Intended Stimulus Check!
APRIL 7, 2021 | WORDS BY MATT JOHNSON
What Does ‘Intended Stimulus’ Mean?
We hear the term “intended stimulus” quite often, especially from our coaches but what does that mean? When the coach is describing the intended stimulus of a workout, what they are doing is giving you a roadmap of how to approach your training in order to gain the most benefit.
Why is it important to meet the intended stimulus?
In NCMETCON for example, we train a broad range of metabolic pathways, from 20 minute AMRAPs to sub-5 minute Fran, to building to a Heavy 1-Rep Power Clean. While all of these workouts will put us on our butts in a pool of sweat, they are all dramatically different and train different pathways. If we aren’t attacking these workouts with the proper intensity for that day, then we won’t be getting the desired benefit of the workout.
Take a 400m Run in a short workout for example; two athletes at the same fitness and capability level, one athlete runs hard and completes it in 1:40, the other performs a light jog coming in at 2:45. While both athletes technically “got the work done”, one athlete will benefit greatly from the adaptations their body will be undertaking, while the other will see little to no benefit even though the work was completed.
Ways to meet the intended stimulus:
Check that ego at the door! Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. If the workout for the day is “Diane” For Time: 21-15-9 Deadlifts and Handstand Push-Ups, and you just learned how to do your first HSPU. Performing all 45 of them would be dangerous and counterintuitive to the stimulus. This would take you from the intended stimulus of 5-10 minutes and put you into the 15+ minute range and could lead to injury!
Listen to your coach! As a coach for 6 years I’ve had this conversation many times and I guarantee your coach has too. We have your best interest at heart and only want to see you succeed, we are not shorting you by telling you to go lighter, in fact we are helping you help yourself!
Aim to meet the feeling the coach describes, not the number on the board! “Diane” as fast as possible performed as written by capable athletes as well as performed with lighter Deadlifts and DB Strict Presses should elicit the same feeling from an athlete at a different stage of their fitness journey. The sign of a successful class when I am coaching is having everyone from our very own Jason Khalipa to the brand new member finishing the workout within the intended times feeling the same way.
Next time your coach is going over the workout for the day, keep these things in mind and do your best to match the intended stimulus!
