Bri's Blog

I was asked this very simple question by a psychologist and business coach the other day. Despite its simplicity, it evokes a lot of thought.

One thing I give a shit about is the concept of strength and conditioning regarding training intensity. Zatsiorsky breaks training intensity into stimulating, retraining, and detraining.

I give a shit about this because its applications span across multiple areas of significance in my life – from enhancing my strength training regimen to optimizing my manual therapy practice and even streamlining my daily administrative tasks. The essence lies in recognizing that to elicit meaningful change or impact, we must apply the appropriate stimulus.

A simple analogy of a cluttered house: it won’t magically tidy itself up. The effective response is to engage in cleaning. Similarly, if the goal is to maintain the current state, a consistent effort akin to maintenance is required, where neither addition nor subtraction to the clutter occurs (a retraining intensity). However, should the clutter increase unchecked, it leads to detraining, necessitating more extensive efforts to restore order.

Essentially, understanding and applying the right level of stimulus is pivotal, whether in the context of physical training, therapeutic practices, or daily routines. It’s about striking the delicate balance between progress and preservation, ensuring that our efforts yield the desired outcomes.