"Adaptation"
(originally published at MMA Weekly.com)

A good friend of mine recently sent me a discussion topic that we traded some emails on. The topic was adaptation, how our bodies adapt to certain stimuli, and how adaptation makes us better at whatever we're trying to achieve.

Adaptation is one of the most basic instincts in all living creatures. It is the ability to adapt to surroundings and environment that allows a creature to survive. Adaptation can be looked at in many ways – long term, short term, individual, an entire species, etc. What we're going to look at is how adaptation to strength and conditioning can help make us better fighters, and how to manipulate adaptation to benefit us most.

Adaptation, to give it a simple definition for us humans, is the ability of the body to deal with uncomfortability.

The human body is a naturally very lazy creature. Whether or consciously or unconsciously, our body is always trying to find the easiest way to do things – the “path of least resistance” if you will. Why? Because this is (usually) what will ultimately lead to an easier, safer time and in turn a longer life.

When we want to excel in something, we have to train. Training puts our bodies in a state of uncomfortability, and thus our bodies get into better shape so that training isn't as uncomfortable.

Easy example – you curl a 100-lb barbell for 10 reps. You continue to practice this barbell curling. This is hard to you, so you body goes through whatever steps necessary to make it easier. It might try to incorporate other muscles than the biceps (you allowing your form to break down), increase neurological efficiency, simply build more biceps muscle, or maybe even a combination. Whatever it does, at some point in the future, curling the 100-lb barbell for 10 reps is now easy. Your body adapted. This is why you would now need to add weight.

When asked why an MMAist would do strength and conditioning work, he/she might say “To become a better fighter.” How does S&C work help him/her do this? By being stronger, quicker, having better endurance, etc., an MMAist can have an easier time in the ring or cage. When he/she has an easier time in the ring or cage, he/she can more easily find a way to dominate the opponent, and win the fight.

Once again, it's about making the body uncomfortable. However, in this instance, making the body uncomfortable in one training modality helps the body be more comfortable in another.

This brings us to the idea of adaptation as it relates to S&C training.

Going back to the example of curling the 100-lb barbell. If a 100-lb barbell is all you ever curl, you're never going to get much better than being able to curl a 100-lb barbell. Your body will adapt to that 100-lb barbell for 10 reps, but after that, the adaptation becomes “hit or miss.” Sure, you might be able to curl a 115-lb barbell, but probably not for 10 reps. And you might be even able to curl the 100-lb barbell for 12 or even 15 reps, but surely not 20.

Your body adapted to curling the 100-lb barbell for the 10 reps, and that is where it stopped. Why? Because no additional adaptation was necessary.

Now, let's look at the other end of the spectrum. Let's say that you were curling the 100-lb barbell for 10 reps, but you only did it every few months or so. Along the lines, you might do some other exercises similar – say chins or row or reverse curls – but never the barbell curls. You might get into better shape some, and you might even get better at curling the 100-lb barbell some, but not as much as if you were to simply curl the barbell.

You see, there is a line between too much adaptation and not enough. If you have too much adaptation, you quit progressing. If you don't have enough, you never actually get better at anything.

There are a lot of different workout protocols out there that are based on, more or less, confusion. By keeping the body constantly guessing, the idea goes, it never completely adapts, and is constantly progressing. This can be as little or as much random activity as you like – everywhere from just picking different exercises every time you work a bodypart, to doing completely random workouts, with no set protocol to it.

There is a certain amount of validity to this. However, I feel it can be taken too far. At some point, you go from “keeping the body guessing” to “keeping the body confused.”

Think of it like this – say you were studying for a test. You could re-write your notes, re-listen to lectures, make flash-cards, etc. Now, if you were to mix and match all these different learning styles, that might work if you were studying for one test in one subject. However, apply it to a different test in a different subject everyday, and you never really study enough to retain like you should. Sure, you'll retain and remember some of the info, but not nearly enough as another method of studying might let you do.

Well, random training treats the body the same way. You need a certain amount of adaptation, so that you can progress on your training. Sure, the S&C is always hard, but are you getting better at it?

I once read a professional strength coach (I'm not sure who it was) write that (and I'm paraphrasing here) “Anybody could beat the hell out of their trainees. It takes an intelligent coach to make them better.”

I agree.

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard.