Adaptability and Accountability

Adaptability and Accountability

Our ability to adapt and overcome can definitely make the difference between life and death in many different scenarios.  Adaptability is the key to survival.  This truism is proven time and time again in nature, in the form of evolution.  Not only are those species/plants with the ability to adapt to their environment able to just plain exist, they can also thrive.  This same thought process holds true for the training I have been putting my body through in the last 5 weeks.  However, the concept of adaptability can be a double-edged sword.  Check it out:  if you do the same workout over and over again using the same time frame, same amount of rest time between reps/sets, I doubt you will see long-lasting progress.  If you never push yourself longer during a AMRAP or any type of resistance training you'll never break through on your plateau.  In this case, your muscles have adapted to your work-out.  Muscles are 'lazy' and require constant stiumulation.  Obviously, they will only do what we force them to do.

IT COMES DOWN TO THIS:

We must learn to adapt to keep our muscles stimulated and growing.

This is why I love Good Life Fitness so much.  There are so many ranges of workouts that anyone can do.  I love my 6:15am bootcamp that I go to 4 days a week, but I also enjoy FIRE, a strength training class, and recently Fusion, a cardio class.  Having those options at GLF makes the concept of adaptability that much more attainable. 

In addition to those three different classes I have been riding my bike 1-3 times a week and also doing some type of running, whether it be part of a Brick or an easy 3miler or a nice 5 mile run.  Forcing your muscles to do different things will only help the plateau stay farther and farther away.

Accountability is also key to helping the body learn to adapt to keep our muscles stimulated and growing.  Steve Auxier preaches that group accountablity is the key to fitness success.  This is completely true.  I have found great people at GLF that are always on the lookout for someone to be their 10th person (group accountability).  With instructors, fellow bootcampers and fusion enthusiasts always giving you their thoughts and pushing you to do that next class as hard as you can, you find great results.  The accountability aspect has helped me to adapt my body and workouts and fitness routines so much that I keep dropping body fat and body weight at staggering numbers.  Of course nutrition plays a vital role in training, but that also has group accountability involved.

I recently read an article about mental tricks to help you run better.  Overall the article was a great read for any athlete that has long days and mentally does not want to go for their routine workout.  Here is the website for something that might help you out if you are having a bad day.  http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-267--13996-0,00.html?cm_mmc=TrainingExtra_NL-_-625804-_-06282011-_-Tired%20and%20Cranky%3f

I really do believe that adaptability and accountability are key to fitness success.  I know when I started really working out I weighed 281 pounds.  As of this morning (5/28/11) I weighed 239.4.  This 8 week challenge has been fantastic motivation and I cannot wait to see how others panned out also. 

If you have any questions shoot a comment at me.  Thanks for reading!

Tim