Careful planning and periods of low intensity may keep an athlete from burning out while training for competition.

Athlete Burnout

Excessive training and a schedule that is simply too full can lead to burnout, to put it in simple terms. An athlete who is engaged in training for a major meet or has a daily schedule of cycling training while preparing for competition must, of course, be very focused. In fact, it is essential that this athlete have training goals at the top of his or her priority list.

However, the athlete that has not other interests or who does not allow time for relaxation is flirting with danger. The spectre of mental or physical breakdown is always there when the schedule pushes beyond reasonable limits.

If this period of overtraining continues the chances increase for the athlete to begin to lose his or her motivation for training. Even if the training methods are innovative and enjoyable at first, the repetition can make training seem stale and, in the athletes mind, unnecessary. Several experts and experienced professionals have considered this phenomena in books and videos that deal with training for competition.

Results Suffer

When boredom or dread becomes part of the mindset during an intense training period, the results will not be what they could be. Athletes even get the feeling of being let down, when they begin to blame other people or factors for their training failures or their poor race results. This is an area that needs to be watched very closely, according to the top running and cycling training professionals.

Those with experience in the field watch for such symptoms as continued fatigue, unusual levels of pain in the muscles, inability to sleep as competition approaches and mood changes. Any of these could be an indication of too much training that is leading to burnout. Talking with an athlete during the later stages of training for a major competition may uncover a general feeling of concern that seems to have no basis in injury or training results.

What Can The Athlete Do?

Any program of exercise or training should start slowly and increase in moderate steps. Training schedules should be upgraded gradually so that the athlete does not get burned out. A good training program will include only necessary repetition. While repeating actions is essential for athletic success, there is usually a point at which results actually suffer, rather than improve, because of repetition. Alternating short periods of intense work with times of low physical and mental stress may even bring back some of the enthusiasm for training in an athlete that is approaching the trouble zone.

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