Overcompensation: recover to progress

The progression of physical capacities through training involves alternating between exercises and recovery. Often neglected in both directions by cyclists and triathletes, this phenomenon is called overcompensation. Explanations.

By Guillaume Judas – Photos: PEdALED / Mavic / Shimano / Maratona dles Dolomites / DR

The training itself is based on basic principles, linked to the body's natural adaptation capacities. These are: stimulate physical capacities, create a temporary depletion of energy reserves, and take advantage of the complete recovery phase to add a new session with a slightly higher base level. This is called overcompensation. It is difficult to progress without understanding the phenomenon, either because the sessions are too spaced out due to lack of time or a desire to recover too much, or on the contrary because they accumulate somewhat anarchically due to a desire to do (too) well, thus generating latent fatigue that is detrimental to progress.

How does it work?

The well-being felt after a workout is not limited to the endorphins secreted after the effort. It is also the beginning of a period dedicated to recovery. A deserved cycle, but above all necessary. We all havea more or less limited energy potential, which is gradually exhausted during the effort, and more or less quickly depending on the intensity of the exerciseThe body then reacts naturally, by reconrestoring its reserves, or even a little more than what it had at the start. As if the aggression constituted by the exercise caused an adaptation during the rest period. It “overcompensates”. For a – limited – duration, the body’s capacities are therefore higher than the basic level.

By judiciously planning rest periods, it is therefore possible and natural to progress from one outing to the next.

By judiciously scheduling rest periods, it is therefore possible and natural to progress from one outing to the next. But be careful: if the rest time is too long between two sessions, you no longer benefit from overcompensation. After a while, the body returns to its basic capacities, no more, no less.. Just one session per week is enough to maintain a modest level. From two sessions per week, you can start to progress in certain areas. But to optimize all physical capacities, you need to increase the number of weekly sessions, and above all assign them a very specific objective. This is explained by the rest time required for overcompensation differs depending on the energy source used.

Full fuel tank

After the effort, the body reconreplenishes glycogen stores depleted during exercise. A true fuel for exercise, glycogen is stored in the muscles and in the liver. During the resting phase, it is not only reconstituted, but also slightly increased in order to better support the stress of energy depletion. With a high-carbohydrate diet, it takes about six hours to reconreplace 50% of the initial stock, 48 hours for a reconfull restitution, and 72 hours for real overcompensation. Without carbohydrate intake, it takes much longer to reconto establish a semblance of reserve. Asking a body depleted of glycogen again can quickly prove counterproductive and lead to pronounced exhaustion, especially since, Lacking fuel, the body is then forced to draw its energy from other substrates (proteins for example). In case of a severe low-carb diet combined with a heavy training load, the main risk is to lose muscle mass.

In case of a severe low-carb diet combined with a heavy training load, the main risk is to lose muscle mass.

Some phosphate compounds needed for muscle contraction, such as ATP and phosphagen, are reconare broken down much faster than glycogen. It only takes a few minutes to recover from a short sprint, and a few hours to recover from a kilometer done "at full speed"Conversely, since their reserves are almost inexhaustible, the fats used during a long effort at very low speed do not intervene in the process. However, even a long-term effort never completely preserves glycogen reserves. Not to mention the inevitable nervous exhaustion, which also requires a certain amount of rest, if only to regain the desire to pedal. The key thing to remember is that to speed up the recovery process after an exhausting effort, you need to combine rest and nutrition.. A high-carb snack within an hour of a race or tough workout takes advantage of a window of opportunity for glycogen storage.

Boosting overcompensation with “supercompensation”

There are natural ways to boost overcompensation, especially for all experienced cyclists who are looking for something better than just improving their physical condition: great shape. To do this, the game is to voluntarily put yourself at risk of overtraining. Accumulating fatigue by chaining together training sessions or races (as is the case in a stage race), with incomplete recovery. This is the principle of stagIt's early season. Gradually, fatigue sets in and potential diminishes. The fact remains that after a few days of passive or active rest, the level is higher than at the start, as if by a rebound effect. This is called supercompensation. But The risk is of course to sink into fatigue if we accumulate this kind of experience. As a preventive measure, it is therefore necessary include periods of decompression in the weekly, monthly or annual training plan, or even a break, intended not only to assimilate the workload, but also to completely recharge the batteries.

Good programming is always complex

The complexity of a training plan to follow in order to optimize progress is explained by all the energy channels used during a cycling effort, or by the capacities required in the triathlon and which each require a different time to be overcompensated. In the case of the triple effort, the risk is always to do too much, especially if the training plans for the three disciplines are not correlated, which happens too often in amateur triathlon clubs. Working on VMA while running and PMA while cycling sometimes on the same day or the same week is something you've already seen. With the risks of overtraining that this entails.

In the case of triple effort, the risk is always to do too much.

To understand how overcompensation works and how it is taken into account in a training plan, let's take the example of a cyclist whose sole objective is to ride long distances alone at the best possible average. Initially, a ride on the weekend and another ride during the week will be enough to help him progress, if he finishes each time at the limit of exhaustion. Over the weeks, by giving himself three days of rest between rides, he will progress: more power, more endurance, a lower heart rate for a given intensity, with ultimately a better average and more ease in riding at a certain pace.

Progress is very rapid at first, but in case oftagnation, you then have to move on to the next level, by adding one or even two other outings per week. These are not intended to improve your endurance, since the time needed to overcompensate for such an outing is indeed 72 hours, but to improve your power, speed, and strength, in order not to ride longer and longer, but above all to ride faster. Coping with such short and intense outings is possible since the type of effort required, especially if it is split, requires shorter overcompensation than in the case of a long outing.

It is therefore necessary to know how to alternate different types of sessions, at different intensities, and judiciously associated with each other to continue to progress.

It is therefore necessary to know how to alternate different types of sessions, at different intensities, and judiciously associated with each other to continue to progress. Without forgetting total rest of course, necessary from time to time to completely regenerate the body. Programming training over a week, a month, one or more years is therefore an art that requires experience and self-knowledge, and above all that does not forget that Rest is one of the essential phases.

Sessions called “active recovery”

During the overcompensation phase, It is still possible to train, but at a moderate intensity. This can be what is called active recovery, but also outings whose aim is to work technically: for example on the pedal stroke, in hyper velocity or even in pure strength, or even seated-dancer work, etc. During the season, we must not neglect the risk of mental saturation induced by diligent practice. And know that If on paper an active recovery outing is good for the physique, completely cutting out cycling or sport in general for a few hours or a few days is much better for morale.

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