Changes in stress and recovery in elite rowers during preparation for the Olympic Games.

PURPOSE The purpose was to investigate changes in stress and recovery during preparation for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. METHODS Eleven elite rowers of the German National Rowing Team completed four times the Recovery-Stress-Questionnaire for Athletes (RESTQ-Sport). The eight rowers who competed at the Olympic Games filled out the RESTQ-Sport a fifth time, 2 d before the preliminaries. RESULTS Trend parameters revealed significant alterations of somatic components of stress (Lack of Engery, Somatic Complaints, Fitness/Injury) and recovery factors (Fitness/Being in Shape) over time that mirrored the average length of daily extensive endurance training sessions. Significant changes in the scales Conflicts/Pressure and Social Relaxation reflected interpersonal processes within the team. CONCLUSIONS The importance of balancing training stress and recovery for an optimal performance development is highlighted as well as the potential of the RESTQ-Sport for training monitoring.