ISSA Bodybuilding Unit 14 Exam Guide

Principles for Planning Your Training Cycle( Double,triple, muscle confusion Principle) Split System Training Principle (Breaking your workout week into upper versus lower body training, for example, results in more intense training sessions) Double or Triple Split Training Principle (This entails breaking your workout down into two or three shorter, more intense training sessions per day.) Muscle Confusion Training Principle (Muscles accommodate to a specific type of stress [“habituate” or “plateau”] when you continually apply the same stress to your muscles over time, so you must constantly vary exercises, sets, reps, and weight to avoid accommodation.) INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES Recovery is mostly determined by the athlete's genetic blueprint. Ectomorphs typically have the hardest time gaining muscle mass, mesomorphs gain muscle mass the most easily, and endomorphs typically gain fat more rapidly than muscle. STRESSORS A stressor is anything that causes the release of stress hormones. Overtraining is not just training too intensely too often; it is an accumulation of all of life's events. Every day in our lives we are bombarded with a variety of stressors. Frequently, these stressors are of low enough "intensity" or subtle enough that they don't affect us. Environmental Stressors These are stressors that put strain on our body (injury, illness, hot/cold temperatures). Psychological Stressors Events, situations, individuals, or anything we see as threatening or negative. HIGH-FREQUENCY FATIGUE(ELECTROMECHANICAL FATIGUE) Also known as electromechanical failure, this is characterized by an excessive loss of force at high frequencies of stimulation and rapid recovery when the frequency is reduced. Low-Frequency Fatigue(MECHANICO-METABOLIC FATIGUE) In this type of fatigue, low-frequency force output is limited despite adequate electrical stimulation.It is believed that low-frequency fatigue (especially involving eccentric contraction as opposed to concentric contraction) results from the tearing and rending of those very cellular structures that carry the electromechanical impulses, to such a degree that (not unlike a torn or frayed electrical wire) the electrical impulses are considerably weakened. A drastic decrease in force output is exacerbated following eccentric contraction. LONG-TERM FATIGUE First, the microtrauma resulting from eccentric contraction (and to a lesser degree with concentric contraction) begins to accumulate because you are not taking proper restorative measures between workouts, or you are engaging too heavily in eccentric work, or both. The "cumulative microtrauma," being disruptive of the electromechanical impulses that "drive" the contraction process, never gets to the actin and myosin in sufficient intensity (twitches per second) to generate maximum force.This being the case, cumulative microtrauma is never tended to, and restoration is never complete, a situation that may indeed result in an overtrained state over weeks (or even months) of time. Treating cumulative microtrauma (Burnout and overtraining) Part 1 1. Sensible, scientific weight training and light resistance systems of training, which employ a carefully devised "periodicity" or "cycle" method 2. Sensible, scientific application of the many therapeutic modalities at your disposal that will be described throughout this unit 3. Sensible, scientific nutritional practice (especially maintaining an adequate amino acid pool to affect protein turnover, adequate energy foods to replace those depleted during intense training, and a minimum of 5 meals daily) 4. Sensible, scientific nutritional supplementation (especially the branched-chain aminos, adequate protein, vitamin and mineral in-take, and other state-of-the-art supplements designed to aid tissue recovery and healing) Treating cumulative microtrauma (Burnout and overtraining) Part 2 1. Proper technique in your lifting and skills (especially avoiding excessive eccentric contractions ["negatives"] and uncontrolled ballistic movements) 2. Plenty of rest both between workouts and at night (trying to get at least 9 hours per night, plus at least 1-2 short 20-minute "cat naps" during the day) 3. The use of various psychological techniques that promote restoration (especially meditation, visualization training, hypnotherapy, or self-hypnosis techniques)