June 1st, 2009
This spring I have spent the time in trying to understand and learn how to avoid overreaching, overtraining. This is the biggest opportunity that presents itself to me. Anybody who knows me well understands that I train consistently way over the red line. If there was a Doctor of Overtraining I would be one of the World’s foremost experts on how to get there. I must believe that it results don’t matter. The real winner is the guy who trains and suffers the most to get there.
Over the past few decades we have come to realize that monitoring elite athlete training and performance is very complicated. What seems simple at first becomes almost impossible in the real world. Where Athletes have real problems and unanticipated reactions to training, injuries and disease. One must remember that it is paramount to monitor all aspects of training and recovery in order to ultimately maximize results and eliminate wasted time, money and effort.Do not, I rewrite DO NOT try to monitor or have these tests run unless you under the care of a physician who is familiar and competent with drawing and interpreting the tests. Some of these test are drawn from the CSF and other hard to access places.
SHP(Serum Hammer Protein): This Heat Shock Protein is integral to great performance. It easily monitored but it is hard to increase and decrease by manipulating normal variables. Actually having a high value can lead to poor performance in a large cohort of athletes. As we know the ability to hammer away is an integral attribute in an Elite Athlete. It can cause poor ultimate results in mass start events when an athlete hammers too much at inopportune times.
PTL(Plasma Toast Level) SMTL(Striated Muscle Toast Level):This is by far the best index of Overtraining. Forget Testosterone, Cortisol, Endocrine and Autonomic Dysregulation. The toast levels will tell an Athlete, Coach, or Doctor. All they need to know about an athletes physical and mental state. By monitoring the Toast level Overtraining can be easily avoided. It is the earliest sign of impending doom.
SSS(Serial Stool Sampling) A very primitive but cheap way to monitor for overtraining, peaking and plateau state. This test consists of Athlete collecting small samples(2 each day) One they place on 2″square on large calender (stool smear) the other they label and keep for further testing. Then the practitioner and athlete monitor each day’s sample for change in color, consistency, undigested matter, smell etc. If needed the saved sample will be sent to the lab for further tests to evaluate gut function, nutritional status, and to ascertain whether the said individual is really overtrained, peaked, or plateaued or just full of FECES.
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Great summary of some of the cutting edge technology. In addition to what you mentioned, I want to add a few other tests that have recently been demonstrated by various prospective randomized controlled trials to be extremely useful in gauging Overtraining. 1. The PPI (Phlegm Production Index) is invaluable. It is kind of a pain because it involves deep nasal-pharyngeal swabbing between intervals, but if you can deal with it, it is worth it. 2. While not a lab test, I have found that CCTM (Continuous Core Temperature Monitoring) is probably a better training adjunct than lactate testing or even using a heart rate monitor. There are two ways to do this: either with a esophageal temperature probe, or with a rectal probe. Of the two, the rectal probe is more accurate because the values do not change when you suddenly take a drink. Plus the esophageal probe gives me a sore throat. Anyway, just like the gauge on your car, I can be cruising along and look at what my core temperature is doing and realize “good grief, I’m overheating!” so I can back down on my intensity. I don’t even wear a heart rate monitor anymore.
One last thing. While the tests that you mentioned are helpful, the results are sometimes heard to interpret. When I have had questions, I have found it extremely useful to show up at the local emergency department to have the ER doc interpret them for me. Sometimes I will wait until 3 am so I don’t have to wait as long in the waiting room.
June 3rd, 2009 at 7:55 am
A psychological analysis of Mr. Douglas’s impressive data mining methods would suggest that he has incorporated the “water boarding” technique on himself as an integral part of his ever evolving training regimine. What elese could have brought him out of his formerly perpetually delusional state ?…My question to Mr. Douglas is “Does the truth hurt or are you attempting to use reverse psychology on yourself” ?