Work stress impact on cycling performance

[Furbz]

The last couple of weeks have been incredibly stressful at work.

I have kept my training up at its normal level with a good balance of intense and recovery rides.

i have not increased my training load. i am only looking to maintain at this point.

GC figures actually show i should be feeling pretty "fresh"

 

and yet i still feel like my legs are heavy.

the only other factor i can think of is my work/life stress impacting performance.

my perceived effort feels extremely high

 

so my question is how many other people are also noticing the same physical effects due to the increase in non-physical stresses?

ie the lockdown and/or other influences

 

 

[JacBrand]

During high stress times I feel low on energy and generally not up to training. It is actually scary what effects stress has on one's body. Increase heart rate, increase blood pressure low immunity.

My approach is to train less during high stress times, and to try relax / un stress first, then resume with my training program

[Furbz]

https://humancyclist.wordpress.com/2015/08/02/cycling-recovery-and-stress/

 

an interesting read. feels like the writer was writing about me

 

would love to see a few scientific studies though

[Jewbacca]

Stress..... It will affect you as much as lack of sleep, poor diet and needing to poo....

 

Don't let poor weeks on the bike add to the stress. Anxiety is a slippery slope and once you start being anxious about 1 or 2 things, performance across the board starts waning leading to more anxiety, less productivity and more anxiety..... The cycle is devastating.

 

Just take it on the chin, deal with work, make good small decisions which lead to finishing things and achievable goals, which will alleviate the stress and get you feeling strong and full of oomff again.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Stress..... It will affect you as much as lack of sleep, poor diet and needing to poo....

 

Don't let poor weeks on the bike add to the stress. Anxiety is a slippery slope and once you start being anxious about 1 or 2 things, performance across the board starts waning leading to more anxiety, less productivity and more anxiety..... The cycle is devastating.

 

Just take it on the chin, deal with work, make good small decisions which lead to finishing things and achievable goals, which will alleviate the stress and get you feeling strong and full of oomff again.

^^^ THIS

 

Taking it on the chin may be difficult, but take some time to do some introspection. Those things you can do something about, make an action plan. Do one or two notable things each day to get yourself on the path to reducing that stress / anxiety by being proactive with those things you can change. 

 

Put the things you can't change up as challenges / obstacles to get around / adapt your planning to. 

 

What can you change to make the best of the situation? Maybe it's just one or two things. The Power Of Now is a great tool to help for the short-term targets, and to get the longer term ones going. Something bothering you? Deal with it now. Procrastinating only gets you more anxious because it's a task not yet completed. 

 

Taking time out inside your own brain is also a critical tool. If you're not comfortable with where YOU are, you'll never be entirely comfortable with what you're doing. Prod the bear. Not poke, just a prod. Grapple with that thing you're trying to overcome. Pick it apart. Ask the why / how / what / when / where. Play with it until you're comfortable with it, and can see an opportunity. 

 

Yes, stress impacts everything. But concentrating on those things you can't change pulls you down further. Concentrating on those things you CAN change, pulls you higher. 

 

Taken from my personal experiences.  

Edited May 12, 2020 by Captain Fastbastard Mayhem

[Simon123]

High stress and long hours dont seem to affect my riding at all.   The only thing I have noticed is lack of sleep or bad / broken sleep f*cks me up properly the next day.

 

Oh, and egg and bacon breakfasts before rides.  I am flatter than Jacob Zuma's IQ.

[Furbz]

Stress..... It will affect you as much as lack of sleep, poor diet and needing to poo....

 

Don't let poor weeks on the bike add to the stress. Anxiety is a slippery slope and once you start being anxious about 1 or 2 things, performance across the board starts waning leading to more anxiety, less productivity and more anxiety..... The cycle is devastating.

 

Just take it on the chin, deal with work, make good small decisions which lead to finishing things and achievable goals, which will alleviate the stress and get you feeling strong and full of oomff again.

 

posts like this are why i love the cycling community. thanks Jewbacca 

[The Ouzo]

High stress and long hours dont seem to affect my riding at all.   The only thing I have noticed is lack of sleep or bad / broken sleep f*cks me up properly the next day.

 

Oh, and egg and bacon breakfasts before rides.  I am flatter than Jacob Zuma's IQ.

but high stress and long hours are the norm for you, so your body just accepts it.

[Duane_Bosch]

High stress and long hours dont seem to affect my riding at all.   The only thing I have noticed is lack of sleep or bad / broken sleep f*cks me up properly the next day.

 

Oh, and egg and bacon breakfasts before rides.  I am flatter than Jacob Zuma's IQ.

So you are just lazy then?

[maidenmole]

Thanks for putting this out there Furbz. I think you're spot. I'm technically fresh, but have no legs - RPE is fubar. My HRV has been so low and variable too, which is certainly not training stress related, but defintely life stressor linked. The stress of lockdown is multi-faceted in how I'm feeling it: existential angst around our physiological needs (see Maslow's hierarchy) puts us under immense anxiety, work stress to try and manage workload (or create work for lack of it), homeschooling the kids, all the uncertainty of where to next and limited relatedness that our brains are used to (these are things that neurological put us in an 'away state'). Then there's a crap load of data, information and polarising opinions that we've got to content with too. 

[SCD]

Some thoughts out of my own experience. Maybe it will help.

Stress capacity is certainly a very personal thing. I used to push my stress levels further and further (mainly work) but I had to realize that there is a limit. Going beyond that limit turned my stress into distress, which started to take over my life. 

Now if you train hard you are also creating stress on your body and mind. I found that proper suffering requires a certain space in my mind. If your stress levels are within your 'happy' limits a good workout actually helps me a lot to release stress levels, so I come back refreshed and ready for the daily grind. But when my mind was filled with distress from work, or from home, I found it very difficult to focus on a hard workout and push myself to my maximum. I tried to force it and to overcome that hurdle but it felt like I just added those stresses up and made things worse. 

As Jewbacca said. Take a step back. Focus on small achievable goals and don't let performance statistics add to your stressors. There will be a time for this

[Mongoose!]

High stress and long hours dont seem to affect my riding at all.   

 

then your "stress" is not yet high enough 

['Dale]

Furbz,

 

The major distinction between the professional athlete and the advanced amateur is that the PRO operates in an 'optimal training bubble' and the other guy must factor in occupational stress alongside training stress which then, roughly, equates to total life stress. 

 

So many top end amateurs burn up or fizzle up as they want to live the PRO life with an amateur lifestyle. So, as you may know, roll easy when it's time to go easy and go hard when it's time to go hard. No sweet spot nonsense, where possible, to stay fresh for the hard days and injury-free for race day.

 

As a rough idea as you plan your training ahead, write down in your training diary:

 

1. STRESS LOAD UPCOMING:

What stressors / major off-the-bike challenges is lying ahead for the next 21 days?

 

2. STRESS LOAD WEIGHTING:

How would I rate upcoming stressor in terms of adding to my fatigue, 0-10?

 

3. TWEAKING: In light of this, how do I adjust my training programme for the next 21 days?

[Wayne pudding Mol]

Stress..... It will affect you as much as lack of sleep, poor diet and needing to poo....

 

Don't let poor weeks on the bike add to the stress. Anxiety is a slippery slope and once you start being anxious about 1 or 2 things, performance across the board starts waning leading to more anxiety, less productivity and more anxiety..... The cycle is devastating.

 

Just take it on the chin, deal with work, make good small decisions which lead to finishing things and achievable goals, which will alleviate the stress and get you feeling strong and full of oomff again.

 

great advice as was Fatbastard's but not always easy to action.  Right now so much has been taken out of my control that my anxiety levels are sky high and sleep is tough. I'm usually pretty chilled and I don't even like the current me right now.  Normally I'm my number 1 fan

Jewy, you'll be pleased to know my pooing is at least spot on and regular

 

All of this has resulted in changing my riding - it's now not about goals, it's about being outside and enjoying the time away from reality.  This destresses me a bit and then I can try and attack the mini victories within my control

 

All of the above should be taken from whence it comes - my cycling goals are not like a lot of peoples, enjoyment comes before achievement.  Which is probably why I'm so sh*t but so happy on a bicycle.  Within this framework I do try really hard to better my PB's on hills and circuits I do.

Edited May 12, 2020 by Waynemol

[J Wakefield]

Outside stressors are a big contributor to performance on the bike. Its additional fatigue and notably mental fatigue. As a normal person balancing them is always tricky. Its important to note this and understand how you personally deal with it. For example the last 4 days so far have been really high stress and pressure from a work point, I had planned on doing intervals yesterday, moved them to today and realised this was pointless. So instead just took a easy ride and smelt the roses and today took off. 

If you cannot get quality dont try it as its a waste, shift the focus which in this case would be sorting out the work 1st and then get back to riding. By not enjoying the bike is adding to the negative cycle you in. If you fatigued, you wont hit any PB's which again will add to where you are. 

Foot off the gas, focus on watts important, then get back to enjoying the bike.

This chart here is from a webinar I did last week or the week before, it showed a direct relationship on overall wellness and performance. Athlete reported alot of stress and so forth that week and their performance was in the toilet. 

As reference also, 1 week of sleep restrictions has a negative effect on testosterone levels - this will add to anxiety, health etc 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4445839/

 

Edited May 12, 2020 by J Wakefield

[The Ouzo]

On a related note.

Anyone using a whoop band ?

 

I saw it on GCN, thought it was cool, but upon investigating it turns out rather pricey monthly subscription for someone of my cycling stature