Hans Selye G.A.S princip

[Thomas J]

Nu Lars Nielsen nævner Dr. Hans Selye´s bog "Stress of Life", så kommer jeg til at tænke på et interessant indlæg fra et amerikansk træningsforum. Det skal ikke menes som et HIT fjendsk indlæg, men udelukkende et kritisk syn på HIT fortaleres anvendelse af Selye´s G.A.S (general adaption syndrome) princip. HIT fortalere, specielt Mike Mentzer, har tit henvist til dette princip. Jeg synes det er en god analytisk vinkel forfatteren af indlægget har taget. Prøv selv at læs:

"It's not all that hard really to understand how to get bigger. Where I think the problem lies -and this is especially true with High Intensity Trainees- is that folks believe that as they get stronger they need to lower the volume and/or frequency of their training as a result. In my opinion, this is a self-limiting endeavour. As one becomes more advanced, he actually needs to *increase* volume or frequency, or both.

Think of it this way... a little stress phys in a nutshell.

1/ According to High Intensity Training, effort is the growth stimulus. More specifically, training to-failure, viz., high intensity effort.

2/ Under the stress model (the G.A.S.) -which Mike Mentzer so often quoted- stress is general, but the form it takes is always specific. Therefore sunrays, physical work, worry, exercise, etc. all extoll a general stress on the body. However, the body's responses to these stressors is always specific. In other words, going out in the sun doesn't stimulate the body to grow larger muscles... much the same as throwing down a few workouts doesn't give you a tan.

3/ A stressor, under the model, places a certain amount of specific demands on the body. The magnitude of any set of demands is determined by the intensity of the demands, the volume of the demands, and the frequency with which one is exposed to those demands.

4/ Supplementing the model with the Principle of Progressive Overload, and we are shown that in order to force an adaption, the magnitude of one's loading (demands) must somehow exceed previous demands. Again, 'magnitude' is nothing but a measure of the volume, intensity and/or frequency of the demands. Since stress is additive, one can increase demands and create overload with an increase in any one -or combination- of these factors.

Now, for the interesting stuff:

5/ Intensity according to High Intensity theorists is defined as a “percentage of momentary muscular effort”. Therefore, under the H.I.T definition one is limited in his application by the finite nature of “intensity” (i.e., The most this value can ever be is one-hundred percent (100%), or maximum effort). This implies that the intensity of any training stimulus is relative to the trainee’s level of effort. In other words, so long as one is training with maximal effort -whether he can bench 200lbs or 400lbs- the intensity is the same.

6/ The above (#5) has problems when resolved with the Principle of Progressive Overload if volume and frequency are kept the same, or lowered. This is because, taken to its logical conclusion, as long as one is training maximally each workout... increasing the weight one lifts does not increase intensity! Instead it only ensures that intensity stays the same (i.e., at one-hundred percent, or maximum effort). The fact that the load has changed is of no consequence. A heavier load is only a means to get one to demonstrate maximum effort at some optimum rate in the face of his increased strength. But remember, according to HIT it is the quality of relative effort that is important, and creates overload and stimulates adaptation- NOT the load! Therefore, increased strength -without more- has not increased intensity of one's loading. Therefore, under the G.A.S. model, overload has not been achieved. Hence, no adaptation.

If you are having trouble following, consider this example. It’s like getting a suntan. The UVB radiation in sunlight (stressor)makes us tan (adaptation). For all intents and purposes, with respect to the tanning stimulus, sunlight represents maximum intensity since one cannot increase the intensity of sunlight (unless he grabs a magnifying glass… ouch!). Of course, one might get tan from ‘x’ amount of exposure to the sun, but since sunlight cannot be increased in intensity, to go beyond ‘x’ requires one to expose himself for longer periods. And when the skin adapts to these singular bouts of exposure, one’s only recourse is to then expose himself more frequently.

Certainly, if a sunworshipper could somehow knock the earth a few feet closer to the sun -and in doing that increase the intensity of the sun’s rays- he could get tanner without increasing these other variables. But until that day, the simple fact is that if one wishes to get a maximum tan -since intensity of sunlight is finite- he must resort to longer or more frequent exposures. Stress is stress. Training effort is no different. Effort creates the stimulus for size and strength. And since a single effort cannot extend beyond maximal effort, i.e., to failure, the intensity of any singular stimulus can always only be the same passed a certain point.

Therefore, if one cannot increase intensity, then he can only increase the magnitude of the demands of training by more total effort, or more frequent effort - or BOTH. This is a very important point. Stress is additive, and if a higher level of stress (intensity) cannot be achieved, more total stress is needed to increase demands. It’s simple mathematics. In the absence of sufficiently taxing total demands, progressive overload will not be achieved.

Essentially, this divines that the volume and frequency of one's protocol must less and less reflect his previous training as time goes on, and must somehow be increased - since the quality of training can be increased only so much. This is not to say that throwing down Bill Kazmeier's 70 set workout (as per the Met-Rx commercial) is ideal for everybody. Only that over time, one's training should more or less reflect heading in that general direction, instead of the opposite.

As a result, it is not necessarily a high volume routine that is evil in and of itself, but the method of one's approach to that volume. i.e., his rate of increase of volume and frequency. If you start off too high, or increase the variables too quickly - you will overtrain. Unfortunately, people erroneously conclude that it is the volume of what they did in and of itself that caused the overtraining. They have no concept that they might have just did too much too quickly. A more rational approach is needed. Hey, it took Jerry Rice years before his training approached 6 days a week, 6+ hours per day in the offseason. He worked up to that amount. And drugs or not, I'm sure the same thing is true about Kaz.

Anyway, this is my $.02... well, maybe $.03.

Cheers,

WJA"

Tankevækkende ik´ :)

Thomas