Jeff's Thoughts

• Both cars doing the same speed does not mean you drive them the same

  10 December, 2014

  

  At the Studio41 gym and personal training facilities we often use this analogy to explain our role in the fitness industry.

  If car A was doing 100 km/h we would think that was good for a motorway speed. This can can accelerate if necessary (lets say to 120 km/h) and get back to 100km with no problem at all. This is how the body works. When presented in a stressful situation the body needs to accelerate itself and then come back to normal. In acute stress the body does some pretty amazing things.

  1. The pupil of the eyes dilate. This actually makes it easier for you to take in more information in a stressful situation. Your lens of the eye also flattens. This is pretty cool as this gives you better long range vision.

  2. Your airways dilate – this allows your lungs to open up allowing you to take in more oxygen.

  3. Your heart rate increases. Higher heart rate – higher blood pressure. Higher blood pressure – more blood flow to the muscles that need it.

  4. Digestion is inhibited. Who wants to have the focus of the body on breaking down food when you need to run. The body is pretty cool at prioritising.

  5. Your kidneys reabsorb more water. More water means more blood volume. More blood volume means higher blood pressure.

  6. Increase blood flow to your muscles.

  All this is happening when someone is under stress. Unfortunately this short term stress can turn into long term stress and play a crucial role on someones ill health (how many people do you know who has constant high blood pressure – this is because they are constantly driving at 120km!!).

  Now lets say we have car B. This car is doing 100km/h, but the driver has his foot flat on the accelerator and all he is able to do is 100km/h. In-fact he is slowing down. As personal trainers we have to understand that we should not drive all our clients the same way. I see it all to often, one training style because it is about the trainer who has the mentality of – my job is to “beast you”.  NO IT IS NOT!!!. Often new trainers new to the industry rely on this because they have no other skill set. So they hide behind their ability to thrash someone. Our job is to help that individuals achieve their health and fitness goal. And unless you can determine whether you have car A or car B sitting in front of you, you will hurt a lot of people. At Studio41 Gym and Personal Training facilites we get you first to fill in our assessment tracker. This covers topics such as sleep, digestive health, adrenal stress and a mental/emotional component. We need to understand you – in order to work out how to help you. Makes sense really.

   

   

   

   

   

   

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