Training Cycles and Adaptations
Due to lack of knowledge, many individuals who make a commitment to fitness quit early on because of a lack of results. Do not despair! Within 6-12 weeks, a person who is training at a consistent schedule should notice some obvious changes in their body composition. It is important to remain persistent, even if you do not see any immediate outcomes.
Recuperation
While many of us are aware of the benefits of active exercise, many tend to ignore the necessity of a resting period between workouts. When we exercise, we are effectively making microscopic tears to our muscle fibres. By resting, our body's naturally synthesizes muscle fibres from nutrients we take in to repair these tears. . Evidently, this recovery stage is essential to a successful training program. The more intense a workout, the more time needed for recuperation.
The following chart can we used as an outline for the suggested period of rest.
Activity |
Hours of Rest |
Cordiorespiratory Endurance |
12-24 hours |
Muscular Endurance |
24-48 hours (per muscle group) |
Muscular Strength |
48-72 hours (per muscle group) |
Flexibility |
N/A |
Ceiling Effect
Despite our potential to physically progress, each of us is genetically limited in the amount we can improve. This predisposed curb is known as the ceiling effect. Essentially, the further you are from your ceiling limit, the greater your improvement. The closer you reach to your limit, the less prominent your gains.
Maintenance
Once you have achieved a desired training effect, it is possible to maintain that level of physique at a reduced frequency of training (while maintaining the same intensity and duration). Competitive athletes can also add in periods of lower volume training for time to focus on upcoming events and to avoid overtraining.
