Burnout and Overtraining

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CHAPTER 21
Burnout and Overtraining
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Session Outline

• The Prevalence of Burnout and Overtraining

• Defining Periodized Training, Overtraining,
  Staleness, and Burnout

• Frequency of Overtraining and Staleness

• Models of Burnout

• Factors Leading to Athlete Burnout

(continued)
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Session Outline

• Symptoms of Overtraining and Burnout

• Measuring Burnout

• Burnout in Sport Professionals

• Treating and Preventing Burnout

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The Prevalence ofBurnout and Overtraining
As the pressure to win increases, athletes and
coaches spend more time training and feel more
stresswhich sometimes leads to overtraining and
burnout.
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Periodized Training
Periodized Training
The deliberate strategy of exposing athletes to
high-volume and high-intensity training loads
that are followed by a lower training load (a
rest or taper)
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Overtraining
Overtraining
A short cycle of training during which athletes
expose themselves to excessive training loads
that are near maximum capacity.
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Overtraining
KEYS

• One athletes overtraining might be another
  athletes optimal training regime.

• The process of overtraining can result in
  positive adaptation and improved performance
  (positive overtraining) or maladaption and
  decreased performance (negative over-training).

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The Overtraining Process
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Staleness
Staleness
The physiological state of overtraining in which
the athlete has difficulty maintaining standard
training regimes and can no longer achieve
previous performance results
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Burnout
Burnout
A psychophysiological response due to frequent
but generally ineffective efforts to meet
excessive demands, involving a psychological
emotional, and sometimes physical withdrawal from
an activity in response to excessive stress or
dissatisfaction
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Characteristics of Burnout

• Exhaustion, both physical and emotional, in the
  form of lost concern, energy, interest, and trust

• Depersonalizationacting impersonal and
  unfeelingin large part due to mental and
  physical exhaustion

• Feeling of low personal accomplishment, low
  self-esteem, failure, and depressionoften
  visible in low job productivity or a decreased
  performance level

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Frequency of Overtrainingand Staleness

• 66 of ACC athletes experience some
  over-training, on average twice a year.

• 72 of the athletes reported some staleness
  during their sport season.

• 60 to 64 of runners experience some staleness
  once a year.

• 30 of sub-elite runners reported staleness.

(continued)
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Frequency of Overtrainingand Staleness

• Of swimmers who reported staleness during their
  freshman year, 90 became stale in one or more
  subsequent seasons.

• Swedish athletes training at sport high schools
  experienced stalenessboth individual-sport
  athletes (48) and team-sport athletes (30).

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Models of Burnout
Cognitive-affective stress model
Negative-training stress response model
Unidimensional identity development and external
control model
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Cognitive-Affective Stress Modelof Burnout
(Smith, 1986)
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Negative-Training Stress ResponseModel (Silva,
1990)

• Focuses on physical training (but recognizes the
  importance of psychological factors).

• Physical training stresses the athlete physically
  and psychologically and can have positive and
  negative effects.

• Positive adaptation (normal overload) is
  desirable.

• Negative adaptation is undesirable (leads to
  overtraining, staleness, and burnout).

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Unidimensional Identity Developmentand External
Control Model(Coakley, 1992)
Stress is involved in burnout, but it is only a
symptom.
(continued)
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Unidimensional Identity Developmentand External
Control Model(Coakley, 1992)
The real causes of burnout (especially in young
athletes) are these
1. The structure of highly competitive sport
does not allow young athletes to spend enough
time with peers outside of sport. This causes
young athletes to focus solely on identifying
with athletic success, which can be unhealthy,
especially when failure or injury occurs.
(continued)
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Unidimensional Identity Developmentand External
Control Model(Coakley, 1992)
The real causes of burnout (especially in young
athletes) are these
2. The social worlds of young athletes are
organized in such a way that their control and
decision making are inhibited.
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Key Factors Leading toAthlete Burnout

• Athletes are starting to train at younger ages.

• Training in many sports is virtually year-round.

