Stress + Rest = Growth.
I want to look at three specific effects of training. So, let’s kick off with a quote from Steve Magness where he gives us the following formula, Stress + Rest = Growth.
The athletes that I coach have certain key workouts every week. These vary greatly in that some are longer low heart rate sessions and some are really tough sessions where heart rate goes through the roof. The important thing to realise is that hard training sessions damage the body. Rest sufficiently after a hard workout and the body repairs itself. The amazing thing is that the repaired body gets stronger than it was before. Much like fractured bone is typically stronger at the end of the healing process than it was before.
Lets break this up a bit further.
What happens immediately after a hard workout? As you de-cleat your shoes off the bike pedals or put your hands on your knees after a tough interval session you body is experiencing the destruction of enzymes and structural proteins in the body.
Enzymes are a type of protein that form a long line of amino acids, folded and coiled many times, generally round in shape.
Structural Proteins are found in tissues such as tendons and ligaments.
The body, given a chance will now begin to rebuild these points of breakdown.
This is where supercompensation comes in. The term, “Supercompensation” is a. One of the coolest terms ever and b. The way you get fit and fast.
So this is how it works.
– you do a tough training session. It’s greater than what your body has been used to doing. Fatigue sets in and your performance declines.
– you get tired. That’s your body telling you to rest, and not your body asking for an energy drink. As you rest up and get your nutrition right with lots of hydration, protein etc, your muscles, tendons, ligaments, liver glycogen stores, brain chemicals, all start to recover.
– now comes the cool part, the supercompensation part. This is where your body builds itself up to a greater level of strength in anticipation for your next hard session.
– You hopefully repeat the process and get stronger, or, you give your body too long a break and it declines in fitness. I know that I sound like a broken record from time to time when I repeat the statement time and time again, “Consistency is Key”. It really is.
Ideally your fitness graph should look something like this –
Got it? Break yourself down, repair to your previous level of strength, allow your body to super compensate and repeat the process.
Stress & Rest, Day & Night, Yin & Yang. Got it?
Get the balance wrong and most athletes will tend to overtrain, suffer from burnout, depression, injury and illness.
Moderate sessions should have you up and ready for more the next day. Tougher sessions should have you ready for more 48 hours later. Racing hard might take a few weeks to recover from, especially if you have been doing a marathon/70.3 or an Ultra marathon/full Ironman.
Bill Bowerman – “Train, don’t strain”.
What Bowerman meant when he said, “Train, don’t strain”, is to respect the stress/recovery relationship. He goes on to write, “The idea that the harder you work, the better you get is just garbage. The greatest improvement is made by the man who works most intelligently.”
How do you recover more quickly?
1. Reject any weird chemical concoction that promises quicker recovery. You can’t and shouldn’t try to caffeine and sugar your way out of tiredness. You are only fooling yourself and will be back at it too soon, and will then get into trouble.
2. Sleep. Have an afternoon nap over the weekend and turn your lights off a bit earlier at night.
3. Get your nutrition right. Lots of healthy foods and sufficient protein.
4. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate – with water, not beer.
5. Take sufficient magnesium, Vitamin C, D etc.
6. Get into the hyperbaric chamber if you can. A nice dose of oxygen will work wonders.
Here is to you and me getting fitter and faster the smart way. Click HERE for more details regarding our coaching programme.
Regards,
Mike Roscoe.
