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July 24, 2024 • 2hr 5min
Avoid Fitness Plateaus, Overtraining & Mis-Timed Performance Peaks
Perform with Dr. Andy Galpin
In this episode, Dr. Andy Galpin discusses training plateaus, overtraining, and peaking (tapering) to help listeners train smarter and use rest effectively to maximize performance. He covers the underlying physiology, how to identify and overcome plateaus, signs of overtraining, and evidence-based tapering strategies across different sports.
Dr. Galpin explains that both increasing and decreasing stress causes physiological adaptations. The goal is to find the right balance of stress and recovery to drive positive adaptations without crossing into overtraining. He outlines three key scenarios:
Insufficient stress = no adaptation (potential plateau)
Stress exceeds resilience + recovery = positive adaptation (goal for peaking)
Excessive stress or insufficient recovery = negative adaptation (overtraining)
The episode provides practical guidance on how to identify which scenario you're in and what to do about it, with a focus on evidence-based strategies that can be applied by both elite athletes and general exercisers.
Avoid Fitness Plateaus, Overtraining & Mis-Timed Performance Peaks
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Key Takeaways
- Stress and adaptation: Both increasing and decreasing stress causes physiological adaptations. Removing stress (e.g. rest) is still an active stressor that creates adaptation.
- Three scenarios of stress and adaptation:
- Stress load lower than physiological resilience = no adaptation (potential cause of plateaus)
- Stress load exceeds resilience + recovery = positive adaptation (goal for peaking)
- Stress greatly exceeds resilience or lacks recovery = negative adaptation (overtraining)
- Plateaus: Often normal and expected as progress slows. May be due to insufficient stress/training or excessive stress without recovery.
- Overtraining: True overtraining is rare and takes months to years to recover from. Most cases are functional or non-functional overreaching which resolve faster.
- Tapering/peaking: Reducing training volume by 40-60% for 1-3 weeks before competition consistently improves performance by 3-6% across many sports and events.
- Monitoring: Track at least one metric each from workload, performance, and physiology/psychology. Early responders like HRV and respiratory rate are more useful than resting heart rate.
- Individual variation: Responses vary greatly between individuals. Experiment to find what works best for you through practice and careful tracking.
Introduction
In this episode, Dr. Andy Galpin discusses training plateaus, overtraining, and peaking (tapering) to help listeners train smarter and use rest effectively to maximize performance. He covers the underlying physiology, how to identify and overcome plateaus, signs of overtraining, and evidence-based tapering strategies across different sports.
Dr. Galpin explains that both increasing and decreasing stress causes physiological adaptations. The goal is to find the right balance of stress and recovery to drive positive adaptations without crossing into overtraining. He outlines three key scenarios:
- Insufficient stress = no adaptation (potential plateau)
- Stress exceeds resilience + recovery = positive adaptation (goal for peaking)
- Excessive stress or insufficient recovery = negative adaptation (overtraining)
The episode provides practical guidance on how to identify which scenario you're in and what to do about it, with a focus on evidence-based strategies that can be applied by both elite athletes and general exercisers.
Topics Discussed
Understanding Plateaus (30:45)
Dr. Galpin explains that plateaus are often a normal and expected part of training as progress naturally slows over time. For muscle growth, what may seem like a plateau could actually be continued progress that is too small to visually detect. True plateaus may be caused by:
- Insufficient training stress (not challenging enough)
- Excessive stress without adequate recovery
- Reaching physiological limits of adaptation
He recommends not getting concerned about plateaus until at least 4-8 weeks of consistent training without progress, with less trained individuals on the shorter end of that range.
Overcoming Plateaus (36:41)
Dr. Galpin discusses potential mechanisms behind plateaus, including:
- Increased catabolic sensitivity: Greater muscle breakdown response
- Molecular "brakes": Cellular mechanisms that limit growth
- Reduced anabolic sensitivity: Decreased muscle growth response
To overcome plateaus, he recommends targeting systemic approaches rather than just the specific muscle/area that seems stuck. This could include:
- Increasing overall training volume or intensity
- Improving recovery through nutrition, sleep, stress management
- Varying training stimulus
Nutrition for Overcoming Plateaus (46:46)
Dr. Galpin emphasizes the importance of nutrition in overcoming plateaus, particularly for muscle growth. Key points include:
- Increasing total protein intake
- Optimizing protein dosage per meal
- Improving protein quality and amino acid profile
- Potentially increasing overall calorie intake, especially for highly trained individuals
He notes that while a caloric surplus isn't definitively proven necessary for muscle growth in trained individuals, it may help overcome plateaus based on the physiological mechanisms involved.
Identifying Overtraining (56:48)
Dr. Galpin clarifies that true overtraining is rare and takes months to years to recover from. Most cases people think are overtraining are actually:
- Functional overreaching: Short-term performance decrease followed by supercompensation. Takes days to recover.
