Training and the SNS…say what? 1-13-11

Training and the SNS…say what? 1-13-11

Today’s topic is geared more for the LEO (law enforcement officer), military, or MMA/Fighter.  It’s a lot of info today, so get comfortable.  Those that fall in this category generally have a skill based element, usually under stress, that they have to perform as part of their duties or sport. 

First let’s talk about types of adaptations.  This may be a refresher for some and news to others.  The types of adaptations that I am talking about are physical changes that can be measured.  Thinks like strength, speed, muscle mass or improved performance in timed or scored events.  Some changes or improvements, once attained, stay with us longer than others.  This is important, especially for the folks in the category I mentioned above, because it helps us prioritize how we program our training. The following list shows how adaptations are gained starting with the ones that take the most time to gain to the least time to gain:

1. Muscle growth
2. Strength
3. Muscular Endurance/Lactic acid threshold
4. Power-speed related movements that improve neuro-muscular relationships
5. Technique or skill based movements
6. Cardio-respiratory endurance

Likewise, the following shows the reverse of this…adaptations that are lost the quickest to the slowest:

1. Cardio
2. Technique
3. Power
4. Muscular Endurance/Lactic acid threshold
5. Strength
6. Muscle growth

This means many things.  First gain muscle and strength because that stays with us for a long time before diminishing and as an event approaches begin adding conditioning and skill work then cardio.  It also means that as far as cardio and technique or skill based movements go, we gain them pretty quick and lose them pretty quick. 

Now for the competitive athlete, this is relatively easy to peak or train for because there is usually a competition date.  Now for LEO’s or military, there is no date.  Ahhhh! There’s the problem.  So how do we prepare or peak for the unknown events?  If I knew the answer I would probably be a millionaire but a general answer is to maintain good GPP (General physical preparedness) which is term that has become more common due to the Cross Fit community.  How do we do that?  That is an answer that will have to get pieced out over time and is really a case by case basis. 

A good guideline is get strong and gain muscle which stays with us longer and makes us more durable and injury resistant…and harder to kill as Mark Rippetoe would say.   Then incorporate metabolic conditioning (metcon) or interval or Cross Fit style training.  Then throw in some occasional cardio.  And finally, since skill deteriorates relatively quickly, incorporate your specific skill set, i.e. firearms, control tactics, entry, ground control and keep it in your program.  Once you have attained a good level of GPP that you are happy with, then you are in your maintenance phase.  Once there, strength/power training can be done less frequently (1-2 times per week), metcon training (1-2 times per week), and technique/cardio (1-2 times per week).  This can be adjusted based on any new goals you have or areas you want to improve but you get the idea.

Ok, that was a fast, quick overview of programming and prioritization.   We didn’t even talk about the level of the athlete…novice, intermediate, advanced and elite….which would change training and recovery periods.  In a nutshell, the more novice an athlete the quicker progression and less recovery is needed where as the more advanced the slower the progression and greater need for recovery. 

Alright, now that we covered some basics we can move to the main topic.  The main topic is the importance of keeping skill based training under stress in our program in order to diminish our SNS response? Say what?  SNS is sympathetic nervous system.  The opposite is PNS, parasympathetic nervous system.  Both are part of the autonomic nervous system which is that part of our nervous system that we can’t directly control.

The SNS responds to stress.  This can be chronic like anxiety or lifestyle or acute like dealing with a subject with gun or having to physically take a subject into custody.  The SNS response is also called the fight or flight response.   The SNS no doubt can keep us alive and help us survive dangerous situations but it can also make a bad situation worse.   When the SNS “kicks” in it diminishes cognitive function (makes it difficult to think clearly and form memories), causes tunnel vision, auditory exclusion (can’t hear good), diminishes fine motor skills (things that require dexterity), shunts blood from non-vital areas (like our guts which is one reason some puke under stress) and redirects blood to large muscle groups which is why our gross motor skills improve (this is why folks pick up cars…maybe…during an adrenaline dump). 

That’s fine and dandy but I see a problem.  All those things that diminish: brain function, peripheral vision, hearing and dexterity are things we all need when making high stress decisions, using a firearm under stress, putting hand cuffs on a subject, trying to gain control of a subject without causing unreasonable injury, or making entry into a high risk location.  Weird huh? 

So how do we fix it?  Easy, in general just “train like ya fight and fight like ya train.”  All that means is its important we stay sharp on our skill set but we must also occasionally practice those skills under stress.   Scenario training, obstacle courses or stress courses, move and shoot drills, ground and hand to hand control tactics practice are just a few options.  Very simply when we become more proficient at our skill set under stress and have to use it under stress our SNS response  and body’s threat perception is diminished allowing us to have more control over ourselves.  Genius, I know.

So how does that apply to fitness?  Well the same principle applies.  By occasionally having some metcon or high intensity interval training in our training, when we are exposed to a similarly physically demanding situation like a foot chase or fight where our body is using all metabolic pathways, again, our SNS and threat perception is diminished allowing us to be in control of ourselves.

That is a lot of info to soak in and just the tip of the iceberg guys.  There is no simple single answer but there are good guidelines to follow.  A lot of the programming that folks need varies only in the details based on current stats and projected goals.

The message is to take a look at your program, if you have one, and if this applies to you then consider incorporating things that improve your response to stressful situations.  The message is not to go out and start doing metcon workouts everyday and cause adrenal fatigue, which makes things worse.  Interspersed bouts of high intensity training followed by appropriate recovery goes along way.

With that said, there are so many great sites, some of which I follow, that have great programs and WOD’s (workout of the day) that others can follow.  I am a fan of Cross Fit but don’t feel it’s the “holy grail”.  I am actually a Cross Fit Level-1 certified instructor, Kettlebell certified instructor, Olympic Barbell certified instructor, attended a Cross Fit Nutrition seminar and the only two Cross Fit Science of Exercise seminars that they had and have trained hundreds of individuals both LEO’s and competitive athletes.  So, I definitely feel that it is piece of the big picture.  But I’m a big believer that folks need to learn basic physiology, nutrition, have common sense (this is the one I see missing most often), know their body, be able to assess their current status and have goals in order to make progress.  If that doesn’t work, just find someone smarter than you to help…that will work too.  And keep STRENGTH training in your program!!! If you haven’t figured it out yet, I am a big advocate of strength training for good reasons…which I have made some posts about and surely will make more.

In the meantime, for those interested, here is a great book on understanding how to program fitness and other cool stuff…a must read for any serious athlete…Practical Programming by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore.