Cyclist: Is stress ruining your performance?

Most of us understand how the human body responds to physical training. Every time you complete an intense training session, you become fatigued and you need a few days to rest and recover before you come back stronger than before.

‘This is a normal function of training and is termed “functional overreaching”,’ says Nick Grantham, performance specialist at ZERO226 Performance If you are physically or mentally stressed, your recovery can be inadequate and your sporting performance will eventually plateau. This, Grantham says, is known as ‘non-functional overreaching’, and it can take weeks, or even months, to return to normal.

Dr Tommy Wood is a specialist in performance biochemistry at Nourish Balance Thrive, and he sees the effects of stress on performance every day.

‘When it comes to thinking about how stress affects performance, it’s important to mention that a bit of stress is beneficial – if you weren’t a little stressed at the start of a race, you wouldn’t be able to sprint off when the gun starts,’ he says. ‘So stress isn’t necessarily good or bad, it depends entirely on the context.’

Continue reading at Cyclist Magazine, HERE.