Stretch Yourself

Practical Application of Principles of Training, Part V

by Thomas Kurz, author of Stretching Scientifically, Secrets of Stretching, Science of Sports Training, and co-author of Basic Instincts of Self-Defense.

This is the forty-seventh installment of my column on training.

To read the previous installment click here.

In previous columns I wrote about principles of individualization and accessibility of training, of gradual increase of loads, and of continuity and systematicness in the training process. In this column I will show how another principle, that of economy of effort, applies in training.

The principle of economy of effort is about using the least training load necessary to deliver a desired result, for example, to develop or maintain any ability or skill.

This means using the load at the low part of the “training zone.” Using the least training load that still delivers the desired improvement or maintains achieved form decreases chances of injury and overtraining. The training zone is wider and extends lower for beginners than for advanced athletes. For strength exercises the training zone for beginners may start at 20% of an athlete's personal best (Siff and Verkhoshansky 1999; Zatsiorsky 1995) and at 80% for advanced (Wathen 1994a). For aerobic fitness the training zone starts at 45% of maximum aerobic capacity for beginners and higher for advanced (McArdle, Katch, and Katch 1991). Onset of blood lactate accumulation normally occurs between 55% and 65% of maximal oxygen uptake in untrained and over 80% in highly trained endurance athletes (McArdle, Katch, and Katch 1991).

This principle applies also to frequency of workouts and volume of work. An athlete who does fewer workouts to develop or maintain a given ability has more energy and time for developing other abilities and skills. McArdle, Katch, and Katch (1996) give an example of maximal oxygen uptake improvement achieved with 10 weeks of training 40 minutes a day, 6 days a week. That improvement was maintained for the following 15 weeks just as effectively by exercising 2 days per week as by exercising 4 days per week. (In all cases the workouts were 40 minutes long.)

Research by Costill et al. (1991) showed that swimmers who worked out twice daily and swam more than 10,000 m (10,936 yd.) per day made the same improvements as swimmers who worked once per day and swam approximately half that distance per day.

All this should not be interpreted as an excuse for laziness. It just means that one should do only as much work as needed to reach desired or required goals because doing more is counterproductive or even self-defeating. Doing much less, like all those weaklings and nincompoops who join the commercial martial arts schools but do not ever push themselves, is typical for low-quality individuals—I do not write for those. They seem to think that once they enroll and attend classes some mysterious knowledge will enter them and make them skilled fighters. It ain't so. Some martial arts instructors let them be and do not throw them out because they are glad to take their money. (Then there are these completely phony instructors who know little about what they profess to teach. Such instructors are best recognized by poor skills of all their students, who are all too dim to tell a phony when they see one and too dim to recognize the value of physical conditioning in fighting.)

One Polish judoka gave a definition of Judo, which applies to all martial arts, fighting skills, combat sports, whatever their name. Here is my translation of his definition: “Judo is a method by which a strong person can defeat an opponent who is even physically stronger.” This definition applies to all martial arts.

To illustrate the principle of economy of effort here is an example of someone who can't afford to overdo his exercises. He wants to train martial arts seriously but he already has overtrained himself and on top of that has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. He has to observe himself as he trains so that the exercises he does help him get in shape rather than make him more sick.

Question: I have your book Stretching Scientifically and it is great. I have started a purely flexibility routine using your methods and have found an improvement in only a few days. I can't do much of it and only small amounts at a time, and no other training because I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). I train full time in karate and I badly overtrained. I also got bitten by a dog at the time and the combination of a virus and overtraining resulted in CFS. This is the worst it's been but I'm slowly improving at the moment and have a good doctor and acupuncture specialist. I have been to your Web site and see that you have great experience in sports science and I have learned much from your site already. Do you have any advice for me with regards to coming out of CFS and taking up training again in the coming months?

Answer: I can't give you advice on the CFS as this is a medical condition, and besides, your physician is helping you already.

Regarding the overtraining and returning to normal training, I think that by adjusting your exercises to how you feel during and after workouts you will find the right dosage of training to gradually regain your fitness.

Here are some signs of exercising too hard.

During the workout: worsening coordination, dizziness or vertigo, dark spots in vision, paleness, and irregular heart beat.

After the workout: difficulty falling asleep, waking up in the middle of the night, irritability, and reluctance to workout.

If you experience ANY of these signs you should take a break from working out for a few days or reduce the amount and intensity of exercises for 2-3 weeks, or both. If you do not reduce training you will enter deeper into forms of overtraining described in Science of Sports Training, which may end any dreams of sports success. The after-workout signs may be caused by stress outside of your training, but still you may have to reduce your training the better to cope with the other stressors.

There are many more signs of overtraining, and the ways of dealing with overtraining at its three stages are given in Science of Sports Training.

Another good source for signs of overtraining and ways of treating it is a booklet written by Dr. Philip Maffetone The ABCs of Hormonal Stress (available at www.myorganics.biz/book_page.html).

By the way, in addition to the principle of economy of effort my answer shows the importance of the principle of conscious involvement in training—you have to know what every exercise does to you, so you can tell how much is enough and how much is too much. Otherwise you will end up like the person who asks the question below:

Question: Thank you for doing such a good job with the E-mail comments. The question I have for you is about my training. I go to a fitness class about 3 times a week and practice Karate 3 times a week. At the gym I do 100 leg extensions exercises and when kicking I do about 200-300 reps. After training at night my legs cramp up inside groin muscles near the knees. The cramps are so bad I almost scream and sometime I do. At night on several occasions I wake up and have to take a bath so my legs will relax. Do you have any ideas on what I can do to stop these cramps?

Answer: To train effectively you have to pay attention to all of your body's signals and you have to know how to change your whole training program (including nutrition) in response to these signals. I wrote Science of Sports Training: How to Plan and Control Training for Peak Performance to give athletes the information on reading these signs and on adjusting workouts so things do not get so bad as having chronic cramps as in your case. Cramps may be caused by poor blood supply to the fatigued muscles, in which case a good cool-down would help, as well as reducing the training load. Another cause of muscle cramps is dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.

As things are now, you need to rest and then increase the amount and intensity of training gradually and perhaps you need to eat more fruits and drink more water, but for the best answer you should see a good physician.

If you have any questions on training you can post them at Stadion's Sports and Martial Arts Training Discussion Forum at http://www.stadion.com/phpBB2.

A full list of references quoted in this article is in my book Science of Sports Training available at http://www.stadion.com/science.html.

To read the next installment of this column click here.

This article is based on the Stadion book Science of Sports Training: How to Plan and Control Training for Peak Performance. Get it now and have all of the info—not just the crumbs! Order now!

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