Back in 1991 in the middle of the Arizona desert the Biosphere 2 project was being conducted.
The Biosphere 2 project was created as a research tool for scientists to study Earth’s living systems, and it allowed scientists to play with farming and innovation in a way that didn’t harm the planet.
During the 2 year experiment a very interesting discovery was made regarding the tree that grew inside the Biosphere.
The trees inside Biosphere 2 grew rapidly, more rapidly than they did outside of the dome, but they also fell over before reaching maturation.
This baffled the scientist. Why did all the trees fall over before reaching maturity?
They believed the conditions in the Biosphere were almost perfect. The temperature, humidity, water was all scientifically maintained, to be what they believed was ideal for optimal grow.
And in a way they were correct… but… there was one thing missing…
What the scientist discovered was that it was the lack of wind or another way to put it, it was the lack of stress placed on the trees due to no wind in the Biosphere that caused the trees to fall over before reaching maturity.
Without wind the trees did not develop a solid foundation and root system. Therefor they could not support themselves fully. They could withstand normal wear and tear, and survive. In other words, the trees needed some stress in order to thrive in the long run.
How true is this when it comes to human beings. We too need some stress in order to thrive in the long run.
And… how true is this when it comes to exercise, training and fitness!
But what is the ideal amount of stress?
Let’s imagine a young tree. It is starting to grow, but the foundations and root system is not fully developed and the truck is thin. If this tree is exposed to a gentle consistent breeze everyday, what do you think will happen? More than likely it will thrive. Now let’s imagine a severe storm comes through with strong winds.
What do you think will happen?
It maybe able to weather the storm, but even if it does, you would imagine it would have broken branches, possibly even slightly uprooted and a little tipped over. But it can fight on for another day.
Let’s says it is a particular bad winter and we have storm after storm for 2-3 months.
Now, what do you think would have happened to the tree?
More than likely the truck snapped or it became completely uprooted from the ground.
Bye bye young tree…
Let’s imagine, instead of a young tree it is a person young in exercise, training and fitness experience. They have either never trained in their life, or it has been many years since they have trained.
They go join one of those high intensity interval training large style group training gyms. Every class is random, every class in high impact, high intensity. This is just like the storm the young tree experienced.
Just like the young tree, this person can survive the first few training sessions. They will pull up stiff and sore, maybe even start experience niggles.
But after a few months, what do you think happens?
Those niggles turn into constant pain, the constant pain turns into chronic injuries and within only a few short months they need to quit training…
Bye bye person young in exercise, training and fitness experience.
So, what is the best way to thrive for the long term?
Just like the young tree, you need a consistent gentle breeze.
This is where an individualise approach, smart programming and personal training comes in.
Training a couple of days a week to build strength, resilience and fitness. Each session builds up the previous session, to give your body just the right amount of stress so it can adapt and get stronger.
Learning how to do the exercises correctly and safely is like building a very solid foundation and root system that will support you as you grow.
Think of the trunk of the tree as the core of your body. The stronger this is the more resilient you will be.
This is the best way to get fitter, stronger, healthier and be pain free.
No one wants to be in a storm everyday, so don’t treat your exercise and training like this.
Find a smarter and consistent approach that will enable you to thrive for the long term.
If you would like to learn more about our smarter approach to exercise and functional training to build strong resilient bodies, click the link below to arrange a quick chat with head Coach Sam.
Book a quick chat with Sam here.
