Method of preventing overtraining, or determining the appropriate amount of exercise

A non-therapeutic method of preventing overtraining in a subject, or of determining the appropriate amount of exercise for a subject, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a sample from an exercising subject not experiencing negative effects of exercise;
• (b) measuring ex vivo the concentration(s) of one or more metabolite(s) from the group comprising or consisting of citrate, alpha-hydroxybutyrate, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and L-cysteine, in the sample provided, to obtain a baseline or baselines;
• (c) providing a sample from the subject, after the subject's exercise intensity, exercise frequency and/or exercise volume has been increased, or when experiencing negative effects of exercise;
• (d) measuring ex vivo the concentration of the same metabolite(s) as in step (b);
• (e) determining the deviation(s) of the concentration(s) in d) from the baseline(s);
• and
• (f) making a decision, based on the deviation(s) in step (e), as to increasing or decreasing the exercise intensity, exercise frequency, and/or exercise volume, or to stay at the same level as expressed in step (c)

A non-therapeutic data collection method comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a sample from an exercising subject not experiencing negative effects of exercise;
• (b) measuring ex vivo the concentration(s) of one or more metabolite(s) from the group comprising or consisting of citrate, alpha-hydroxybutyrate, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and L-cysteine, in the sample provided, to obtain a baseline or baselines;
• (c) providing a sample from the subject, after the subject's exercise intensity, exercise frequency and/or exercise volume has been increased, or when experiencing negative effects of exercise;
• (d) measuring ex vivo the concentration(s) of the same metabolite(s) as in step (b);
• (e) determining the deviation(s) of the concentration(s) in step (d) from the baseline;
• and
• (f) feeding deviation data from step (e) into a database.

A non-therapeutic computer system configured to perform a performance optimization method, the method comprising steps of:

• (a) providing a sample from an exercising subject not experiencing negative effects of exercise;
• (b) measuring ex vivo the concentration of one or more metabolite(s) from the group comprising or consisting of citrate, alpha-hydroxybutyrate, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and L-cysteine, in the sample provided, to obtain a baseline or baselines;
• (c) providing a sample from the subject, after the subject's exercise intensity, exercise frequency and/or exercise volume has been increased, or when experiencing negative effects of exercise;
• (d) measuring ex vivo the concentration(s) of the same metabolite(s) as in step (b);
• (e) determining the deviation(s) of the concentration(s) in step (d) from the baseline;
• and
• (f) optimizing the exercise intensity/volume, exercise frequency, and/or exercise volume, based on the deviation(s) in step (e).