This is from one of my favorite current swimming exprets, Brent Rushhall of San Diego State University.
www-rohan.sdsu.edu/.../table.htm
Parker, J. (1989). Wiping your swimmers out. Swimming Technique, May-July, 10-16.
The process of the destruction of muscle (rhabdomyolysis) is commonly found in runners, particularly after completing a marathon. There is little evidence that rhabdomyolysis causes performance decrement. Creatine kinase (CK) is an enzyme found in muscle cells which catalyzes the formation of phosphocreatine from creatine and ATP. It is not normally found in the blood in large quantities unless muscle cells have been damaged. Increased CK activity is a marker for excessive strain.
In one day, an elite swimmer burns more calories than a runner in a marathon. Since many swimmers train at least 3-5 hours a day six days per week, a great strain is placed on their bodies. Muscle degeneration could result from consistent exercise at elevated intensities. Muscle problems can exist with degeneration and inflammation occurring while discomfort is tolerable (low pain). Overuse injury syndrome is frequently seen in "swimmer's shoulder" (a pathology of the rotator cuff) and "breaststroker's knee" (injury to the medial colateral ligament and/or medial patellar facet due to the highly unusual action in the breaststroke kick). Possible other causes are protein and iron deficiencies, the oxidative capacity of muscle cells, and glycogen stores. Psychological conditions result in "burn-out."
Implication. The threat of overtraining can be reduced without it affecting the performance of the athlete. Yardage can be reduced and the training stimulus changed to interval work of greater quality and less volume.
". overtrained runners do not lose their conditioning, but they may demonstrate a deterioration in running form. . . .overtraining may cause some local muscular fatigue through selective glycogen depletion, forcing runners to alter their mechanics to achieve the same pace."(p. 198)
Lot more interesting stuff at:
www-rohan.sdsu.edu/.../table.htm
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Former Member
Here's the way I feel about overtraining, simplified. Overtraining is physical overburn, not psychological. Overtraining can occur on any single session from training too hard or too long - either too much for the "condition level" of the person or just too much work at the wrong time (the wrong time for any number of reasons). Overtraining also can occur at any time when the accumulated affects of physical activity become too much for the body to recover normally. When one overtrains, "everything" breaks down. The longer the period that contributed to the overtraining, the far longer the period required to get back to normal. The longer the intense period that lead to the overtraining, the more massive the breakdown can be. The older one becomes, the easier it is to overtrain. It's all about knowing (guessing really) how intense you can be and much time you need to recover. The indication of overtraining is first detectable more by loss of aerobic capacity than it is by muscle strength. Well, that's my highly unscientific view.
Note: I think you misunterstood to suggest that Zirconium said "weights [] help rhabdomyolysis". I agree with what Zirconium said.
Here's the way I feel about overtraining, simplified. Overtraining is physical overburn, not psychological. Overtraining can occur on any single session from training too hard or too long - either too much for the "condition level" of the person or just too much work at the wrong time (the wrong time for any number of reasons). Overtraining also can occur at any time when the accumulated affects of physical activity become too much for the body to recover normally. When one overtrains, "everything" breaks down. The longer the period that contributed to the overtraining, the far longer the period required to get back to normal. The longer the intense period that lead to the overtraining, the more massive the breakdown can be. The older one becomes, the easier it is to overtrain. It's all about knowing (guessing really) how intense you can be and much time you need to recover. The indication of overtraining is first detectable more by loss of aerobic capacity than it is by muscle strength. Well, that's my highly unscientific view.
Note: I think you misunterstood to suggest that Zirconium said "weights [] help rhabdomyolysis". I agree with what Zirconium said.
