SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT OF A RACER – PART 1
Bodily growth and repair occur only during rest or sleep, never during training. Successful development of an athlete is always a delicate balancing act between 3 variables:
- Progressive overload
- The correct raw materials (nutrients) to maintain and repair & build new tissue
- 3. Sufficient rest & sleep to permit the repair and new growth to take place
The main purpose/focus of training is to create a fitter, healthier athlete that consistently adapts to the stress of training workloads. The combination of food (quantities and quality) along with hours of sleep are instrumental for you to reach your full potential as an athlete.
In fact, a study outlined in Dr. Colgan’s book: Optimum Sports Nutrition, discussed the evidence associated with athletes who don’t get a minimum of 8 hours of sleep, were the first to succumb to symptoms associated with overtraining syndrome.
There is no way you can “push through” fatigue and the associated symptoms. In fact, most athletes fall into the overtraining syndrome by trying to break a performance plateau and unfortunately set themselves back further from both a performance and overall health perspective. Keep in mind, you can’t beat overtraining with more work due to the fact that by the time it becomes noticeable, your body is already under excessive levels of stress trying to adapt.
Additionally, studies have shown that the neuroendocrine system becomes exhausted, altering hormone levels so that obtaining optimal performance levels become impossible. This performance limitation can manifest itself in the form of adrenal gland fatigue, suppressed immunity, tendon and muscle tears.
As you can see by several studies, attempting to ignore your body’s need for quality food and sleep is going to ultimately result in a body that is less than optimal and can even be considered “weak”. As we have discuss numerous times, you are only as strong as your weakest link, so pay close attention to the details so that you not only feel better, but also perform better.
Next month, we will discuss how to recognize overtraining symptoms.
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