FRI: What Drives Adaptation?

Adaptation is the entire purpose of a training program, to create enough stress on the body to where it favorably adapts to the stimulus you are providing it. Adaptation can arrive in the form of strength gains, reduction of body fat, improved endurance, larger muscles, smaller waistlines, or any other favorable performance or aesthetic goal you wish to achieve in the gym.

We hear the word stress and we likely think of negative connotations attached to it. However, not all stress is created equal. There is distress, which is negative stress, and there is is eustress, which is positive stress. Training can go either way for you. If you’re overtraining and running yourself into the ground then you’ll be in a distressed state. However, if you are dosing load and intensity properly, and providing adequate recovery then you’ll be in a state of eustress.

The beauty of adaptation is that it doesn’t really care about our goals. Nearly every single one of them will benefit from the following:

Load – There’s very few performance goals on Earth that don’t benefit from progressively lifting heavier weights. Every goal possible in our gym requires you do this to see optimal results.

Intensity – If you settle into the same output everyday, your body has no reason to adapt, thus adaptation will not occur.

Volume – Performing more of something may help. However, I must note that aside from muscle growth, I am not a major fan of volume-based adaptation (See yesterday’s post).

Density – Perhaps my favorite form of creating adaptation. Density is the product of how much you do in a given time frame.

Recovery – I list this as a driver of adaptation because without it, we don’t allow homeostasis to occur and we don’t let gains sink in

If you want results from a program, you must force adaptation. Typically, this means gradually going heavier and increasing intensity levels, combined with at least two days of total rest and recovery per week.

-Dave

Friday, 5.25.18

First. For Structure.
5/s DB Bulgarian Split Squats
5/s Floor Wipers
*3 Rds in 12’
—
Then. For More Structure.
10 DB Bench Press
80m Farmer’s Walk
*3 Rds in 12’
—
Then. For Conditioning. For Time.
2-4-6-8-10
10-8-6-4-2
Burpees
Goblet Lunges