics. It sounds complicated but Metrifit prides itself on its simple intuitive interface and advocates a simple effective approach that doesn’t overwhelm the athlete or the coaching/staff member. It has received high praise for its intuitive interface and it allows monitoring to be scaled for all levels of athletes and teams. Recent research by Anna Saw (Deakin University, Australia) has shown that use of Metrifit is associated with increased athlete sporting self-confidence
Metrifit provides a perfect platform for athlete monitoring and development and collects data over multiple modules ensuring that all aspects of the athlete are taken into consideration. Our ethos is ‘simple but effective’ and our suite of products are parameter driven and easily customizable and configurable for different clients as required. Metrifit is ‘athlete-centric’ helping to develop self-awareness, encourage creative thinking and emotional intelligence as well as developing ownership and responsibility within the athlete for their own success.

To find out more information please visit Metrifit Overview or contact us at

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References

How much is too much? (Part 1) International Olympic Committee consensus statement on load in sport and risk of injury
New study highlights benefits of monitoring | Metrifit
Relationship between training load and injury in professional rugby league players | Gabbett TJ, Jenkins DG
Symtoms of Overtraining | Metrifit
The training-injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder? Tim J Gabbett