This chapter discusses burnout and overtraining in athletes. It defines key terms like overtraining, staleness, and burnout. It explores factors that can lead to burnout like excessive training loads, pressure to perform, and lack of recovery. Signs of overtraining include mood changes, weight loss, and apathy while signs of burnout include low motivation and anxiety. The chapter also examines models of burnout and discusses strategies for preventing and treating burnout like taking breaks, managing stress, and focusing on recovery.

1. Chapter 21: Burnout and Overtraining
21
BurnoutBurnout
and Overtrainingand Overtraining
C H A P T E R

2. Session Outline
• Prevalence of burnout and overtraining
• Defining periodized training, overtraining,
staleness, and burnout
• Frequency of overtraining and staleness
• Models of burnout
• Factors leading to burnout
(continued)

3. Session Outline (continued)
• Symptoms of overtraining and burnout
• Measuring burnout
• Burnout in sport professionals
• Treating and preventing burnout

4. Prevalence of Burnout
and Overtraining
• As the pressure to win increases, athletes
and coaches spend more time training and
feel more stress—which sometimes leads to
overtraining and burnout.

5. Periodized Versus Overtraining
• Periodized training: The deliberate strategy of
exposing athletes to high-volume and high-
intensity training loads that are followed by a
lower training load (a rest or taper)
• Overtraining: A short cycle of training during
which athletes expose themselves to excessive
training loads that are near maximum capacity

6. Overtraining Keys
• One athlete’s overtraining might be another
athlete’s optimal training regimen.
• The process of overtraining can result in
positive adaptation and improved
performance (positive overtraining) or
maladaptation and decreased performance
(negative overtraining).

7. Figure 21.1

8. Staleness Versus Burnout
• Staleness: The physiological state of
overtraining in which the athlete has difficulty
maintaining standard training regimens and can
no longer achieve previous performance results
• Burnout: A psychophysiological response due
to frequent but generally ineffective efforts to
meet excessive demands, involving a
psychological, emotional, and sometimes
physical withdrawal from an activity in response
to excessive stress or dissatisfaction

9. Characteristics of Burnout
• Exhaustion, both physical and emotional, in
the form of lost concern, energy, interest,
and trust
• Depersonalization—acting impersonal and
unfeeling—in large part due to mental and
physical exhaustion
• Feeling of low personal accomplishment,
low self-esteem, failure, and depression—
often visible in low job productivity or a
decreased performance level

10. Frequency of Overtraining
and Staleness
• 66% of Atlantic Coast Conference athletes
experienced some overtraining, on average
twice a year.
• 72% of the athletes reported some staleness
during their sport season.
• 60% to 64% of runners experience some
staleness once a year.
(continued)

11. Frequency of Overtraining
and Staleness (continued)
• 30% of subelite runners reported staleness.
• Of swimmers who reported staleness during
their freshman year, 90% became stale in
one or more subsequent seasons.
• Swedish athletes training at sport high
schools experienced staleness—both
individual-sport athletes (48%) and team-
sport athletes (30%).

12. Models of Burnout
• Cognitive–affective stress model
• Negative-training stress response model
• Unidimensional identity development and
external control model
• Commitment and entrapment theory
• Self-determination theory

13. Figure 21.2

14. Negative-Training Stress Response
Model (Silva, 1990)
• Focuses on physical training (but
recognizes the importance of psychological
factors).
• Physical training stresses the athlete
physically and psychologically and can
have positive and negative effects.
• Positive adaptation is desirable.
• Negative adaptation is undesirable (leads to
overtraining, staleness, and burnout).

15. Unidimensional Identity Development
and External Control Model
• For Coakley (1992) stress is involved in
burnout, but it is only a symptom.
• The real causes of burnout deal with faulty
identity development and external control of
young athletes.

16. Unidimensional Model Burnout
Causes
• The structure of sport prevents young
athletes from spending enough time with
peers outside of sport.
• This causes a sole focus on identifying with
athletic success, which can be unhealthy,
especially when failure or injury occurs.
• The social worlds of young athletes are
organized in such a way that their control
and decision making are inhibited.

17. Commitment and Entrapment Theory
• Burnout is explained within the context of
sport commitment.
• Burnout occurs when athletes become
entrapped in sport and feel they must play
even though they lose motivation for
participation.

18. Self-Determination Theory
• People have three basic psychological
needs: Autonomy, competence, and
relatedness.
• Those who do not have these basic needs
met will be more prone to burnout.

19. Factors Leading to Burnout
• Athletes are starting to train at younger
ages.
• Training in many sports is virtually year-
round.

