Today we answer another reader question...
"Hey Shawn First off i want to say thanks for last weeks blog on when to train after a meal. It was very helpful as i have always trained fasted but i might look into eating a little something before i train to see if it helps with energy and strength. Anyway though this might be a good question for your reader questions on your blog if you feel it works... So Lately at the gym i go too i have been watching how others approach heavy sets of weights and i see an ongoing trend that people like to work themselves up before they get under the bar for a heavy lift. Now for me i lift in a lot calmer state. Should i be getting worked up as well before i lift? Is it more effective to raise your adrenaline to lift? Thanks Shawn! Looking forward to hearing your response." - Sarah
Hello Sarah!
Thanks for the kind words on last weeks blog! I would be happy to answer your question today!
First Off - What is Adrenaline?
Adrenaline is that fight or flight response that kicks in when something is stressing the body or about to stress the body, That feeling of cold that runs through your body and you all of a sudden feel chilled but at the same time you feel invincible. That is adrenaline. This might make me sound like a nerd but who cares. If you ever have watched Dragon Ball Z a comparison to adrenaline is like going super saiyan in the show. Adrenaline has many legends behind the power that it has given humans in times of need. There are many stories of how people have used adrenaline to save a friend or loved one in a time of need and accomplishing an incredible feat in doing so. Adrenaline is also what can be used to help kickstart a heart if ones heart stopped beating. It's easy to say that adrenaline is one of the most infesting things on the planet!
Bored With Your Training? Try Mixing It Up With Some of These Advanced Techniques!
But Can It Help You Lift?
The short answer here is yes it can. Even though there are no published studies proving this there are studies linking music to directly better performance in the gym [1]. How does music link up to adrenaline? Well you know the feeling when a song comes on and u feel a quick feeling of being chilled but its a good feeling and you are feeling psyched up? Well that my friend is the adrenaline you get from the music being played There is a reason you see a lot of folks in the gym getting psyched up to lift a 1 rep max. It simply makes you more powerful. But with every positive there is a negative which we will get to next.
The Downside of Adrenaline
With so many positive things adrenaline can do for you why not just use it all the time then? This comes down to the basic YIN and YANG energy systems in life and our internal life force. This simply means that for every pro there is a con, for every positive there is a negative. The problem with using adrenaline all the time is that you will simply run your energy systems dry. So what happens when your energy systems run out? Well many things can happen;
- your immune system is weakened
- your adrenal system is fatigued
- you experience feelings of depression
- Vulnerable to many diseases and viruses
and much more!
This is something we for sure don't want to happen.
For Those of You Completely New To This Lets Make This As simple as possible
- everyone has a life force
- this is what keeps you alive and your heart ticking
- if you have a healthy energy system in the body you are healthier, have healthy skin, hair, teeth, and control of your emotions - this is what we strive for and if you achieve this your life will be way better.
When we use adrenaline during training
For every time you use adrenaline to lift a weight you are dipping into your energy reserves. think of the hardest leg day you have ever had in your life, the day that you had to fight for everything during that routine, you had to get psyched up throughout the session to finish it. Now remember how you felt that night and even the next day? Your muscles are likely not very beat up but you mentally feel just out of it, Back when i used to powerlift and when i used adrenaline a lot there were numerous times i would forget my keys in my house and end up locking myself out- you can see i was clearly over using my energy systems lol... That is the after effects of using adrenaline and the effects it causes to your life force.
Is There Ever A Time To Use Adrenaline?
I say yes. But use very sparingly. Just know every time you tap into your adrenaline you are draining your internal energy stores little by little and after a while if you continue to use it all the time without proper recovery (will talk about next) this will have negative effects on your overall health.
How much is to much?
I would not recommend using adrenaline anymore than 3-5 lifting sets per week. So that means your allowed to get psyched up for 3-5 sets max each week but no more. I mean it when i say over doing this will effect you. You might think i'm making this up but trust me if you use too much internal energy stores to increase your lifting output power you will suffer negative consequences. For example i used adrenaline on a final set of leg press last week because the weights that day just felt heavy as hell and i had no choice but to use some internal energy stores. Well The following day i used adrenaline to much in my upper workout and i am paying for it this week. This week i have a head cold and last nights routine was way lower energy and strength, I paid the price for using to much of my energy systems last week. For me i make a note in my training notes anytime I summon adrenaline that way i can always keep track.
So How Do You Use Adrenaline?
Well for when you need it there are several ways one can go about activating adrenaline before a lift.
- Play a psych up song that really gets you.
- Bring rage feelings from your past to the current moment.
- Stand calm and breath through the belly for about 3 breaths as you do this bring energy from your center through out the entire body, imagine a steady flow of energy flowing from your lower abdomen through your legs, Up your back, Out through your arms and finishing up at your forehead and then through the top of the head, this is known as driving Qi from the 7 chakras in the body (See chart). This last one takes practice but once you get it you will be able to summon adrenaline at any given time in your life, meditation is how you get better at practicing directing energy, Word of caution here - this is a very powerful skill to have and be able to do, don't take advantage of this... Don't be discouraged, It took me a year of mediating every day for at least 20 min to figure this out and this still takes me quite a bit of focus to perform.
How Do You "Re-Charge" That Energy?
- Sleep 6-8 hours a night
- Meditate 20-40 min a day
- Eat
- Take a cold shower
- Qigong Breathing and Exercise Sequences
Those are just a few of the methods to recharging your natural energy stores.
Summary
- Every human has an internal energy otherwise known as life force or Qi in some cultures.
- This life force is what allows us to live and it is a huge factor on our overall health
- Using adrenaline to lift will dip into those life energy stores and should only be used at a max 3-5 times a week.
- Rule to go by- only use a psych up when absolutely needed. Otherwise lift in a calm state.
Thanks for the question Sarah! If anyone else has a question or topic they want me to cover just shoot me an email (fausey14@gmail.com) and i would be happy to cover it!
If you guys enjoyed this weeks blog let me know and feel free to share on your social media as i greatly would appreciate it. Till next week guys.
Stay Strong,
Shawn Fausey
References
1: Karageorghis, Costas I., and David-Lee Priest. “Music in the Exercise Domain: A Review and Synthesis (Part I).” International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology 5.1 (2012): 44–66. PMC. Web. 27 Feb. 2018.
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- Shawn Fausey is the Founder and CEO of Fausey's Fitness. With Over 6 years experience in Bodybuilding, Powerlifting and Nutrition. Shawn offers services of online fitness coaching, programing and consulting. Shawn is also a Graphic Designer and can be reached for graphic services on www.rev-graphics.com
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