Rising Stars: A Parent’s Guide to Youth Athletic Development Over-training: Making the pain stop.
In my previous blog I spoke about the dangers of heavy athletic workloads and ways for parents to manage them. One of the results of overloading is over-training. There’s not much research in regards to younger athletes so we must rely on what we’ve learned concerning adult athletes. Generally, the symptoms of over-training are fairly easy to spot. However, with kids they may not exhibit them in the exact same way as an adult. In addition, children are less likely to possess the verbal skills to articulate what is going on with their bodies or emotions to properly alert parents and coaches. Therefore, parents should be versed on the most common signs and causes and be vigilant in reading their child’s responses to their athletic activities and be ready to respond.
The Signs of Over Training
Physical Symptoms:
- Persistent fatigue, low energy.
- Complaints of prolonged muscle soreness.
- Loss of appetite.
- Increase in occurrence of overuse injuries sprains, strains (ankle, knee, elbow, shoulder, back areas).
- Frequent colds or infections.
Non-physical Symptoms
- Difficulty sleeping.
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