Finding out where you are in the Sress-Recovery cycle

[Keith1]

Hi,

After reading a bit of Practical Programming, one thing is not clear about the application of the Stress-Recovery-adaptation model you described.

This is a lengthy post but please help me to understand.

This is my understanding of the adaptation model you described:
1. You stress the body/muscle hard with Volume Training.
2. The performance of the muscle will then decline sharply in the days following the 'Stress'.
3. Performance will hit a 'bottom' peak
4. If conditions are right, the muscle will then 'Recover' and performance will start to rise
5. Performance will then get to the level it was at before you applied the 'Stress'
6. if Recovery goes well, performance will exceed the original level and you hit a 'top' Peak

So the question is this. If I do a heavy/hard 5x5 volume workout on some day, how can I know what stage in the adaptation cycle I am at in N days after the day I applied the stress?

For example, if I do a Volume-day today, maybe I'll Peak 5 days later. The following week, maybe my nutrition is not so good, so I take longer to recover. So after I do the Volume-set, it takes me 8 days to peak. The following month maybe owing to psychological stress or something, I do not recover fully and don't even peak.

In the basic Texas Method, if you apply the Volume on Monday, you assume that the trainee will peak on Friday. But what if the peak is the following Monday. As a coach how do you know when the trainee will actually peak? is it by trial-and-error on that specific trainee.

Also, I imagine that recovery times for any given person will vary on a week-by-week basis depending on nutrition or stress from other activities like sports etc.

Is there some objective way to measure where the body is at in the Stress-Recovery cycle to allow one to tailor training to that specific stage? eg. Is there a simple urine test / blood test that one can buy over-the-counter that could give some idea of this?


Regards,
Keith

[Mark Rippetoe]

This is my understanding of the adaptation model you described:
1. You stress the body/muscle hard with Volume Training.

What is "Volume Training"?

[Keith1]

I meant a 'Volume-Day' like 5x5 @ 90% of 5RM.

From what I read in the book, this training session triggers the whole adaptation process.

[wiigelec]

The SRA cycle is a human comprehensible abstraction of highly complex biological and physiological processes and as such you will not find any kind of objective testing like an otc blood or urine test.

An easier question is are you making progress? If the answer is yes than your programming is operating within the confines of your particular SRA (though it may not be optimal). If not then you need to make some changes.

Of course you could always use "RPE"...

[Mark Rippetoe]

I meant a 'Volume-Day' like 5x5 @ 90% of 5RM.

From what I read in the book, this training session triggers the whole adaptation process.

Page number?

[Keith1]

Chapter7: The intermediate
Section: Texas Method
Sub-section: Example transition from novice ...

A few lines after the table, it reads: Monday's workout should be stressful enough to cause homoeostatic disruption ...

The SRA cycle is a human comprehensible abstraction of highly complex biological and physiological processes and as such you will not find any kind of objective testing like an otc blood or urine test.

OK, thanks for that confirmation.


To ask my query in a different way. If I do a 5x5@90%5RM on Monday, and lift the same on Wednesday, and again lift the same on Friday, then I'll have accumulated a lot of volume/fatigue. Is it possible to estimate when recovery will be complete and when I will 'Peak' ?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Chapter7: The intermediate
Section: Texas Method
Sub-section: Example transition from novice ...

A few lines after the table, it reads: Monday's workout should be stressful enough to cause homoeostatic disruption ...

I mean the the part where it says that the 5x5 Monday workout is the thing that triggers the whole adaptation process.

To ask my query in a different way. If I do a 5x5@90%5RM on Monday, and lift the same on Wednesday, and again lift the same on Friday, then I'll have accumulated a lot of volume/fatigue.

Right. That's why we don't do it that way, because that way doesn't work.

Is it possible to estimate when recovery will be complete and when I will 'Peak' ?

I'm getting confused. Maybe this will help: It’s Time to Stop Talking About “Supercompensation” | Sullivan and Rippetoe

[Keith1]

OK. The Article was informative.

Thanks.

[wiigelec]

If I do a 5x5@90%5RM on Monday, and lift the same on Wednesday, and again lift the same on Friday, then I'll have accumulated a lot of volume/fatigue. Is it possible to estimate when recovery will be complete and when I will 'Peak' ?

If you are doing 5x5 Monday, then 5x5 at the same intensity again on Wednesday, then 5x5 at the same intensity again on Friday then you are probably a "novice" and you "peak" on Wednesday from Monday's stress and "peak" again on Friday from Wednesday's stress.

If this is the case you should consider doing the Novice Linear Progression ("NLP", "The Program") which is 3x5 instead of 5x5 and add weight at each session instead of doing the same weight...