Results matter. Whether it is our own training or programs
for our clients, after investing the time, effort, and money, the point is to
produce positive changes. Unless there is an immediate deadline such as a
contest or special event, making training decisions for the maximum long term
benefit will produce the greatest results overtime.
We must understand how and why the body adapts to exercise
to develop a quality program. Additionally, determining the correct starting
point is an absolute necessity. Unfortunately, many training clients start with
such a low level of general fitness many common programs are simply too much
for them. Using progressive overload and bringing the workouts to their level
can do wonders in helping them to make lifestyle changes.
The process of change
Change happens slowly. It is the result of the interplay of
stimulus and recovery. This can be
applied to the whole system or just to smaller components such as muscles and
joints. It also has effects on trainable qualities like strength and speed.
When balanced correctly the desired improvements happen.
Progressive overload is the practical application of the
general adaptation theory. To get the best results for beginning clients this
must be understood and followed. As professionals, why we choose exercises and
loading needs to be specific, deliberate, and part of a larger plan.
Important concepts
General adaptation syndrome (GAS) was proposed by Hans Selye
in the 1950s, it explains how change happens in a living being. The simple
version is when a stimulus is applied to the body, the body reacts to mediate
the effects. If the stimulus is large or frequent the body will change to
minimize any effect from future exposures to it. Some stimuli are too large and
cannot be adapted to. This will cause death of the exposed tissue. For example
with enough mechanical overload muscle cells will rupture.
Super compensation is a commonly cited explanation of how
this happens via training. Essentially wear yourself down, recover, and become
awesome. Repeat this process often enough and you become the baddest on the
block. This can be too simple, leading to poor training choices like going to
absolute failure. Unfortunately, just going and getting tired only works for a
short period of time. But because it works at all, these poor training choices
stick around for too long.
Progressive overload is a way to use all of this and
continue to make long term gains. It really is simple. Pick a specific task to
get better at. Do some of the task, rest, later do slightly more of the task.
If this process is done specifically with consistent small increases,
tremendous improvements of the trained quality can happen. It won’t work
forever, but it does work for a very long time. When simple progressive
overload no longer works it is time for complex programming using percentages
and cycling volume and intensity.
Common programming errors
There are common faults coaches and trainers make which can
fall on opposite ends of the spectrum; the trainer gets lost in minutia of
correctives and stability based programming or they take pride in destroying
the person who came for help. Each fault decreases the effectiveness of the programs
people pay us for. Our profession requires many skills. Understanding when to
do what, and why it is important is an absolute necessity for a coach. Just
doing trendy exercises or trying to fill out an hour because that’s how much
time the client bought is not programming.
Doing too much total
work
Yes working hard will produce better results than slacking,
but the rate of adaption of specific qualities is limited. Think of it this
way, when a stimulus is applied the body adapts to it, meaning future exposures
of the same stimulus will produce no further adaptations. Example; a new trainee
starts a program of 1*5 on bench every other day adding 5lbs to the bar each
time. Because the trainee is just starting the 5lb increase is enough work to get stronger.
This very simple program might even continue to produce strength gains for
months. It works because only the amount of stimulus required to produce the
adaptation is provided.
If instead of 1*5 we started the new trainee with 5*5 would
he get better results? No, it would be pushing someone in a lake when they
asked for a sip of water. Strength would go up at a similar rate, but the
adaptation happened with a bigger stimulus. To produce the next strength
adaptation an even bigger stimulus is needed. This is how people hit a plateau
early in their training careers. The important concept is “minimum effective
dose.” Spend the rest of the training time working on other qualities.
When less stimulus is applied, there is less wear and tear
to recover from. Shorter recovery time allows for a greater training frequency.
Specific qualities can only improve so much from a single training session.
Once the training stimulus reaches the threshold needed to produce the desired
adaptation, doing more work will not create a bigger change of the specific
quality. Greater frequency allows these small improvements to add up quickly.
Programming ADHD
Doing something different every time can keep the workouts
interesting. However, it won’t get the best results for the trainee. Without
measurable standards how do we know what improved and what should be done next?
There are short term changes produced from just doing work; fat loss, improved
conditioning, but these are not durable and will go away if the workouts cease.
Durable adaptations are structural (denser muscles, increased circulatory
capacity) and neurological (skill patterns, ability to recruit more fibers
faster) even after a period of inactivity much of these changes persist. The
durable qualities require repeated exposes to develop. Changing the exercises
too often does not allow for this.
Adding complexity not
intensity
The example of this would be going from squats to squats on
a bosu ball. It is a more difficult version but does not add specific overload.
Overload causes adaptation, randomness can burn energy but there is nothing
regular for the body to recognize and prepare for with adaptation.
To design a training plan there has to be progressions such
as weight, volume, leverages, and rest periods are all important variables. Structuring
a series of workouts to build upon each other requires an understanding of what
the exercise is doing to the many systems of the body. The size of the change
between exposures determines if the series of workouts will collectively
produce a greater response. If the change in the nature of the exposure is too
great it is now a novel stimulus.
In the example of bosu ball squats, the exercise will not
require an increase in force production from the prime movers. Neurologically
muscles are not activated in the same pattern. And the point of force application
is physically different. This exercise will burn energy, but adding the
complexity of the unstable surface does nothing to improve the squat or make
substantial changes to the trained muscles.
Other problems with overworking
- Increased hunger - Often a sudden or prolonged period of greatly increased workload will cause excessive hunger and cravings.
- Lower general activity levels - Fatigue or soreness causes a trainee to stop or reduce other activities and increase time spent sitting.
- Irritability - “I’m tired. Leave me alone.”
- Decreased performance - Training near max output produces great results. While it can take a new trainee many months to build up to it, max output can only be sustained for short bursts. With increasing fatigue, speed and quality of movement decreases. Trying to train when tired or under-recovered does not allow for pushing to the max output threshold thus stunting potential performance gains.
- Fatigue produces bad technique - Quality of movement matters. Every rep has an effect on the associated movement pattern. If performed tired or focusing on the clock, the quality of a movement will decrease. If the majority of training time is spent in this fashion, the trainee will be practicing mostly bad reps. Do this long enough and poor form will be locked in and require significant retraining to be changed.
Work hard, but more importantly work smart. One workout is
never enough, it takes a series of deliberate workouts to reach a goal.
