Fit to Play with Jim Johnson: Exercise overload

In the recent Wimbledon Championship much was made of American tennis player Amanda Anisimova’s departure from tennis two years prior. Although Amanda lost in the finals, she had to win six matches to get there, defeating the world’s number one in the semi-finals. In 2023 Amanda had enough, her tennis was struggling, not getting any better; what was once a game was a chore. She took time off and dropped out, did other things. Eight months later she regained her vigor and began winning. The Wimbledon final was the culmination of that return.

I suspect that the reason why Amanda decided to stop tennis was that she was suffering from Overtraining Syndrome (OTS). Although she was training hard, she was not getting any better. In fact, she was probably getting worse. The most common symptom of OTS is that the athlete is training hard but faltering. OTS is more common in endurance athletes such as runners, cyclists, swimmers, and rowers, but any athlete who is involved with year round training is susceptible. If an athlete has true OTS, taking a few days off will not result in recouping. Recovery requires weeks or even months of active rest before an athlete will return to normal. One well known professional tennis player received an injury that took three months to heal. Later, he said the layoff was the best thing that happened to him, returning to top level play after the injury healed.

The first incidence of OTS was described in 1923, but it wasn’t until 1996 when the first conference on OTS was held at the Atlanta Olympics. While recovery is a main key to athletic success, go into any bookstore and you will find tons of books on training but very little information on recovery. Epidemiology of OTS is difficult to determine as no clear definition exists. Basic theories of the cause include an excessive inflammatory response, pituitary dysregulation, glycogen deficiency, malnutrition, and even dehydration. One thing clear is that OTS is accompanied by factors other than training. Such things as financial problems, negative family events, or outside work pressures all add to the stress overloading the athlete. This is particularly problematic for athletes in school; pressure to succeed academically presents its own independent stress.

Does OTS happen to non-competitive athletes? A milder form of overtraining, called overreaching, often happens at the beginning of a competitive season. The physical stress is far more than athletes expect. It is not unusual for someone to get excited and start an exercise program. Their motivation is there but their ability to adapt to the stress is not. Gyms are often swollen to capacity just after the new year. This short term overtraining is not serious and is easily reversible by taking a couple of days off. Patience is important at the beginning of an exercise program. This is a time when you need to be smart, to tune in to your body, to use your intuition. If you’re sore every time you exercise, you need more rest. If you are tired even before you exercise, you probably need a short break. Unfortunately, for many athletes there seems to be insufficient time to rest.

Some people simply over-exercise. They do more exercise than their body can handle. They are not sure when they have done enough. Over-exercising is different for different people. The same amount of exercise for one person is sufficient while too much for someone else. Trying to mimic some superfit person on TV is a big mistake. A more serious form of over-exercising is exercise addiction. While not an official medical diagnosis, exercise addiction can take over one’s life. Rather than performing an exercise routine that is an addition to life, exercise becomes one’s life. It becomes their job. Many develop social problems as exercise becomes overriding, putting exercise above all. Injury is a common outcome as people who are addicted refuse to rest.

Writers in The New York Times have suggested ways to get out of a plateau, as if it is bad. There is a limit to fitness; you cannot increase forever. Let’s say you’ve developed a routine that suits you, allows you to do whatever you want. You can go out and play tennis or pickleball, mow your lawn, clean, vacuum; you feel good. You don’t need to get any better, you don’t need more exercise, you’ve reached your plateau. I say, “Be happy about that, you’re where you should be, just stay there.”

Jim Johnson is a retired professor of exercise and sport science after teaching 52 years at Smith College and Washington University in St. Louis. He comments about sport, exercise, and sports medicine. He can be reached at [email protected].