Rest and recovery – how to avoid overtraining

Last week we asked Mickey Harte about the telltale signs that a coach is overtraining his charges. This week the Tyrone manager advises how coaches can prevent and treat overtraining.

"A crucial factor in preventing fatigue is players' own nutrition and rest. It's critical that players eat and drink properly and have at least seven hours quality sleep each night.

Players need more protein after intensive training to rebuild muscle tissue. By increasing their carbohydrate intake from 50% to 70%, players can restore muscle glycogen reserves – basically energy stored in the muscles – in 24 hours, rather than it taking up to twice this time.

However, it's also important that coaches tailor their programmes to guard against over-exertion. Coaches should cycle sessions of heavy training with lighter work and recovery sessions. Swimming pools are ideal for active recovery sessions because players can exercise lightly and remove lactic acid without any impact forces.

With young players who are in demand for several teams, and where burnout is a real worry, it is vital to put a limit on training and playing schedules – five days per week at most, with two full days rest each week and a two-month complete closed season each year.

Players showing signs of chronic fatigue should seek medical advice. But rest and regeneration is the key to recovering from overtraining. Massage and hydrotherapy will help.

There is a simple five-step recovery regime that many players find beneficial:

1. Drink and eat. Start restoring energy levels within five minutes of completing training with a sports drink, light sandwich or fruit.

2. Stretch and shower. Lightly stretch while the muscles are still warm to prevent blood pooling in the limbs and help remove lactic acid. Continue to rehydrate and refuel and restretch muscles in a warm shower. Alternate between hot and cold water every 30 seconds for three to five minutes.

3. Continue recovery. Have a meal within an hour and half of completing training. Drink regular fluids. Try a relaxation technique or simply listen to music to unwind.

4. Prepare for sleep. After a tiring session, it's important to switch off from the day with breathing exercises of visualisation techniques.

5. Morning check. Players should check resting heart rate for fluctuations and measure body weight to monitor hydration."

Mickey Harte has just launched a Player's Training Diary, available at www.sporttracker.ie. The Coach is compiled by Liam Horan. Questions to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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