Enhancing The

Physiological Buffer
Zone

Patrick Ward MS, CSCS, LMT

 How well can you
adapt?

It is not the most intellectual of species that

survive; it is not the strongest that survives;
but the species that survives is the one that
is best able to adapt and adjust to the
changing environment in which it finds
itself. -Darwin
 Buffer Zone

Breakdown, Injury,
Pain

Physiological
Buffer Zone

Physical Capacity
 Healthy Athlete
High Stress
Resistance

High
Performance

Good Movement High Level of

Fitness
 Broken Athlete
Stress
Overload

Injury
Poor Movement Poor Fitness
 Stress
Stress is the nonspecific response of the
body to any demand, whether it is caused
by, or results in, pleasant or unpleasant
conditions -Hans Selye
ANS 101
 Heart Rate Variability
Assess autonomic nervous system
function
R-R Interval Frequency
High HRV
Greater overall fitness
Enhanced recovery
Quicker return to parasympathetic state
Low HRV
Poor fitness
Increased risk of cardiac episode
Decreased recovery
Stress Resistance and Adaptive
Reserve
 Human Ecosystem
ALL stressors
imposed upon the
body = Human
Ecosystem

Role of the strength

coach
Ecosystem management
 Stress Overload
Overreaching - An accumulation of training
and/or nontraining stress resulting in a short-term
decrement in performance capacity, in which
restoration of performance capacity may take from
several days to several weeks.

Overtraining - An accumulation of training and/or

nontraining stress resulting in a short-term
decrement in performance capacity, in which
restoration of performance capacity may take from
several weeks or months.
Halson, Bridge, Meeusen, et al.
Overtraining Continuum
 Types of Overtraining
Sympathetic Parasympathetic

Basedow Addison Overtraining

Overtraining
Adrenal insufficiency
Imbalance between
training and recovery Imbalance between
with additionally high high volumes of
levels of psycho- training and little
emotional stress and
other non-specific recovery
stressors

Lehmann, et al. 1998

 Poor Movement
We have a tendency to spend a lot of time
building big masses of work platforms for athletes
who are mechanically very deficientthis leads to
injuries and chronic overuse. Dan Pfaff
 Theory of Movement Reserve
No situation is 100% perfect
Stress happens
Travel breaks us down
Lack of sleep can be an issue
Competition must go on!!

Great athletes have the movement

reserve to perform safely when
slightly broken down
 Poor Fitness

Stress
Fitness Resistance
 Flipping the Switch
Great athletes can turn it on and turn it off

HRV = Greater levels of fitness, improved overall health, and

increased ANS function

Poor balance between parasymathetic and sympathetic

systems leads to increased risk of inflammatory diseases

Vagal indices are inversely related to CRP and positively

associated with physical activity. Physical activity can be a
therapeutic modality for inflammation and maintenance of vagal
function. Soares-Miranda, et al.
Back to OvertrainingAgain!
Proposed Mechanisms of Overtraining
Glycogen hypothesis
Central Fatigue Hypothesis
Glutamine Hypothesis
Hypothalamus and HPA implications
Lack of day-to-day training variation

DOES IT ALL BEGIN WITH INFLAMMATION?

Adaptive tissue trauma is needed
Overtraining = Tissue trauma = Inflammation = Cytokine
 Healthy Athlete
High Stress
Resistance

High
Performance

Good Movement High Level of

Fitness
 Thank you
The more we know the more we find we dont
know.

www.optimumsportsperformance.com
patrick@optimumsportsperformance.com
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