Adaptive Strength Training Principle : “Build Up the training load gradually using common sense and listen to you body”

When you hear this principle I get the feeling like this is just common sense however it’s definitely not common practice.

Here at Adaptive Strength we see an arrange of people with varying injuries who want to get stronger, loose weight or just feel generally athletic and fit. I would say without having actually run an internal study on the numbers that building up the training load gradually is one of the top 2 biggest missed points I see.

The training load refers not only to the weight, sets and reps but also to the mobility and flexibility requirements (Don’t force yourself into positions you are not ready for; develop your range of motion gradually)

A classic story goes like this- Someone in their twenties used to be fairly fit and active playing sports there whole life. Then they start working, having a family and their own health and fitness has to be put on the back burner. 10 or 15 years go by and the kids are older and you have more time to put back into your own health and fitness so you start running 3 times a week. After a couple of weeks your knees start hurting, your back feels tight and ultimately you decide that you need to take a few weeks off running. This is a classic story we hear and is completely understandable as people often try to go straight back into what they could do 10-15 years ago.

What we are suggesting is spending the first few weeks walking before you run. Then in one of the sessions add a jog walk for a couple of weeks. Then keep gradually building up your walk jog capacity over a couple of months before you start running consistency.

The body is an amazing adapting organism you just need to be able to give the body the appropriate time to make the necessary changes. This means not going from 0 to 100 in one week but rather starting lighter then you think you can do and every couple of weeks increasing the difficultly whether it be weight, sets, reps or duration.

Key Takeaways:

• Avoid spikes in training (going from very little to a high amount suddenly)
• Always progressively ramp up training volume slowly and consistently

Even if you are a regular at training if you take a couple of weeks holidays it’s still important to start lighter then you think and build back into it over a few weeks.

This principle applies whether it’s strength training, running, swimming and even flexibility training. The body really is amazing and able to adapt to anything. The key is to take your ego out of the equation, start easier then you think you can do and then gradually build up difficulty over time. There’s no doubt if you follow this principle you’ll decrease your risk of injury, your body will adapt and you will feel stronger and fitter then you ever have