Fun and Fitness: Building blocks to good training
When training, one needs to really take into account an important list of training principles which are essential to reaching one's goal. Think of it like a foundation for a house. The principles are your foundation, and your desired result is the house. Without a strategic set of principles in place, your desired goal will fall apart just like a house without a sturdy foundation. There are several training principles which I will touch upon in the future. However, right now lets concentrate on the three most important principles that every training enthusiast should live by.
Overload: By far the most important principle.
Overload refers to putting the body under stimuli which it is not used to. Only then, will the body adapt and improve. For example, a person looking to increase strength must list loads of resistance that he or she is not normally accustomed to. A person looking to increase cardiovascular strength must challenge the body aerobically in order to induce any sort of gains. Create a strong enough stimulus for yourself and watch your body adapt!
Progressive Overload — Alright, so you inflicted a stimulus on your body and now your body has adapted to it and improved. Now what? Add an even stronger stimulus! That is progressive overload. Our bodies naturally adjust and adapt as we train. We gradually get stronger lifting weights, or improve cardio strength. In order to continually improve, we need to continually progress the overload beyond our comfort levels.
Specificity: Refers to training specifically for whatever it is you are aiming to improve. There are four types of specificity that you should take into account.
1. Muscles trained: concentrate your exercises to be specific to the muscles you wish to strengthen.
2. Movement pattern: always consider joint angles, movement velocity and types of muscle actions.
3. Range of motion: focus on performing exercise through full range in order to recruit all muscle fibres for maximum strength and growth.
4. Energy system: participate and train in activities accordingly which will improve you aerobically or anaerobically, depending on your goals.
It may all sound like common knowledge, but you'd be amazed at how many people neglect such important details. Now go get specific, overload and progressively overload a little more!
Overload refers to putting the body under stimuli which it is not used to. Only then, will the body adapt and improve. For example, a person looking to increase strength must list loads of resistance that he or she is not normally accustomed to. A person looking to increase cardiovascular strength must challenge the body aerobically in order to induce any sort of gains. Create a strong enough stimulus for yourself and watch your body adapt!
Progressive Overload — Alright, so you inflicted a stimulus on your body and now your body has adapted to it and improved. Now what? Add an even stronger stimulus! That is progressive overload. Our bodies naturally adjust and adapt as we train. We gradually get stronger lifting weights, or improve cardio strength. In order to continually improve, we need to continually progress the overload beyond our comfort levels.
Specificity: Refers to training specifically for whatever it is you are aiming to improve. There are four types of specificity that you should take into account.
1. Muscles trained: concentrate your exercises to be specific to the muscles you wish to strengthen.
2. Movement pattern: always consider joint angles, movement velocity and types of muscle actions.
3. Range of motion: focus on performing exercise through full range in order to recruit all muscle fibres for maximum strength and growth.
4. Energy system: participate and train in activities accordingly which will improve you aerobically or anaerobically, depending on your goals.
It may all sound like common knowledge, but you'd be amazed at how many people neglect such important details. Now go get specific, overload and progressively overload a little more!