- Non-functional overreaching: Longer performance decrease without benefit. Takes weeks to months to recover.
True overtraining involves systemic physiological dysfunction and can take many months or longer to fully recover from. It's more common in endurance sports than strength training.
Signs of Overtraining and Monitoring (1:04:33)
Dr. Galpin discusses various signs and symptoms of overtraining, including:
- Decreased performance
- Chronic fatigue
- Sleep disturbances
- Mood changes
- Appetite/weight changes
- Increased perceived exertion
He recommends monitoring multiple areas to get a complete picture:
- Workload (e.g. mileage, volume)
- Performance measures
- Physiological markers (e.g. HRV, blood biomarkers)
- Psychological factors (e.g. mood, motivation)
Biomarkers for Monitoring (1:10:40)
Dr. Galpin discusses various biomarkers that can be useful for monitoring training status:
- Testosterone to cortisol ratio: More informative than individual hormone levels
- Protein status markers: Total protein, albumin, blood urea nitrogen
- Inflammatory markers
- Muscle damage markers: Creatine kinase
He emphasizes looking at trends and changes from individual baselines rather than absolute values. No single marker definitively indicates overtraining.
Tapering and Performance Enhancement (1:17:45)
Dr. Galpin explains the concept of tapering (also called peaking) to enhance performance before competition. Key points:
- Reduces fatigue while maintaining fitness
- Consistently improves performance by 3-6% across many sports
- Can be the difference between winning and not medaling in elite competition
He notes that proper tapering is crucial, as mistimed tapers can lead to suboptimal performance on competition day.
Effective Tapering Strategies (1:27:04)
Dr. Galpin outlines evidence-based tapering strategies:
- Duration: 1-3 weeks
- Volume reduction: 40-60% (up to 90% in some cases)
- Intensity: Maintained or slightly increased
- Frequency: Maintained or slightly reduced (no more than 20% reduction)
He emphasizes that increasing volume during a taper is almost always detrimental to performance.
Physiological Changes During Taper (1:33:38)
Dr. Galpin discusses some of the physiological changes seen during an effective taper:
- Increased fast-twitch muscle fiber size and function
- Improved muscle glycogen storage
- Enhanced neuromuscular function
- Reduced inflammation and muscle damage
He notes that testosterone levels typically do not change significantly during a taper.
Taper Styles and Individual Variation (1:36:34)
Dr. Galpin outlines three main taper styles:
- Step taper: Sudden drop in training load
- Linear taper: Gradual reduction over time
- Exponential taper: Rapid initial drop followed by more gradual reduction
He emphasizes that individual responses vary greatly, and athletes should experiment to find what works best for them through practice and careful tracking.
Tapering for Different Sports (1:45:05)
Dr. Galpin discusses how tapering strategies may differ between sports:
- Endurance sports: Maintain intensity, reduce volume by 40-60%
- Strength sports: Reduce both volume and intensity
- Team sports: Maintain skills and game-speed work, reduce conditioning volume
He notes that the optimal taper duration and strategy can vary significantly between individuals even within the same sport.
Monitoring for High-Performance Athletes (1:48:35)
Dr. Galpin describes advanced monitoring approaches used with elite athletes, including:
- Comprehensive physiological testing
- Performance tracking
- Environmental monitoring
- Psychological assessments
- Recovery metrics
He introduces the concept of a "human digital twin" - using advanced data collection and modeling to predict individual responses to training and interventions.
Practical Monitoring Tools (1:54:17)
For those without access to advanced monitoring, Dr. Galpin recommends focusing on:
- Heart rate variability (HRV): More sensitive than resting heart rate
- Respiratory rate: Can show early signs of systemic fatigue
- Simple performance tests: e.g. daily vertical jump
- Subjective measures: Mood, energy, motivation
He emphasizes looking for trends over 3-7 days rather than reacting to single day changes.
Acute vs Chronic Interventions (2:00:31)
Dr. Galpin distinguishes between acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) interventions for managing fatigue and overtraining:
- Acute: Caffeine, extra carbohydrates, motivational strategies
- Chronic: Improved sleep, nutrition, stress management, reduced training load
He notes that acute interventions can provide a temporary boost but won't solve underlying overtraining issues.
Conclusion
Dr. Galpin concludes by emphasizing that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to managing plateaus, peaking, or overtraining. The key is to understand the underlying principles, carefully monitor individual responses, and experiment to find what works best for each person's unique physiology and goals.
He encourages listeners to view plateaus as a normal part of the training process, use evidence-based tapering strategies to maximize performance, and be cautious about mistaking normal fatigue for true overtraining. By applying the scientific insights shared in this episode, athletes and exercisers of all levels can train smarter and more effectively to reach their performance goals.
