The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Do what you’ve always done and get what you’ve always got.

If you’re not trying anything new within your fitness program, don’t expect any positive changes.

Your body’s goal is to develop so well that it can stop changing itself to meet the demands you place on it. Your goal is to keep placing new stresses on your body so that it continues to change favorably towards your fitness goal.

To understand your body’s ability to adapt towards reaching your goals you need to understand how your body reacts to stress (general adaptation syndrome).

Three bodily responses to internal (muscular) tension/stress:

Alarm reaction (a necessary stimulus to change)
-Demands are imposed on your body which it is inefficient at dealing with. (This is when you “push” yourself and experience extreme soreness)

Resistance Development (GOOD)
-Your body is “alarmed”, given proper rest and nutrition, and as a result increases its functional ability to deal with the imposed stressors.

Plateau (BAD)
-Your body’s resistance level rises to meet the needs of your program. Your body has achieved its goal. Whether or not you have reached yours, this is where your body stops moving forward.

Exhaustion (UGLY)
-Prolonged time in a given program or intolerable stresses upon the body create stress overload. Stress overload can result in strains, joint pain, fractures, and emotional fatigue.

It will be necessary not only to vary your fitness program periodically (3-6 weeks) but also to choose certain workout sessions to push yourself beyond your limits. The goal of the fitness enthusiast; and the chief aim of the fitness professional, is to facilitate superior results by building resistance development through challenging demands without reaching traumatic exhaustion.

In short; keep changing it up, know when to push and when to pull back, and don’t be afraid to try something new. A good car needs a gas pedal and a brake. Knowing when to use both will get you where you need to go safely and reliably.