Strength & Conditioning — all lessons
Coaching and Assessment
Fundamentals of coaching in strength and conditioningAthlete assessment and evaluationPlanning and Periodisation
Periodisation and long-term athlete development (LTAD)Macro-, meso- and microcycle planningPlan, prepare and deliver S&C for sportDeloading and fatigue managementProgramme Design
Progressive overload and programming variables (sets, reps, tempo)Program design for resistance trainingCompound lifts: squat, deadlift and bench variationsPlyometrics and explosive power trainingSpeed and agility program designAerobic endurance trainingAgility, speed and endurance protocolsDesigning individual S&C sessionsPosition-specific drills: team vs individual sportsRecovery
Nutrition, sleep and regeneration strategiesOvertraining: recognition and load monitoringOvertraining: recognition and load monitoring
Overreaching and overtraining syndrome, training load monitoring with session-RPE and wellness, the acute:chronic workload debate, and practical monitoring systems.
Learning objectives
- Distinguish functional overreaching, non-functional overreaching and overtraining syndrome
- Monitor training load with session-RPE and external measures
- Evaluate the ACWR concept and its limitations
- Set up a simple, useful monitoring system
Before this lesson
Why this matters
Too little load limits adaptation; too much, too fast, risks illness, injury and burnout. Monitoring helps find the balance.
Overreaching and overtraining
The ECSS/ACSM consensus describes a continuum [meeusen2013]:
| State | Performance decrement | Recovery |
|---|---|---|
| Functional overreaching | Short-term, followed by improvement | Days–weeks |
| Non-functional overreaching | Stagnation/decline | Weeks–months |
| Overtraining syndrome | Prolonged decline, often with other symptoms | Months or longer |
Other causes (illness, low energy availability, life stress) must be excluded — refer to medical staff.
Monitoring internal load
Session-RPE [foster2001]: CR-10 rating × duration (min) = arbitrary units (AU). Weekly sums and week-to-week changes guide decisions.
Monitoring external load and wellness
GPS distance and speeds, jumps, throws, lifting tonnage; brief wellness questionnaires (sleep, soreness, fatigue, stress, mood); simple performance checks (CMJ).
The acute:chronic workload ratio
Gabbett argued appropriately progressed high chronic loads can protect against injury, while rapid spikes increase risk [gabbett2016]. Later critiques identified conceptual and statistical problems with ACWR, cautioning against using it as a precise injury predictor [impellizzeri2020]. Use the principle (avoid big spikes, build gradually) rather than the ratio as a rule.
Common mistakes and misconceptions
Case study
A footballer returning from holiday is scheduled for full training. Monitoring shows his chronic load is far below the squad’s. The coach builds his load over three weeks, avoiding a spike; he completes pre-season without injury.
Further learning: video lessons
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Overtraining syndrome explained
sports medicine educators (search)
You will understand: overreaching vs overtraining
Why: Clinical overview.
Training load monitoring in practice
sports scientists (search)
You will understand: session-RPE and wellness
Why: Applied practice.
Knowledge check
Knowledge check · 0/5
1. According to the ECSS/ACSM consensus, overtraining syndrome…
2. Session-RPE load is calculated as…
3. Gabbett (2016) argued that…
4. Impellizzeri et al. (2020) critiqued ACWR because of…
5. A practical monitoring system should be…
Short-answer & application questions
- Set up a session-RPE and wellness monitoring sheet for a team.
- Interpret a 4-week load chart showing a spike.
- Explain to a coach the limits of ACWR.
Key takeaways
- Functional overreaching resolves in days–weeks; non-functional overreaching in weeks–months; overtraining syndrome can last months or longer.
- Session-RPE × duration is a simple, valid internal load measure.
- Rapid spikes in load are associated with injury risk, but the ACWR metric has important methodological limitations.
- Combine load, wellness and performance data; act on trends.
Connected topics
Nutrition, sleep and regeneration strategies
sports technologyInterpreting speed, load, fatigue and HRV data
cricketOvertraining signs, load and fatigue monitoring in cricket
footballOvertraining signs and fatigue monitoring in football
References
- Meeusen R, Duclos M, Foster C, et al. (2013). Prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the overtraining syndrome: joint consensus statement of the ECSS and ACSM. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 45(1):186–205. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e318279a10a Guideline check pending
- Foster C, Florhaug JA, Franklin J, et al. (2001). A new approach to monitoring exercise training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 15(1):109–115. Classic study check pending
- Gabbett TJ (2016). The training—injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder?. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 50(5):273–280. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2015-095788 Narrative review check pending
- Impellizzeri FM, Tenan MS, Kempton T, Novak A, Coutts AJ (2020). Acute:chronic workload ratio: conceptual issues and fundamental pitfalls. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 15(6):907–913. Narrative review check pending
Educational content only — not medical advice. Consult a qualified clinician for diagnosis or treatment.