Following are Barry Holman's notes from Rick Crawford's session on Stress and the CNS. Barry took the presentation and added some (excellent) personal insights. Whether you are a coach or an athlete, I think that there are lessons in here for each of us as well as for our dealings with others. Thanks to Barry for sharing.

Notes from the First Annual Ultrafit Coach’s Seminar

November 1 –2, 2003

Boulder, CO 

Session: Quantifying Stress and its Effect on the Central Nervous System

Presenter: Rick Crawford, Endurance Training Network 

 

1. There is a “Wheel of Life” (Barry’s Label) that is unique to each athlete and about which a coach must learn and know.

1. The Central Nervous System (CNS) is the hub of the Wheel. Everything we do is “run” by the CNS. Radiating out from the CNS Hub are “spokes” that influence the strength, balance and “true” of the athlete’s life. The athlete can draw strength from the spokes or can lose power. At times the spokes may need tightening, loosening, replacing and always need tweaking (coach and athlete must be cognizant of the effects of spokes on performance/life).
2. Some spokes are universal and some are unique to a given athlete. The spokes include but are not limited to: Training, Racing, Coaching, Athlete’s Psychological make up/Personality, Athlete’s motivational drivers, Work, School, Domestic Life, Relationships, Infrastructure/Support System, Environment.
3. Without knowledge of the complete life of the athlete there is no way to design training programs for reality.

2. Athletes are almost never physically depleted. First they are emotionally depleted, then physically depleted.

a. Case Example: Athlete X’s physiological potential far exceeded his race performance. Lab testing indicated that X had aerobic capacity and power equal to or exceeding 99.9% of all elite cyclists (he ranked equal to or better than Lance Armstrong on many tests). A combination of low self-confidence (psychological make up spoke) and poor race results (racing spoke) contributed to X doubting the validity of his lab test results. After a few months working with his new coach it became apparent that X also had major stress in his relationship with his girlfriend (relationship spoke). This girlfriend was not supportive of X’s cycling goals and X had feelings of guilt each time he got on his bike to train and race. The result was poor race performance, unhappiness in training and a general malaise in all aspects of life.

X’s coach first helped X identify the various stressors (both positive and negative) and worked with X to accept and believe that his lab tests were valid and that he was a genetically gifted athlete. X’s coach then began working with X on potential solutions to his greatest negative stressor, his relationship. Three potential outcomes were identified. 1) X could quit cycling in an attempt to make his girlfriend happy. 2) X and his girlfriend could seek professional help and attempt to fix their relationship. 3) X could end the relationship and concentrate on what makes him happy, cycling. After a brief attempt at option 2 the relationship dissolved. Slowly X’s joy for training and racing improved and shortly thereafter his race results did as well. X began dating a woman who supported his goals and next year will ride for a major European cycling team in the Tour de France. 

3. Most athletes, left to their own devices, will overtrain. This is particularly true of highly motivated “self coached” athletes. One of a coach’s primary jobs is to keep track of and keep in check the stressors the hinder an athlete’s performance.

4. We are good at measuring physiological drivers of athletic success, i.e., VO2max, LT, AeT, Power, Hematocrit, etc.) but very poor at quantifying emotional state of athletes.

1. Without understanding our athlete’s “motivational drivers” we will not provide the physiological tasks (training plans, workouts) that take advantage of our athlete’s motivational drivers to perform well.
2. There is a continuum of motivational types concerning the structure of workouts. This continuum runs from “soldiers” to “scientists” (Barry’s terms), and most athletes will fall somewhere between the two extremes discussed below. 

1. Soldiers are comrade motivated. They like to mix it up with training partners, attack and be attacked and work with a group towards an objective. They love to train with others and their training is most effective when it is done with training partners. The significance of the numbers they produce is secondary to the feeling they have while training.
2. Scientists are solitary technicians. They enjoy training alone and are driven to meet the workout goals as expressed in the numbers (hr ranges, power output, etc.). They rely on their bike computer readouts to motivate and guide them. They train alone so that they can concentrate on their task at hand and not be concerned with what others are doing.

