It is so easy to design a workout to bring on a “burn” but training is so much more than feeling the burn. It does not take any particular talent or skill to do mindless exercises that elicit pain, if that is the objective that is not training. Don’t get me wrong in order to force adaptation you have to push the envelope at times, but at other times you need to back off and go easy. In essence that is the yin and yang of training. Harder is not always better. Trust in the wisdom of the body, systematically vary the modes of training and vary the loads. The body will adapt accordingly. That is training.
3 Comments
Paul
Recent training incident (refer KC Star URL) affecting 13 Iowa Hawkeyes football players experiencing potentially life-threatening muscle disorder (exertional rhabdomyolysis) reinforces need for rethinking ‘no pain, no gain’ workout mantra. This University of Iowa incident follows publicized account last August of twenty-two McMinville (Ore.) High School football players stricken with same muscle affliction during conditioning camp.
Provide T&C article ‘Too much, too soon’ excerpts/URL containing further information on possible exacerbating causes and how to reduce risks of exertional rhabdomyolysis.
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In a nutshell, ER is the extensive breakdown of skeletal muscle that can lead to kidney failure and even death. During any challenging workout, muscle damage is expected–we stress our muscles, they break down, then build back up stronger than they were to meet the demands of the stress placed on them. But when that process occurs at a massive rate, some bodies can’t always handle the processes necessary for recovery.
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Ephedra, its closely-related replacement synephrine, and creatine have made the list as possible contributors, too. In one case, a healthy 21-year-old soldier developed ER after a physical fitness test, and admitted to taking two tablets of an herbal supplement containing ephedra daily for a month leading up to the test. The evidence that says creatine supplementation could be at fault for ER is far less substantial. Still, many researchers hypothesize that it could contribute to increased risk.
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from Training & Conditioning website – Training & Conditioning December 2010
T&C article URL http://www.training-conditioning.com/2010/11/26/too_much_too_soon/index.php
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from Kansas City Star website – published January 27, 2011
KC Star article URL http://www.kansascity.com/2011/01/26/2612963/13-iowa-football-players-hospitalized.html#
Vernon Gambetta
This post was not in reference to the situation at University of Iowa. Please do not infer that or try to connect this post with that incident. None of us know any of the details so it is inappropriate to comment. This post was referring to the trend that I have seen in certain commercial programs that have become quite popular in the last several years.
Project Management Course
I agree with you that sometimes “No pain no gain” doesn’t necessarily apply in exercise since the body may be forced that it will not give a favorable outcome in the end. Constant velocity that is nice and slow is much more advisable.