Training of junior rowers before world championships. Effects on performance, mood state and selected hormonal and metabolic responses

Background. Few data have been published on training of competitive athlete s and about metabolic, hormonal and psychological reactions to overreaching (transient overtraining) and tapering in successful athletes. Methods. Training was recorded and effects on mood state and metabolic and hormonal responses were examined in 10 rowers and spares of the coxed eight during preparation for the World Championships 1995. Mood state was determ ined using the Recovery-Stress-Questionnaire for Athletes. Resting morning blood parameters as well as performance were measured every week over a per iod of five weeks. Results. Very high training loads of approximately 3.2 hours per day were s ustained for 18 days, Maximum performance (P-max) and maximum lactate (La-m ax) were decreased during high-load training phases (overreaching), P-max, La-max and endurance increased after the tapering period. There were decrea ses in gonadal and hypothalamic steroid hormones (fsh, lh, prolactin, testo sterone) during overreaching and increases in these hormones in tapering. B oth performance and hormonal indices of training load were reflected by det erioration of recovery in the Recovery-Stress-Questionnaire for Athletes. Conclusions. Clear signs of overreaching were found after 18 days of intens e training of about 3 h.d(-1) in these highly-trained athletes, i.e. decrea ses in performance, gonadal and hypothalamic steroid hormones and deteriora tion of recovery in the psychological questionnaire. After tapering values returned to baseline values before the World Championship. The findings ind icate that overreaching is an integral part of successful training regimens and can be analyzed by a multi-factorial approach involving biological and psychometric data.