Sports Medicine Advice: Laws of Training Part I

by Jsantos, June 6, 2013

Sports Medicine Advice: Laws of Training Part I

There are numerous training philosophies in the fitness industry. From books and magazines to videos and the internet, the information can be overwhelming. Some work best for strength, others for size. Some for cuts, some for speed. Some for sports, some for fitness. Some for hard gainers, some for beginners. Even if you have time to peruse all of them and adequate knowledge of training science to make informed choices, uncertainty as to which is best can still paralyze you. Science, then, must guide you. After all there is really only one science. But all too frequently, science is misinterpreted, which leads to confusion.

There are well-documented training principles that are important in judging the merits of any training system. There are at least seven overlapping principles upon which all systems must rely if optimum effectiveness in training outcomes is to be expected. Must, but not all, of the training systems available around adhere only to the “Seven Laws”. What determines whether a training system is more or less effective than another lies in how these laws are implemented, how they are used to the best advantage of the trainee and whether or not they are even considered.

The “Seven Laws” of Training

1-) The Principle of Individual Differences

This principle is an acknowledgment that we all have different  responses and adaptations to the stimulus of exercise, but the rate and magnitude of these changes will be limited by our differing genetics. Some are fast and some are slow responders. Some have the avility to reach elite status while others do not. If we have everyone perform the same exercise program, they will all not receive the same benefits at the same rate or to the same extent. This is an important principle to reach to people wishing to start an exercise program to people wishing to start an exercise program or to youngsters just coming into sports. There are two main reasons: 1) Establish realistic goals, and 2) Avoid frustrations when miraculous changes in their bodies do not occur.

2-) The Overcompensation Principle

Calluses build up in your hands as an adaptive response to friction. Muscle fibers grow in size and strength in response to friction. Muscle fibers grow in size and strength in response to training. Lacerated tissue develops scar tissue. All involve Mother Nature”s law of overcompensation for a stress response. In other words, it is nothing beste online casino more than a survival mechanism built into the genetic code of the species.

3-) The Overload Principle

Related to the overcompensation principle is the principle that states that in order to gain strength, muscle size or endurance from any training, you must exercise against a resistance greater than that normally encountered. If you use the same amount of resistance for the same number of repetitions every workout, there will be no continued improvement beyond the point to which your body has already adapted.

The is a built-in problem with this principle. Your body is wonderfully adaptable to stress imposed during training. As you get stronger and stronger, the stress levels required to force added adaption rise to such a height that your recuperative powers cannot keep up. The solution? It is very simple. At this point you must go to a split system of training.Then, perhaps later, a double or triple split. Basically, break your routines into different parts to maximize recovery and keep a positive adaptation process.  The only other solution will be for your training progress to plateau or even worse and begin an overtraining downfall.

Click here for part II. The last four principles.

Surgeon’s Advice | Leon Mead MD Orthopedic Doctor | 730 Goodlette Road North, Suite 201  Naples Florida 34102 | Phone: (239) 262-1119

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