3. Case Example: Athlete Y produced excellent numbers in lab testing and his coach sent him daily workouts with specific power outputs to meet during his training rides. Y’s bike was outfitted with an SRM so that Y could continually track his effort and outcomes. After a few of weeks the data from Y’s workouts were alarming. He was unable to reach his power goals and had quickly soured on training to the point where he did not want to get on his bike. Y underwent a battery of health tests, all showed he was healthy and fit. He and his coach then discussed any recent life changes that may have contributed to his downfall in power output and enjoyment. His family life was solid and satisfying and as were other potential stressors. After reviewing Y’s training log his coach noticed that after the SRM power display had been installed on his handlebars, Y had begun to train solo instead of with his usual training group. Y’s training rides had gone from fun race-like outings with friends to lonely lab sessions that were completely results driven. Focusing solely on the numbers had caused Y to lose all the joy he usually got from training. Y’s coach first had Y put a piece of duct tape over the display and sent Y out for a ride. When the data were downloaded the results were astonishing. Y’s power output had improved dramatically. Next Y was sent out on group rides for interval training with the tape still over the display. Unlike his solo interval workouts where he came nowhere near his power goals, during the group rides with his focus off of the numbers, Y was easily able to meat the workout goals. Y’s coach adjusted Y’s schedule to include a good mix of group rides and they slowly began to integrate the feedback from the power meter into Y’s training sessions.

5. Opening up the CNS dimension will open up new frontiers, possibilities and problems for both the coach and athlete. It will take more energy on the coach’s part to track and manage the athlete’s stresses and the athlete will be challenged to examine how his or her life outside athletics has a substantial effect on performance.

6. If the athlete’s CNS doesn’t approve of a training method the athlete will not succeed.

1. The athlete must enjoy the training, must be stimulated by it, must be excited to perform it and must perform it enthusiastically.
2. Do what the athlete wants/needs (not what the coach “needs”)
3. However, it is the coach’s responsibility to assess the athlete’s needs and pull them out of their “groove” so that new challenges are presented and new adaptations occur.

7. Mesh periodization with CNS needs. It may be best to hide the structure of this from the athlete.

8. Key: Account for tangible and seemingly intangible stress – athletes calculate daily (similar to RPE; fill out next morning for previous day) and coach keeps a running tab or monthly balance.

Stress Side (P+M+E)

1. Physical (workouts, work type, chores, injuries, sickness)
2. Mental (school, work, finances, sponsors, volunteer work)
3. Emotional (relationships, psychological state, motivation)

These are the variables that add stress to our lives and contribute to negative feelings about training, poor performance outcomes, overtraining, etc. Athlete should identify his or her own and the coach must be aware of when new stressors not identified by the athlete must be added to the equation. 

Recovery Side (S+R+T)

1. Sleep (hours per day, naps)
2. Rest (level of activity and perceived level of restedness)
3. Therapy (massage, meditation, medication, nutrition, shopping)

These are the variables that balance out the stress in our lives. Under therapy anything that the athlete does to relax, relieve stress or for enjoyment that recharges them is included. Good opportunity for the coach to get to know the athlete better. 

To Calculate:

Scale is 1-10 with 1 being little to no and ten being maxed out. For example a complete day off of training scores 1 on the P variable whereas racing an A race should score a 9 or 10. Note: athletes will tend to either under or over value workout stress under P so the coach must monitor this carefully for both the validity of the number and for how the athlete perceives the workouts. (Barry’s note: There is a fair amount of subjective objectivity in this scale so it seems imperative that the coach know the athlete well in order to interpret the numbers). 

Formula: 

Life Balance (Barry’s Term)* = Recovery as (S+R+T) – Stress as (P+M+E)

*Note that I switched the variables around so that Recovery is first in the equation. This way a negative number represents a Life Balance score weighted on the stress side. For an athlete the goal is to obtain a near balance.  

