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Iron Eater!
Join Date: Feb 2006
Age: 37
Posts: 388
BodyBlog Entries: 0
BodyPoints: 245
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Training Principles
Alright, here is the last of these 'articles' that has been sitting on my computer for a few months (I had planned on doing 6 or 7 in a series but got lazy) again it is long and doesn't have much to do with actual exercises, but it does apply to exercises because various exercises work to varying degrees for each individual....
The Science of You: Bwahahaha
Scientific method
n: a method of investigation involving observation and theory to test scientific hypotheses
Ah yes, we could pontificate on the abundance of subject matter, both intelligent and ignorant, on the application of force on varying masses connected to iron for what would register as an infinity. And quite sadly we may still come to the conclusion that there are varying hypothesis regarding the quite elusive subject.
What??? It only took me about 45 minutes to write that…now enough of the ridiculousness; let me write something that might help!
We are all scientists, maybe mad scientists, when it comes to strength training, lifting weights, weight training, body building, power lifting, whatever it is you do in the gym. I truly mean this, let me explain…
As the above definition states, the scientific method basically means coming up with a theory, testing it to see if it works, and if not, figuring out what to do to make it work. Through this process we gain experience, and when adding this to a little science, we eventually find the right mix! If that isn’t what we do in the gym then give me an umbrella and tap shoes and call me Sally! Here is the deal though, some of us are much better at using the scientific method than others because we understand some basic training principles. Some that come to mind, The overload principle, the General Adaptation Syndrome, the Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands principle, the Specificity Principle…there are many more, however the one that I want to focus on, and hence the title and beginning of this article, is the Principal of Individual Differences.
The Principal of Individual differences is so unflinchingly important I think it deserves the attention of every single person who ever sets foot into our little Iron World. It holds each lifter accountable for his/her tremendous accomplishments, crushing failures, or mediocre wallowing when it comes to training. Quite simply the Principle of Individual differences is:
understanding that we all respond and adapt to exercise stimulus in similar fashion, but the rate and magnitude of the changes will not be the same. Each individual has to be able to understand how they respond to various types of exercise in order to determine what works best. And then must continue to adjust when the current stimulus is not effective or as effective as it was during previous training sessions.
The other principles are important because of the first part of the above paragraph…(we all respond and adapt to exercise stimulus in similar fashion)…we have to understand them to give ourselves somewhat of a head start when beginning training…but similar doesn’t mean exactly the same, and so here is where the Principle of Individual Differences shines.
As guys who spend our days caressing the iron (that's so dirty), we must have a basic understanding of the principles, but after this the mad scientist should be ready to stir up a bubbling cauldron of success. The scientific method is now our training partner behind the scenes, our silent partner, our money man, ok, can’t think of anything else right now… Based on what we have learned through the other principles, we should be able to come up with a pretty good hypothesis of what will work for us. Now all we have to do is design a plan to test our hypothesis. Sure we might find out that we are way off…hey that’s science…but now we make adjustments to the plan, and forge on with great determination until we begin to find the results that make our hearts go pitter-patter with grand excitement, our lats spread like a horny peacock, and our pecs swell like an angry ocean! And here is some great news, if you pay attention to your training, determining what works for you becomes easier with experience.
There are so many variables when it comes to each individual: muscle fiber type, body type, previous training, how they were raised, exposure to different sports, the list could continue to grow. All of these will affect each trainee’s response to training frequency, varying rep ranges, varying training percentages, certain exercises, methods of training; once again the list could grow.
So what am I trying to tell all you mad scientists? Gain a basic understanding of many of the principles of training, and then realize that due to individual differences it is your responsibility to determine what will give you the best results. That is not to say that you won’t have mentors and coaches along the way, but ultimately it is up to you. Good luck and good lifting.
Lights go out….crowd cheers....chants of one more song, one more song……big explosion….crowd goes wild…..time for one more…..being a rock star would be cool!
Ok, I’m back, Don’t worry, I’m in no way implying that I’m a rock star, or that this information needs an encore, but since I mentioned a lot of training principles above, figured I might as well give a little summary of each. These are adapted from Dr. Fred Hatfield (Dr. Squat) and are my interpretations of the principles (let’s hope they are right!!!)
Overload – Quite simply, in order to experience continued gains (strength, size, endurance), you must employ a resistance that is more difficult than what you are used to. Problem, you can’t do this for ever, our bodies are too good at adapting, therefore we have to use this principle some of the time, not all the time.
Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands (SAID) – You are what you eat….in other words, you have to train according to your goal because your body will adapt very specifically to the nature of the training. For example, if you want to gain limit strength, you cannot go about this effectively by doing sets of 10 reps, you need to train near your 1RM for a majority of your training. Furthermore, it should be understood that because of the SAID principle you cannot achieve maximum potential if focusing on more than 1 goal, if you want to become a competitive bodybuilder and tri-athlete, you can, but you won’t be very good at either! A less extreme example, you want to get strong and big, you can work on both with some success, but in order to excel you have to pick one or the other.
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) – Originated by Dr. Hans Seyle, the GAS is comprised of 3 stages, 1) alarm – caused by intense training stress, 2) resistance – body adapts to the training, 3) Exhaustion – If we continue applying the stress, our body will exhaust and training will have to cease. Stage 1 and 2 are alright in my book, stage 3 is not so good, in order to avoid it we have to incorporate both higher intensity and lower intensity training periods during the course of our training program.
Specificity – You must move from foundational to more specialized training. As your body becomes more capable, you must learn to adjust your training to specifically target the goal. This could be an athletic or a general fitness goal, it doesn’t matter.
As I stated above, there are a lot of principles that can be used as guidelines. Remember though, you are the one who has performed the most research on the science of you! You know your body better than anyone else, so use these guidelines to design a program that allows you to effectively reach your goals. Good luck and good training!
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My goal with these and the other two I've posted is to provide a little entertainment and a little knowledge.
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