Super compensation: Theory, Methods, and Practice
The reason to couple super compensation work with training work is simple, gain a reciprocative function of the fatigue-frequency relationship more often in a training stage. This not only states that we will avoid too much stress(overtraining) but will also regulate the precise variables that lead to indirect stress(cummalative system stress). If a trainee is able to increase capacity of work and training frequency, while supporting an escalating magnitude of fatigue management(drop off margin percent), then the result will be a more aggressive approach to performance enhancement, as well as a marked growth in result expediancy. One must first understand stress on psychological and physiological levels, as well as integrated relationships, before they are able to implement a proper plan to reduce the duration of this fatigue and promote increased training frequency management. It is at that point that a systematic shuffling of means takes place, much like the training process, adhering to the human species adaptability rates of introduced elements.
Stress will effect the functions of arousal, motivation, neural discharge, precision of movement and coordination, energetical systems, contraction, concentration, and circulation, to name some more dominant elements. These singular elements may eventually effect unrelated elements through residual and cross over effects, and this is why it is important to recognize symptoms of overtraining immediately. All systems are related by various degrees of separation. This is precisely why a thorough investigation must be implemented and why a perceived value of fitness and recovery should not be regarded as optimal, not to mention that this practice of training based on 'feel' is far from accurate due to lack of precision in fatigue recognition(%). It is the inter-relationship of these elements that makes me hesitate to label such constituents as psychological or physiological, but for practical means I will do so at this time. However, theoretically it is incorrect to refer to something as purely psychological or physiological because of the cross over effects and residual effects that this 'harmonic process' involves. With this being said, it is important to constantly regulate the psychological elements of concentration and motivation at the same time that the physiological elements of nervous system function and circulation are governed. These four elements have been found to be valid indicators of not only how these direct(singular) elements have managed the stress of training and circumstance but the evaluation will also lead to a reliable projection of how the rest of the system might respond and is currently responding to these demands. The assessment of each variable is tested by different means so as to eliminate false results that are common with similar means of testing.
The concentration of an athlete is tested using a focus test. One progressive method of a focus test involves measuring the duration to which total concentration may be kept on a static or dynamic object of various size and character that is surrounded by anything from high level distraction elements to low level distraction elements of sound, color, light, and so forth. This test is important because progress can be monitored and assessed throughout immediate and delayed periods of training, as well as at critical stages in the training cycle. A progression to spatial awareness and movement interaction may be guided, bridging the gap between concentration and precision of movement under isolated conditions. All variables of this study should be documented for later reference. The analysis of motivation is a self perception analysis that involves critical assessments of self doubt, excitation, confidence, as well as general cognition. This analysis may get specific to task objectives and a questionnaire is often implemented. The function of the nervous system is best evaluated on a pressure sensitive electronic device, measuring the rate of rapid tapping through the hand and foot. Assessing the rate of the nervous system response and rhythm is important to detect future deductions in performance as well as current. Circulatory feedback of heart rate and blood pressure are also especially important elements that can aide in assessing nervous system function and capacity of work fluctuation. These test should be taken upon waking in the morning as well as administered during workouts, especially immediately prior to and after a bout of work.
Psychological output must increase by 6.5% to yield a modest 1% increase in performance, and the function of the nervous system takes 2-3 times as long to super compensate as compared to energetical and contractile elements. It is for these two reasons that we don't focus strongly on soreness, stiffness, or any other sarcomeric or sarcoplasmic factors. These elements will recover well before training will be engaged since the drop off margins and frequency-fatigue relationships are based on neuro-psychological super compensation. Recovery is either immediate or delayed in nature. We refer to immediate as the responses that take place within a workout and up twelve hours after that workout, all else is referred to as delayed for various reasons. Energetical elements will not completely recover from a working set of considerable magnitude, relative to the individual, for up to twelve hours later, explaining loss of strength per consecutive set. Not to say that sarcoplasmic content is the only factor in this regard but, rather, that energetical elements regenerate much quicker than other elements of the working system. The fatigue of work and modality of training will augment precisely when full energetical restitution will take place, and acknowledgement of this precise information is only important for split routines and endurance athletes. The more important elements to speed and strength athletes is covered in the rule of thirds, such as concentration, motivation, and nervous system output.
Supercompensaation work is similar to training work in that biorhythmic cycles must be addressed. There are 24 weeks in every year that an athlete will have a slight increase in recovery ability, and this value fluctuates on average of every two weeks. Six occasions within the year there will be a significant rise in adaptability rate, typically every second month once a starting point is established to begin these interval measurements. This is why training must include a variance in frequency or fatigue, exercise selection, capacity of work or intensity, and/or training modality every second week, with a brief, yet sharp rise in volume for a particular session of rotating variability every 60 days. It is the ability of the organism to respond in two week stages that makes training construction easier and the implementation of super compensation methods simplified. Just as an athlete needs to modify one to multiple tactics of his training program every second week, he must also make adjustments to one or more of his restoration protocol at a commensurate time frame. The availability of procedures is extensive but we have narrowed the list down to what we have found to be only the most beneficial over the years. Capacity of lung enhancement devices, mineral scrape-massage, manual reflexo-palpatory massage, vibro-palpatory massage, NRA techniques, aromatherapy, light and sound treatment, EIEMG, cryotherapy, antagonist-driven flexibility, OVI/OVQ and miometrics are some of the most popular methods my athletes use to accelerate restoration and super compensation. All hydro-therapy work was discontinued in practice fourteen years ago because of two reasons. First, as little as 2% dehydration can result in as much as 6% temporary loss in strength, which is obviously counterproductive to the purpose of this work. Even though the entire magnitude of this strength loss isn't permanent we have found a small fraction of it to residually effect enough athletes to demand a discontinuation of heated hydro-therapy. As for sharko showers, scotch showers, or other modalities of cold water treatment, we have found the arousal rate to be counterproductive for achieving a functional increase of performance since neural and psychological mechanism's need not be stressed anymore than they already are in training.
Prescribing proper applications is just as individual specific as constructing a training protocol, but this rough outline can be used to modify your own program of super compensation techniques. Establish the need before engaging in any of the techniques described, then monitor the four specific neuro-psychological elements that relate closely to other working systems of function and performance to assist in proper selection and integration of these methods. At this point it is crucial to select the most important characters for your specific well fare, rotating means every fourteen days. And lastly, there should be no more than one session every seven hours on non training days and regularity should not exceed one session every ten hours on training days. Sessions last fifteen to twenty minutes maximally, focusing on preferably one but a maximum of two specific applications. Furthermore, applications should be extended for use during workouts, and super compensation work may begin seven hours after the workout and be continued at appropriate intervals as necessary until up to forty-two minutes before training.
The purpose of this article was to address elemental theory behind the need to implement restorative application, discriminate between proper and improper circumstances for application, and to briefly cover possible applications for usage. A future article will step into the specific time factors in implementation, singular and cumulative strategies, and how to use the four phase evaluation to construct a proper protocol.