How much do you really know about stress??
What we do know is that, some stress gets results, and then some stress can also ruin results in training!
The question is, which stress does what? and WHY?
Every single one of us has a lot going on in our every day lives. And the crazy part is, we aren’t even aware of most of it.
Our bodies undergo a serious amount of stress every single day!!
So why is stress such a big deal when it comes to your training and most importantly your results?
Let us start by first understanding stress itself…
There are three different types of stress on the body, there is:
1. Negative stress
2. Positive stress and
3. Neutral stress.
Now I know what you’re thinking, you thought stress could only be bad for you? How could there be positive, let alone neutral stress?
Well, let’s look deeper into what stress does to the body.
First you must know that stress is neither good nor bad, so don’t go labelling stress as a bad thing.
Stress is regulated through your nervous system (A massive messenger system sending messages to and from your brain to muscles, glands and organs. Put simply).
Your nervous system is broken up into two categories, your sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and your para-sympathetic nervous system (PNS).
Your SNS is your ‘flight’ and ‘fight’ response system, pretty much, if something happens to you, your SNS decides what hormones to release quickly and that determines what reaction you will have to a physical danger.
The biggest thing you need to know about the SNS, is that it secretes loads of different chemicals and hormones to create different responses in your body (ie; increased heart rate, respiratory rate and directs blood to large muscle groups).
The two main one’s you need to know of is Adrenaline and Cortisol.
You have probably already heard of these two before.
Adrenaline being the chemical that is based around short term physical stresses, these range significantly, from something as simple as going for a run all the way to your response when you are about to get hit by car.
Cortisol (which has been dubbed the stress hormone) , is the hormone secreted due to long term stress.
This can be due to being seriously injured (burn victims) or is secreted when under constant stress (C.E.O’s of massive corporations) and is seen in victims of depression.
So far I am not doing myself a whole lot of good, I just seem to be backing up what you thought, that stress is bad. Is that what you are thinking?
Well, I can tell you now, without adrenaline, you would not be alive, without cortisol, your body would not be changing. Your body needs to be put under stress for it to change and grow.
Your Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) is the system used to counteract the SNS.
This is the system that helps reduce our heart rate, blood pressure and helps to suppress adrenaline, cortisol and other stress hormones.
It stimulates us to return to a healthy stress response, meaning that we can be ready to go again to get another load of adrenaline if we need to ‘fight’ or take ‘flight’.
Now you know what the SNS and PNS is, now I can get to why you need both.
Without your SNS, you would not be able to react very quickly to the physical world, such as when you drive a car and see an on coming vehicle, or when you are playing a ball sport and you need to chase the ball or lay a tackle.
Without your PNS you would not be able to recover, your digestive system would not be working and you would surely get seriously ill or worse.
We cannot have one without the other, otherwise we would not be here at all.
So what makes stress such a big factor in your training??
First, I would like to say that I have already said it in the previous paragraph, your SNS releases adrenaline and cortisol so that your body can remain wired enough in training to remain focused under fatigue. Not to mention, it releases sugars from your liver to the blood stream to increase your blood sugar levels, which is important in some sports and training methodologies.
Physical activity, sports and things that we need physical adaptations to get better at, would not be possible without the SNS.
Cortisol, in fact, is a powerful anti-inflammatory, if secreted in moderation throughout the body. Too much can be harmful, hence why long periods of stress can be so harmful and can be a negative stress. Which is super important to your training, because of the physical stress you put your body through increases the inflammation in your body.
And without the PNS you would not be able to recover, in fact your body would start breaking down significantly without the PNS.
So when you are going for that 1RM, there are so many different factors that determine how you perform, as it depends on the hydration levels, the stress throughout the day, the food you eat. All of it is a stress on the body.
So what stresses are negative and what are positive?
There are so many things that are a stress on the body, from the food you eat (hint hint: don’t eat take away, most of it will increase inflammation in the body) to the fight you have with your girlfriend/boyfriend.
Compare us to our ancestors from 20,000 years ago when most of the stresses were physiological, we today have to deal with a whole lot more psychological stress as well. The question is, how do you manage that stress (both physical and psychological) and what do they look like?
Because if I don’t know what I’m looking for, I am going to struggle to manage it.
Here is a list of the kind of stresses that you want to see in your life:
– Physical exercise
– Challenges at the work place
– Deadlines for tasks
**These sorts of stresses are great for the body and will increase the longevity of your life and health. These are only a few, there are still many more!
The stresses that you don’t want in your life:
– Constant badgering in relationships (negative comments and bullying)
– Eating bad foods
– Constant pressure at work
– Overloading the body physically (Mainly the Central Nervous System)
**These sort of stresses are not good for the body, this is where you will see increased cortisol levels and where the PNS will struggle to counteract the SNS.
If you find your self being predominantly SNS overloaded, which is super common these days due to the psychological pressures at work and in our family lives, then you need to work out how to increase your PNS
These are a few ways to balance out and increase your PNS:
– Massage therapy
– Meditating
– Light stretching and yoga
– Deep breathing techniques
– Light physical activity
**And these are only a few, so do yourself a favour and start figuring out whether you are predominantly SNS or PNS.
Do this by writing down all the stresses right now in your life, include how much training you are doing per week as that is still an added stress on the body.
Even add the long term stresses in your life, the stresses that include your frustrations at work, bullying from a co-worker or family member. This all affects you and the body a lot more than you think!
If you are working out the balance between both, and you are working at your optimal level, that is amazing, keep going.
Just be sure to always check in with yourself to make sure you are on top of it. Because life tends to throw things at us when we least expect it.
Leave a Reply