By Tom Kaberna

It is the time of year again when the bigger indoor meets are coming up in our seasons.  At this point in time, your athletes have been training hard for almost two full months.  Between their training with you, outside activities/clubs, academics, and their social/family life, it has probably been a big change for some of them. 

This is also the time during the indoor season where your athletes are most susceptible to being over-trained.  It may or may not be of your doing, but rather, it may be from what is happening outside of your sport.  Take a close look at your training group and ask yourself if one or more of your athletes is not making the strides that you had hoped they would be by now.  Maybe the athlete hasn’t hit their personal best from last year.  If this is the case, and your athlete has been doing the things you have asked them to do, then maybe it is time to allow their bodies some recovery time.  

Here are some things I look for to see if one of my athletes is over-trained:

1.       Can’t make the changes you are asking when they could in the past.

2.       They look lethargic on and off the ground.  (Not bouncy anymore)

3.       Complain of fatigue or weakness in the weight room for more than a session or two in a row.

When the things above occur, the most important thing is to err on the side of caution and give your athletes rest.  Rest can take many forms according to different people.  If athletes are not getting enough sleep because of their academics or work schedules then giving them every other day off for a couple practices wouldn’t be a bad idea so they can get their homework done and go to bed early.  If they are getting enough rest but still are sluggish then not allowing them to do the high intensity days will refresh their central nervous system as well. 

Also, pulling an athlete from a meet before the big meet is a good idea as well because meets themselves are the hardest on an athlete’s central nervous system.  One thing I like to do is give more general strength and bodybuilding circuits for these kids as well as removing the higher intensity training like sprinting, plyos, and lifting hard in the weight room.  These types of circuits invoke a positive hormonal response that aides in recovery. 

Good luck to everyone at their big indoor meets this year.