Example: My Balance Score from Wednesday November 5, 2003 

R(S7+R7+T6) – S(P3+M5+E6) = R21-S14= +6 Life Balance 

S: I slept really well Tuesday night, almost 9 hours but no nap on Wednesday.

R: Feeling very rested and wanting to train after a long weekend of travel and sitting.

T: Jules and I had fun in the morning; yoga; healthy dinner w/friends. 

P: 90 minutes z1 spin on trainer watching 03 tour tape.

M: Some juggling of schedule for competing projects

E: Work related. Dec. project may not happen; cash flow issues 

This session meshed well with the sports psychology presentation. One danger I see for a coach is transference. Counselors are trained to be aware of and avoid it and they fail at a fairly high rate. It seems important to always keep in mind that coaching is about and for the athlete first and foremost and the coach is simply a conduit for helping the athlete reach their potential.

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I've Been Writing...

I've been writing quite a bit recently:

Off Season Tips
http://www.byrn.org/gtips/offseason.htm

Optimal Volume -- whole thread required to get the view
http://www.coachgordo.com/cgi-bin/config.pl?read=44818

A repeat on my philosophy for excellence in Ironman Running
http://www.coachgordo.com/cgi-bin/config.pl?read=44664

I had a chance to put my thoughts down on a workout that I have been doing for the last year. It's been very helpful to my IM specific endurance. I call it "The Big Day".
Part One -- http://www.coachgordo.com/cgi-bin/config.pl?read=44513
Part Two -- http://www.coachgordo.com/cgi-bin/config.pl?read=44587

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Swim Set Ideas

Main Set #1

400 pull, steady to mod-hard, 15s RI

200 swim, mod-hard to hard, 5s RI

100 swim, easy, 25s RI

Repeat 3x, the long rest at the end of the 100 enables you to get your pulling gear on

Main Set #2

2x400 pull, steady, 10s RI

4x200 swim, mod-hard, 15s RI

8x100 swim, best average on T(1)+15s send off -- this is heaps of rest -- open it up!

Main Set #3

600 pull, every second 50 fast

3x200 swim, 15s RI, steady

6x100, odds are fly to technique breakdown then easy, evens are free fast, 15s RI

Main Set #4

500 pull, steady

100 easy

5x100 best average on T(1)+15s RI

100 easy

Repeat 2x, second time through 100s are done on T(1)+20s RI and look to improve the best average by 1-2s per 100

Main Set #5

3x200 steady on 10s RI

100 easy back

6x100 mod-hard on 10s RI

100 easy back

Repeat 2x, second time through on the 100s make the odds on 20s RI and swim the evens fast (so you get extra rest before)

Main Set #6 -- good main set for a weekday

500 pull steady pace

3x100 fast on 5s RI

200 easy, every second 50 back

6x50 fast on 10s RI

200 easy, every second 50 back

4x25 max on 20s RI

Make sure that your "steady" is upper steady, you should be working a little bit, pace should not feel easy

Your warm-up should be a mixture that adds up to 1000

Suggestion...

400 alt by 50 or 100 free/back, or every 4th 50 back

2x150 -- no fly IM

200 alt by 50 kick / pull -- use the pullbuoy for a kick board

100 -- free, build

All on about 10-15s RI

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Weekend Long Sets

You know that I am believer in simplicity!

15x200 leaving on T(1)+5 per 100 pace -- aim for a send off that gives you about 5s RI when swimming steady to mod-hard You know that I am believer in simplicity!

15x200 leaving on T(1)+5 per 100 pace -- aim for a send off that gives you about 5s RI when swimming steady to mod-hard

10x300 -- 50 fly to technique failure then free, 50 back, 50 breast, 150 free -- time the total set duration, RI as required -- goal is to reduce total time and increase ability to swim the 50 fly.

Repeat this cycle -- 400 pull steady to mod-hard, 100 easy swim, 2x50 fast -- everything on 10s RI, take an extra 10s at the end of each cycle

These are challenging sets -- you need to commit to their execution.

gordo

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