All Systems Go: What we misunderstand about training...
and what we should do about it
Welcome to Forging Iron Training Principles, where we dive into the the physiology and psychology of performance so that you can make the most out of training, racing, and life.
Today we’re talking about how everything is related. While we don’t need to quite get into String Theory or Russell Crowe’s portrayal of John Nash from A Beautiful Mind, a basic understanding of these connections can better inform our training decisions.
A human being is a complex system, a system of systems actually. The good news is that we do NOT need to try to understand every system in its entirety. The bad news is that we have probably underestimated how connected these things are.
The image below represents a simple representation of the interrelatedness of some of our systems
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Then let’s throw in training, nutrition, and sleep into the mix and it might feel like we have to decode the matrix just to go for a run.
Thankfully, whether we choose to study these systems or not, they’ll keep working. However, seeing your data and lifestyle in this lens might just help you solve a few problems and elevate your game.
A basic example:
strength training and deep sleep increase testosterone
testosterone increases muscle protein synthesis (aka muscle rebuilding)
increased muscle mass improves blood glucose stability as muscle acts as a metabolic “sink”
more stable energy can help us stabilize our psychological state
improved psychological state might make us more consistent in training…
While it can be much more complex than this, we can start to see the potential domino effects of these interactions. We can also see the negative spiral that can occur when the above is inverted.
One really fascinating part of my Master’s program has been looking at the psychobiological model (Marcora et al., 2008), essentially how the mind impacts the body and vice versa. Two powerful examples are:
Using negative self-talk being correlated with an increase in the stress hormone cortisol (Basset et al., 2022)
The motor theory of learning emphasizing how adopting a self-focus (as opposed to an external focus) during movement patterns leads to less efficient biomechanics (Wulf & Lethwaite, 2016).
Another example most endurance athletes are likely familiar with: the feelings we have on a start line
adrenaline (epinephrine) increases in response to nervousness/emotional stress (not all stress is bad, but more on that at a different time)
the nervous system starts firing faster than normal, increasing heart rate and breathing
this brings more oxygen/nutrients to muscles
digestion slows as the body diverts resources to the task at hand
Those “butterflies” we feel are there to prime us to compete. It can be an uncomfortable feeling at first, but it can also be the body preparing itself better for what’s to come.
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For the purposes of this newsletter, what does the above mean?!
We often treat the body and mind as separate, but they are intricately intertwined
We often focus on the physical and neglect (or at least under emphasize) the mental/emotional/social
The “work” we do doesn’t need to be as specific as we think, due to the intricacies and unknowns of these connections there are many “side effects”.
Focus on consistently pulling the basic levers that are shown to have positive cascade of effects (i.e. sleep)
Start to measure beyond the work you do and measure the response from these systems (primarily via blood work, resting HR/HRV)
With this in mind, I’m super excited to share the Forging Iron podcast starting with my conversation with Robby Wade from Rythm health. I tried out the Rythm at home blood test kit which I think will change the game for many people. You can check out our podcast episode here:
Apple:
Spotify:
or our YT video where I use the home test kit:
Going forward, this newsletter will be sharing both the physical AND mental practices or perspectives for sustainable high performance. We might emphasize the body or mind in each post, but in reality they are inseparable and intricately intertwined.
Until next time, happy training!
Coach Griffin
References:
Basset, F. A., Kelly, L. P., Hohl, R., & Kaushal, N. (2022). Type of self-talk matters: Its effects on perceived exertion, cardiorespiratory, and cortisol responses during an iso-metabolic endurance exercise. Pyschophysiology, 59(3), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.13980
Marcora, S. M., Bosio, A., & de Morree, H. M. (2008). Locomotor muscle fatigue increases cardiorespiratory responses and reduces performance during intense cycling exercise independently from metabolic stress. American Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 294(3), 874–883. DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00678.2007
Wulf, G., & Lewthwaite, R. (2016). Optimizing performance through intrinsic motivation and attention for learning: The OPTIMAL theory of motor learning. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 23, 1382-1414. DOI 10.3758/s13423-015-0999-9