Chapter 21: Burnout and Overtraining

21

Burnout Burnout and Overtrainingand Overtraining

C H A P T E R

Session Outline

• Prevalence of burnout and overtraining

• Defining periodized training, overtraining, staleness, and burnout

• Frequency of overtraining and staleness

• Models of burnout

• Factors leading to burnout

(continued)

Session Outline (continued)

• Symptoms of overtraining and burnout

• Measuring burnout

• Burnout in sport professionals

• Treating and preventing burnout

Prevalence of Burnout and Overtraining

• As the pressure to win increases, athletes and coaches spend more time training and feel more stress—which sometimes leads to overtraining and burnout.

Periodized Versus Overtraining

• 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)

• Overtraining: A short cycle of training during which athletes expose themselves to excessive training loads that are near maximum capacity

Overtraining Keys

• One athlete’s overtraining might be another athlete’s optimal training regimen.

• The process of overtraining can result in positive adaptation and improved performance (positive overtraining) or maladaptation and decreased performance (negative overtraining).

Figure 21.1

Staleness Versus Burnout• Staleness: The physiological state of overtraining

in which the athlete has difficulty maintaining standard training regimens and can no longer achieve previous performance results

• 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

Characteristics of Burnout• Exhaustion, both physical and emotional, in

the form of lost concern, energy, interest, and trust

• Depersonalization—acting impersonal and unfeeling—in large part due to mental and physical exhaustion

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

Frequency of Overtraining and Staleness

• 66% of Atlantic Coast Conference athletes experienced some overtraining, 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.

(continued)

Frequency of Overtraining and Staleness (continued)

• 30% of subelite runners reported 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 staleness—both individual-sport athletes (48%) and team-sport athletes (30%).

Models of Burnout

• Cognitive–affective stress model

• Negative-training stress response model

• Unidimensional identity development and external control model

• Commitment and entrapment theory

• Self-determination theory

Figure 21.2

Negative-Training Stress Response Model (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 is desirable.• Negative adaptation is undesirable (leads to

overtraining, staleness, and burnout).

Unidimensional Identity Development and External Control Model

• For Coakley (1992) stress is involved in burnout, but it is only a symptom.

• The real causes of burnout deal with faulty identity development and external control of young athletes.

Unidimensional Model Burnout Causes

• The structure of sport prevents young athletes from spending enough time with peers outside of sport.

• This causes a sole focus on identifying with athletic success, which can be unhealthy, especially when failure or injury occurs.

• The social worlds of young athletes are organized in such a way that their control and decision making are inhibited.

Commitment and Entrapment Theory

• Burnout is explained within the context of sport commitment.

• Burnout occurs when athletes become entrapped in sport and feel they must play even though they lose motivation for participation.

Self-Determination Theory

• People have three basic psychological needs: Autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

• Those who do not have these basic needs met will be more prone to burnout.

Factors Leading to Burnout

• Athletes are starting to train at younger ages.

• Training in many sports is virtually year-round.

Causes of Burnout in Junior Tennis Players

• Physical concerns: Erratic play, injury, feeling tired

• Logistical concerns: Travel, time demands• Social or interpersonal concerns: Negative

parental influence, negative team atmosphere

• Psychological concerns: Inappropriate expectations, feeling a lack of improvement, coach and parental pressure

Strains in Junior Athletes

• Social–psychological strain– Perfectionistic player substrain

– Parental or coach pressure substrain

• Physically driven strain

Figure 21.3

Factors Related to Burnout in Athletes

• Several specific factors are linked to burnout, from conflicting demands to excessive training loads.

• See table 21.1 on p. 501 of text

Signs of Overtraining

• Apathy

• Lethargy

• Weight loss

• Mood changes

• See “Signs and Symptoms of Overtraining and Burnout” on p. 504 of text

Signs of Burnout

• Low motivation

• Lack of caring

• Lowered affect

• Anxiety

• See “Signs and Symptoms of Overtraining and Burnout” on p. 504 of text

Overtraining and Mood States

• Athletes experience increased mood disturbance under especially heavy training workloads.

• 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.

Overtraining and Performance

• Overtrained and stale athletes are at risk of developing mood disturbances.

• Mood disturbances can result in decreased performance levels and dropout.

• Therefore, more is not always better.

Measuring Burnout: The Maslach Burnout Inventory

• A reliable instrument for measuring burnout that has been adapted and modified for use in sport and exercise

• Maslach Burnout Inventory subscales– Emotional exhaustion

– Depersonalization

– Personal accomplishments

Factors Related to Burnout in Trainers and Officials

• Athletic trainers– Type A personality– Role conflict and ambiguity

• Officials– Making bad calls– Role conflict and ambiguity

Factors Related to Burnout in Coaches

• Pressure to win

• Administrator or parental interference or indifference

• Disciplinary problems

• Multiple roles

• Extensive travel

• Intense personal involvement(continued)

Factors Related to Burnout in Coaches (continued)

• 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).

(continued)

Factors Related to Burnout in Coaches (continued)

• 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.

Factors Related to Burnout in Sport and Fitness Professionals

• Pressure from coaches or parents

• Hard training

• Competition over a long period

Treating and Preventing Burnout

• Set short-term goals for competition and practice.

• Communicate your feelings to others.

• Take relaxation (time-out) breaks.

• Learn self-regulation skills (e.g., relaxation, imagery, goal setting, self-talk).

(continued)

Treating and Preventing Burnout (continued)

• Keep a positive outlook.

• Manage postcompetition emotions.

• Stay in good physical condition.

• Key: It’s not how hard you train, it’s how you recover.

(continued)

Treating and Preventing Burnout (continued)

Overload source Recovery strategyPhysical stressor Nutrition and hydration

Eat more carbohydrateStay hydrated

RestNo physical activityPassive restGet sufficient sleep

(continued)

Treating and Preventing Burnout (continued)

Overload source Recovery strategyPsychological or 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

Reducing Burnout in Junior Tennis: Advice for Players

• Play for your own reasons.

• Balance tennis and other things.

• Try to make it fun.

• Take time off and relax.

Reducing Burnout in Junior Tennis: 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.

• Take time off and relax.

Reducing Burnout in Junior Tennis Players: Advice for Coaches

• Have two-way communication with players.

• Cultivate personal involvement with players.

• Use player input.

• Understand players’ feelings.