Do you want to look like an athlete?
Lean and healthy with a well defined toned physique and loads of energy. Well if the answer is yes then maybe its time you started to train like one too. So how do athletes train to get consistent results, ever improving performances and a physique to be envious of. And how can you copy them to get effective weight loss and health benefits?
Consistency Is King
In athletics, or any sport consistency is king. And when it comes to effective weight loss it is equally important, not least for retention so you stick to your goals. No one is going to continue with their training if they don’t see results.
So how do athletes get consistently better? And more to the point how can you get consistent weight loss. The answer lies in training and nutrition, and a principle called the SAID principle – specific adaptation to imposed demand.
SAID Principle
Known as the SAID principle this is what all training and nutrition principles are based upon. It is considered that if you stress the human body to a certain point, and then allow it time and an availability of necessary materials to recover, it will adapt to the demand that has been imposed on it, and rebuild itself with the ability to more easily accommodate the imposed stress in the future.
Specificity therefore is crucial in everything you in your quest for effective weight loss. Your goal in any training you undertake is to elicit an adaptation response from your body, and so it is best to keep the adaptations specific to the the goal you are training for.
Evolutionary adaptation is a physiological change that occurs in the body of any animal in an attempt to survive in the environment in which they live. Changes in your environmental stresses are our training type volume frequency and intensity.
Tangible adaptations in response to these stressors for the endurance athlete may be observed in the form of increased lean muscle mass, body fat reduction, flexibility, coordination and an increase in muscular endurance, strength or power.
In the case of muscular adaptations the body will respond to an imposed demand such as pushing harder, faster or for longer, in order to maintain a sense of equilibrium in the body. Essentially protecting itself the body will increase production of actin and myosin in the muscle allowing the muscle to perform the work more easily (less stressful) in the future once recovery and the adaptation has taken place.
Less tangible results for us will be internal adaptations such as increased bone density and connective tissue strength in response to increased collagen production and osteoblast cell activity, as well as many adaptations of the neuro-muscular, neuro-endocrine, cardiovascular and cardio respiratory systems.
In a nutshell, if you want to the secret to experiencing continued results in health, fitness and body composition then look no further than the SAID principle.
Mix up your routines, keep them specific to your goal and get the rewards in athleticism, great health and aesthetics.
Next Steps
- Check out the online personal training club membership for continued access to effective workouts.
- If you’re struggling to eat and train consistently well you might be interested in coaching.
- For further information on how to eat and live well here is a great resource that gives you actionable points.
- The weight loss cheat sheet below this article is a great start in eating consistently well.
Hope this help,
Nico.