One of the most important principles that guide physical training is the SAID - Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands.
It states that our bodies adapt accordingly to what they’re exposed to, for the good or for the bad. Bones, tendons, muscles, ligaments…they all adapt. For example, if you do impact activities (running, jumping, lifting weights), your bones get denser, your muscles and tendons get stronger and potentially bigger. If you do Yoga or Pilates on a regular basis, your joints increase their range of motion. If on the other hand you sit all day long and don’t exercise, your bones lose density, muscles atrophy and joints lose their range of motion.
This is important to keep in mind when thinking about your training. Of course we all want to get stronger and fitter, but probably we all have some specific things we’d like to improve: better shoulder or hip mobility, increase our ability to run or play a sport, improve our balance, walk faster, etc. And for that to happen, we need to be mindful and disciplined to consistently work on that. We don’t get better at swimming by running. That’s why random training programs (off the internet or magazines) may work well for some, but might be a bad idea for others, because they are not individualized for YOUR needs.
So keep this in mind. If you’re already training 2-3x/wk, you probably are getting general benefits in terms of strength and conditioning. But that might not be enough for your specific needs or goals, which may require some “homework” on a daily basis.
What’s the best homework? It depends on what you want to achieve. For some people might be walking every day, for others stretching, for others working on strengthening the core, for others it might be doing balance drills, etc. Are you doing your homework outside the gym? You better be!
Willian Alba
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