To examine the key to success in exercise we must first review our definition of exercise. We are defining exercise as mindful movement or activity performed for the specific purpose of stimulating a positive physical adaption as effectively, safely, and efficiently as possible.
The key to effective exercise is balancing and optimizing the stress/stimulus of exercise with the recovery. This process can be succinctly described by the acronym ASAR.
Appropriate Stress Adequate Recovery
We do not get better directly as a result of the stimulus/stress of exercise, but rather indirectly during the recovery and adaption phase.
A great model to look at the balance between stress and recovery was developed in the 1930’s by Hans Selye. This model is known as the General Adaptation Syndrome or GAS for short. It is a model to look at how we respond to stress in general. It consist of three stages.
1. Alarm
2. Resistance
3. Exhaustion
The alarm stage is when your body and/or mind interprets something as a danger or stressor and responds by secreting stress hormones such as adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol to help deal with the impending threat. The resistance stage occurs when this threat is perceived to persist beyond the initial threat. Lastly, the exhaustion stage occurs when the stress continues until the body can no longer adapt and eventually begins to break down.
This model can be used for all types of stress including exercise. When it comes to exercise, we need to provide a stressor to set in motion an adaptive response, but we also need to recover and super compensate for that stress to be beneficial. This positive adaptation to a stressor is known as a hormetic response. Of course, this is the response we are looking for.
Training in and of itself is a negative stressor. It is the bodies adaption to the stress that we seek. This is an underlying principle among all successful training programs no matter how different the method. Training success is largely a matter of balancing this stress with recovery.
Over the course of the next month I will be giving some tips on how to find the balance and maximize its effect.