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Causes of Burnout inJunior Tennis Players

• Physical concernserratic play, injury, feeling
  tired

• Logistical concernstravel grind, time demands

• Social or interpersonal concernsnegative
  parental influence, negative team atmosphere

• Psychological concernsinappropriate
  expectations, feeling a lack of improvement,
  coach and parental pressure

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Strains in Junior Athletes

• Social-psychological strain

• Perfectionistic players, parental or coach
  pressure

• Physically driven strain

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Individual Differences in Burnout Causes
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Factors Related to Athlete Burnout
Several specific factors are linked to athlete
burnout, from conflicting demands to excessive
training loads
(See table 21.1 on p. 474 of text.)
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Signs of Overtraining

• Apathy

• Lethargy

• Weight loss

• Mood changes

(See table 21.2 on p. 477 of text.)
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Signs of Burnout

• Low motivation

• Lack of caring

• Lowered affect

• Anxiety

(See table 21.2 on p. 477 of text.)
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Overtraining and Mood States

• Athletes experience increased mood disturbance
  under especially heavy training workloads. The
  heavier the workload, the greater the mood
  disturbance.

• Successful athletes exhibit high levels of vigor
  and low levels of negative mood states, an
  optimal combination.

• Overtrained athletes show an inverted iceberg
  profile, with negative states pronounced.

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Overtraining and Performance

• Overtrained and stale athletes are at risk of
  developing mood disturbances, which can result in
  decreased performance levels and dropout. More is
  not always better.

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Measuring Burnout
The Maslach Burnout Inventory

• The Maslach Burnout Inventorya reliable
  instrument to measure burnout that has been
  adapted and modified for use in sport and exercise

• Maslach Burnout Inventory subscales

• Emotional exhaustion

• Depersonalization

• Personal accomplishments

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Factors Related to Burnoutin Trainers and
Officials
Athletic trainers

• Type A personality

• Role conflict and ambiguity

Officials

• Making bad calls

• Role conflict and ambiguity

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Factors Related to Burnout in Coaches
Coaches

• Pressure to win

• Administrator-parent interference or indifference

• Disciplinary problems

• Multiple roles

• Extensive travel

• Intense personal involvement

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Factors Related to Burnout in Coaches
Gender differences

• None have yet been established

Age and experience differences

• Younger coaches appear to have higher levels of
  burnout (partly because older coaches have
  already burned out).

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Factors Related to Burnout in Coaches
Coaching style

• Coaches who are more caring and people-oriented
  appear to be more vulnerable to burnout.

Social support

• Greater social support is associated with lower
  burnout.

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Factors Related to Burnoutin Sport Professionals
Fitness instructors, administrators, and physical
education teachers

• Pressure from coaches or parents

• Hard training

• Competition over a long period of time

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Treating and Preventing Burnout
1. Set short-term goals for competition and
practice.
2. Communicate your feelings to others.
3. Take relaxation (time-out) breaks.
4. Learn self-regulation skills (e.g.,
relaxation, imagery, goal setting, self-talk).
(continued)
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Treating and Preventing Burnout
5. Keep a positive outlook.
6. Manage postcompetition emotions.
7. Stay in good physical condition.
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Treating and Preventing Burnout
KEY
Its Not How Hard You Train, Its How You Recover.
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Treating and Preventing Burnout
OVERLOAD SOURCE RECOVERY STRATEGY
Physical stressor
Nutrition and hydration Eat more
carbohydrates Stay hydrated Rest No physical
activity Passive rest Get sufficient sleep
(continued)
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Treating and Preventing Burnout
OVERLOAD SOURCE RECOVERY STRATEGY
Psychological/social stressor
Relaxation and emotional support Flotation
tanks, massage sauna Time-out Progressive
muscle relaxation Visualization Minimize
nontraining stressors (e.g., limit work
hours) Thought management strategies
Dissociation (e.g., watch movies) Negative
thought replacement
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Reducing Burnout in Young Tennis Players
Advice for other players

• Play for your own reason.

• Balance tennis and other things.

• Try to make it fun.

• Take time off and relax.

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Reducing Burnout in Young Tennis Players
Advice for parents

• Recognize what is an optimal amount of pushing.

• Give support, show empathy, and reduce the
  importance of outcome.

• Involve players in decision making.

• Lessen involvement.

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Reducing Burnout in Young Tennis Players
Advice for coaches

• Have two-way communication with players.

• Cultivate personal involvement with players.

• Utilize player input.

• Understand players feelings.