Ahhh, stress. Who wants some more? Anyone? Well, the kind of stress that I’m going to be talking about, you absolutely need more of.
There is a basic principle that your body naturally follows when demands are placed on it. The S.A.I.D principle is one of the most important fundamental concepts in training. It stands for “Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands.” Basically what that means is when the body is under a form of repeated, Specific stress, it Adapts to withstand the increasing Demands placed on the body, so you can better deal with the stress. This stress could be physical, as in heavier weights, increased running mileage, increased running speed, or improved coordination. For example, a golfer needs finely tuned motor skills, explosive power, concentration, and patience as well as many other mental and physical abilities during an 18-hole round.
The only way to improve on these is to repeatedly stress the body by playing more golf or using other powerful techniques to increase aptitude. There is a catch, though. The body needs the right amount of stress and it needs to be progressive. Too much stress can be damaging, causing injury, burnout, or over-training. On the other hand, too little stress, and the body will not adapt or see progress. If the Average Joe took on Tiger Woods’ training regimen, he might increase the possibility of injury, or worse, he might never want to golf ever again. Tiger has been training progressively for his entire life to a point where his training regimen is extremely demanding.
This principle applies directly to weight training and fitness. Each time you train, the stress must change slightly and in a specific, progressive pattern. If it does not, no adaptation will occur, therefore, no result will be seen. The key word here is specific. The demands put on your body must be specific to your goal. If your goal is to drive the golf ball further, you wouldn’t go out and putt everyday to get better at it. Rather, you would work on explosive core rotator muscles and practice driving. It’s the same concept in fitness. If your goal is to lose belly fat, get leaner and have a faster metabolism, you need to lift heavier, push harder and run faster. ‘Nuff S.A.I.D.
