Workload, Fatigue Management, and Pain - Part 2

Dylan Newcomer
May 30, 2024
3 min read

If you haven’t read part one of the series, click the hyperlink here. If you’re caught up, let's dive into the specifics of what we last discussed.

The Balancing Act

Throwing and Training

One thing is for certain: you’re not going to throw harder if you don’t actually try to throw harder. For some athletes, this means building a better engine in the weight room to produce more force. For others, it means spending more time refining their throwing mechanics.

Throwing hard is stressful. Getting big, strong, and powerful in the weight room is also stressful. One has to take precedence over the other. Trying to push both simultaneously will likely exceed the acute workload threshold.

Ideally, you want a system in place that balances throwing and training. As one side demands more of an athlete’s training economy, the other should reduce its demands.

However, pain isn’t predictable. Despite our best efforts to measure and monitor, we can’t currently determine an athlete’s exact threshold or how close they are to crossing it. This is why a comprehensive strategy is necessary to navigate any bumps in the road.

Consolidating Stressors and Recovery

A primary strategy for managing workload is consolidating stressors and respecting recovery days. Athletes often work off a 3-day training plan where primary throwing and training stresses are consolidated into the same days, leaving the remaining four days for recovery. High levels of stress drive adaptation, and adequate recovery time balances the acute workload over a week, keeping it manageable. Athletes who frequently do "extra work" on recovery days often end up with issues down the line.

Volume, Intensity, Order, and Fatigue

Several variables need to be manipulated when managing the training economy. First and foremost is the order of stressors. A general rule of thumb is to place highly coordinated tasks, such as throwing and hitting, first in the session. These tasks are significantly impaired by fatigue and should always precede weight room activities if performed consecutively. Following this, high CNS demand tasks such as jumps, sprints, or max effort lifting should come next, followed by less demanding accessory lifts and energy systems development.

Volume and intensity are other critical variables we monitor. Training hard every day is not sustainable. Even when consolidating stress and providing plenty of recovery, some training days must be less demanding while others are designed for high intensity. This is especially important on the throwing side. Utilizing tools like Pulse allows us to monitor an athlete's throwing intensity and ensure adherence to prescribed levels.

Often, we find a loss of range of motion, nerve irritation, or weakness in an inflamed tissue as the result of workload spikes. Addressing these issues first is crucial. If pain persists, adjusting volume and intensity becomes the focus.

Modifying either variable, whether overall or in a specific movement pattern, usually reduces acute workload enough to allow the body’s recovery process to do its job. Sometimes, the athlete may not have anything demonstrably wrong, and their mental perception of pain plays a large role. Addressing this becomes part of our intervention strategy.

Bouncing Back

In cases of acute injury requiring significant training plan modifications, we take several steps to get an athlete back on track as soon as possible. First, we remove aggravating activities. This involves working with throwing trainers and strength staff to adjust the training plan. Examples include shifting to a low-intensity throwing schedule if the shoulder is irritated, removing spinal loading for a painful back, or decreasing accessory work sets if the athlete isn’t recovering well. Once we see baseline indicators like pain-free range of motion return, we reintroduce stresses at low intensities and volumes. This may involve long-duration isometrics or lighter weights to reteach faulty movement patterns. As the athlete tolerates these activities, we gradually increase volume before turning up the intensity again, all while monitoring their response.

When to Shut Down

Athletes come to train. Therefore, finely tuning the right variables to keep them training as much as possible is crucial. However, occasionally we must shut an athlete down if they aren’t responding to modifications. If, after several adjustments, an athlete isn’t improving and hasn’t returned to their normal training program, it’s best to refer them for a full medical evaluation.

Conclusion

Managing an athlete’s health and performance requires finesse. Pain and injuries often occur due to a lack of considering the full picture, especially in younger populations managed by several independent coaches. Having a multi-disciplined team with a shared understanding is a significant advantage. If you have less access to PT or other medical services, we hope these guidelines help you respond appropriately to your athletes' complaints. If an issue is beyond your scope or understanding, don’t hesitate to refer out.