This episode explores the impact of mental fatigue on athletes, particularly in track and field, and the crucial role coaches play in both mitigating fatigue and promoting recovery.
Source:
Key Takeaways:
🔹 Mental fatigue affects performance: 96% of practitioners agree it has a major impact on training and competition.
🔹 Signs of mental fatigue: Decreased session quality, loss of focus, slower reaction times, hesitation under pressure.
🔹 Mental recovery is key: Athletes who prioritise it adapt better to training, regulate emotions more effectively, and improve performance.
Action Items for Coaches
Assess Mental Fatigue & Recovery
- Only 23.7% of practitioners assess recovery—start including subjective and objective measures!
- Use quick check-ins like energy-level surveys, mood tracking, or training log reflections.
- Leverage technology (e.g., heart rate variability monitoring) to track fatigue levels.
Integrate Mental Resilience into Training
- Introduce mental load in drills:
- Add time constraints or decision-making tasks to technical sessions.
- For sprinters: Vary reaction times in starts.
- For distance runners: Simulate pace changes under distractions.
- For jumpers and throwers: Add 'chaos' drills that ask athletes to make adjustments to their technique mid-action.
- Thi can also support athletes to meet mental demands in competition.
Offer Recovery Options
- Encourage self-selected recovery strategies: Mindfulness, guided imagery, restorative breaks.
- Explain the benefits of different techniques and allow athletes to choose what works best.
Foster Collaboration
- Communicate with athletes, sports psychologists, strength coaches, and nutritionists.
- Regularly check in on training loads, sleep patterns, and mental state.
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.