The world’s only “athletic illness” remains poorly understood.

Written by: Matt Fitzgerald

Overtraining, or overtraining syndrome (OTS), is generally characterized as an unexpected decline in performance that is not caused by an organic factor such as anemia. because the exact causes of OTS are unknown, some experts prefer the term unexplained underperformance syndrome.

The universal symptoms of OTS are performance decline and persistent fatigue. these are present in every case. There is a long list of other symptoms that are present in many but not all cases. these include depression, irritability, loss of motivation, insomnia, and changes in resting heart rate. because there is no single symptom that can be used to make a definitive diagnosis of OTS, it is notoriously difficult to diagnose.

The primary cause of OTS is excessive training over a long period of time combined with inadequate rest. however, this does not appear to be the sole cause, which is another reason some experts prefer the term unexplained underperformance syndrome. The various symptoms of overtraining are understood to represent a maladaptation to the stress of training. because all sources of stress, whether physiologic or psychological, are processed by the body in similar ways, sources of stress outside of training (e.g. job stress) can combine with training to create a total “allostatic load” that results in overtraining symptoms.

Overtraining vs. Overreaching

Experts distinguish functional overreaching from nonfunctional overreaching and overtraining. Functional overreaching is an essentially asymptomatic state where an athlete is exposed to a training load that would result in fatigue and performance decline if maintained too long. Overreaching is widely considered necessary to the attainment of peak fitness. If not carefully managed, however, functional overreaching can become nonfunctional overreaching, which is a state of fatigue and stagnating performance that is quickly reversed with rest.

Overtraining is a state of severe fatigue and performance decline that is not quickly reversed with rest. OTS is seen almost exclusively in elite athletes, as only these athletes are capable of sustaining excessive training loads long enough to develop the syndrome. Amateur athletes are far more likely to get injured or experience burnout before they ever get beyond the nonfunctional overreaching stage.

What does this mean, exactly? it means that the hormonal and neurological changes that occur in overtrained athletes do not directly impair their ability to perform. Instead, they perform poorly either because these changes make exercise feel more difficult (overtrained athletes always report increased perceived exertion at familiar exercise intensities) or because of a loss of motivation (overtrained athletes almost always report reduced motivation to exercise) or both.

Overtraining is very easy to prevent in theory, because its onset is typically gradual. Athletes in heavy training need only monitor their performance, fatigue level, and mood consistently and take measures that include but are not necessarily limited to “relative rest” (i.e. cutting back on training without stopping cold) when warning signs appear. because competitive athletes are often resistant to making unplanned reductions to their training workload, however, preventing it can be more difficult in practice than it is in theory. by far the most effective treatment for OTS is prolonged rest.

About the Author: Matt Fitzgerald is a senior editor at Competitor Group, with regular contributions to competitor.com, Triathlete, Inside Triathlon and Competitor. Matt has written 17 books, and counting, including Brain Training For Runners and Racing Weight.

ok so ive been feeling really easily agitated lately and lettign it make me angry, nearly cost me my relationship, all along ive been looking to go to a counceler for advice on how to deal with my anger because i thought that was my only problem until a few days ago my mum took me to a doctor because i had a stretch mark looking lesion on the front sode of my shaulder beside my left pec that kept growing to about 4 cm in length over about 5 weeks, i thort it was because of lifting weights i may have strained too much and tore something but the doctor said its a fat tissue tear under the skin from a HORMONE IMBALANCE wtf? im 19 my hormones should be at there peak, i chose not to belive her until i get a second opinion, about 20 mins ago i started researching on the net about possible symptoms of a hormone imbalance in men and the doc was right i have 12 of the side effects on plenty of websites i visited (not wikipedia) including depression, irritability and thats why ive been getting angry, gettign pissed off at every little thing anyone does, fatigue, mood swings, depression, hard to concentrate, headaches migraines almos everyday, body fat around my waist thats been getting bigger ( im a fitness instructor and a proper program and a diet excersising everyday but i seem to be putting on fat and ONLY on my waist and thats a symptom, fat on my waist) erectile disfunction, i never really thought about it but sometimes wen im with my gf i cant get it up and wen i do i cant orgasm until almost 30 mins, only once a month or so. so im convinced now i do have a deficiency,

so my question is will this be a big problem for me in the long run? what should i go about getting it treated?
thank you

Never consult a female doctor on issues such as this.
Women think they know all about how a male functions, because they have read the relevant texts, but they often get it wrong.
Find a male doc and ask him.
To me it seems you may be taking medication and that is the cause of your problems.

Give the steroids a break