20. Causes of Burnout in Junior Tennis
Players
• Physical concerns: Erratic play, injury,
feeling tired
• Logistical concerns: Travel, time demands
• Social or interpersonal concerns: Negative
parental influence, negative team
atmosphere
• Psychological concerns: Inappropriate
expectations, feeling a lack of improvement,
coach and parental pressure

21. Strains in Junior Athletes
• Social–psychological strain
– Perfectionistic player substrain
– Parental or coach pressure substrain
• Physically driven strain

22. Figure 21.3

23. Factors Related to Burnout
in Athletes
• Several specific factors are linked to
burnout, from conflicting demands to
excessive training loads.
• See table 21.1 on p. 501 of text

24. Signs of Overtraining
• Apathy
• Lethargy
• Weight loss
• Mood changes
• See “Signs and Symptoms of Overtraining
and Burnout” on p. 504 of text

25. Signs of Burnout
• Low motivation
• Lack of caring
• Lowered affect
• Anxiety
• See “Signs and Symptoms of Overtraining
and Burnout” on p. 504 of text

26. Overtraining and Mood States
• Athletes experience increased mood
disturbance under especially heavy training
workloads.
• Successful athletes exhibit high levels of
vigor and low levels of negative mood
states, an optimal combination.
• Overtrained athletes show an inverted
iceberg profile, with negative states
pronounced.

27. Overtraining and Performance
• Overtrained and stale athletes are at risk of
developing mood disturbances.
• Mood disturbances can result in decreased
performance levels and dropout.
• Therefore, more is not always better.

28. Measuring Burnout:
The Maslach Burnout Inventory
• A reliable instrument for measuring burnout
that has been adapted and modified for use
in sport and exercise
• Maslach Burnout Inventory subscales
– Emotional exhaustion
– Depersonalization
– Personal accomplishments

29. Factors Related to Burnout
in Trainers and Officials
• Athletic trainers
– Type A personality
– Role conflict and ambiguity
• Officials
– Making bad calls
– Role conflict and ambiguity

30. Factors Related to Burnout
in Coaches
• Pressure to win
• Administrator or parental interference or
indifference
• Disciplinary problems
• Multiple roles
• Extensive travel
• Intense personal involvement (continued)

31. Factors Related to Burnout
in Coaches (continued)
• Gender differences: None have yet been
established.
• Age and experience differences: Younger
coaches appear to have higher levels of
burnout (partly because older coaches have
already burned out).
(continued)

32. Factors Related to Burnout
in Coaches (continued)
• Coaching style: Coaches who are more
caring and people-oriented appear to be
more vulnerable to burnout.
• Social support: Greater social support is
associated with lower burnout.

33. Factors Related to Burnout in Sport
and Fitness Professionals
• Pressure from coaches or parents
• Hard training
• Competition over a long period

34. Treating and Preventing Burnout
• Set short-term goals for competition and
practice.
• Communicate your feelings to others.
• Take relaxation (time-out) breaks.
• Learn self-regulation skills (e.g., relaxation,
imagery, goal setting, self-talk).
(continued)

35. Treating and Preventing Burnout
(continued)
• Keep a positive outlook.
• Manage postcompetition emotions.
• Stay in good physical condition.
• Key: It’s not how hard you train, it’s how
you recover.
(continued)

36. Treating and Preventing Burnout
(continued)
Overload source Recovery strategy
Physical stressor Nutrition and hydration
Eat more carbohydrate
Stay hydrated
Rest
No physical activity
Passive rest
Get sufficient sleep
(continued)

37. Treating and Preventing Burnout
(continued)
Overload source Recovery strategy
Psychological or
social stressor
Relaxation and emotional support
• Flotation tanks, massage, sauna
• Time-out
• Progressive muscle relaxation
• Visualization
Minimize nontraining stressors (e.g.,
limit work hours)
Thought management strategies
• Dissociation (e.g., watch movies)
• Negative thought replacement

38. Reducing Burnout in Junior Tennis:
Advice for Players
• Play for your own reasons.
• Balance tennis and other things.
• Try to make it fun.
• Take time off and relax.

39. Reducing Burnout in Junior Tennis:
Advice for Parents
• Recognize what is an optimal amount of
pushing.
• Give support, show empathy, and reduce
the importance of outcome.
• Involve players in decision making.
• Lessen involvement.
• Take time off and relax.

40. Reducing Burnout in Junior Tennis
Players: Advice for Coaches
• Have two-way communication with players.
• Cultivate personal involvement with players.
• Use player input.
• Understand players’ feelings.