Good morning, friends -

I want to acknowledge a lot is happening globally. I’m wishing you peace and health.

This week, our main topic is training stress—and how your body adapts to stimulus.

But we’ll also look at:

• explosive training for rapid force production

• using sensors to quantify training workload

• and tips to mitigate psychological stress

Giddy up 🐴

Movement of the Week: Slam Ball

Explosive exercises relieve stress and also train your body to generate power FAST.

💥 Why Slam Balls?

For cycling, training explosive movement patterns translates to:

• Faster acceleration – Quick bursts of power for sprints and attacks.

• Stronger, more powerful surges – Helps sustain high-intensity efforts.

• Better neuromuscular coordination – Improves recruitment of fast-twitch muscle fibers.

🔥 How to Add Slam Balls to Your Training

• Try 3 sets × 10 reps at the end of a workout session.

• Focus on full hip and overhead extension, then slam the ball forcefully to ground

• Choose a weight that’s challenging but allows full control from lift to slam

This movement is a high-output, full-body power drill that carries over well into many domains.

Our Main Topic: The Overload Principle

If you want to improve strength, endurance, or power, it’s good to understand the Overload Principle—the foundation of all structured training.

At its core, the Overload Principle states that improvement happens when the body is exposed to stress beyond its current capacity, triggering adaptation.

How the Body Adapts to Training Stress:

• Strength training → Muscle growth (hypertrophy) & improved motor unit recruitment.
  

• Endurance training → Increased mitochondrial density, capillary growth, & aerobic efficiency.
  

• Power training → Enhanced neuromuscular efficiency & rate of force development.

This adaptive process allows the body to handle the same or greater stress more effectively in the future.

BUT… not all stress leads to adaptations.

Training stress must be applied strategically—otherwise, it can lead to stagnation, burnout, or even regression.

3 Make-or-Break Factors for Adaptation:

1. The Stimulus Must Be Sufficiently Challenging

• If a workout isn’t intense enough or doesn't introduce new demands, the body has no reason to adapt.

2. The Stimulus Must Be Consistent

• The body adapts when it recognizes a pattern of repeated stress.
  

• Inconsistent training results in partial or incomplete adaptations, making progress slow or nonexistent.

3. The Stimulus Must Be Balanced with Recovery

• Adaptation happens post-workout, during recovery.
  

• Without proper sleep, nutrition, and rest, training stress accumulates faster than the body can rebuild.

If you’re training hard but not seeing results, check in with yourself:

• Is your training stress increasing over time?

• Are you consistent enough for your body to adapt?

• Are you allowing enough recovery?

If you’re unsure, reply to this email—I’d love to help you troubleshoot.

But, Wait. How Do I Monitor Training Stress In The Wild?

Good question!

In the gym, changes are quite straightforward:

• Week 1: 3 x 10 bench press @ 95 lbs

• Week 2: 3 × 10 ……………… @ 100 lbs

• Week 3: 3 x 10 ……………… @ 105 lbs

On the other hand, endurance training effort can vary widely with terrain, weather, and other factors.

«This is where sensors and tracking tools come in handy»

Sensors bridge the gap between perceived effort and actual workload, and ensure your training stress is aligned with your goals.

Here are the sensors I use in biking:

(New to tracking? Strava is a great place to start—no extra gear needed!)

Tracking your training stress is a great way to ensure progress—but there’s another factor that can hold you back, no matter how well you train…

The Stress That Kills Progress

Your body responds to all forms of stress—training, work, and daily life—by releasing cortisol, a hormone that regulates energy availability, recovery, and immune function.

In short bursts, cortisol is essential for mobilizing fuel, reducing inflammation, and facilitating adaptation. But when elevated for too long, it shifts the body into a catabolic state, leading to:

• Inhibited muscle protein synthesis, slowing growth and repair

• Reduced glycogen storage capacity, impairing endurance and prolonging recovery.

• Suppressed anabolic hormones (testosterone & growth hormone), making strength and muscle gains harder to achieve.

When cortisol remains chronically high, the body prioritizes energy conservation over adaptation, limiting performance gains—even when training is on point.

Techniques to Lower Stress

• Limit screen time – Apps like Opal help reduce overstimulation before bed.
  

• Stretch & mobilize – Mobility work signals your nervous system to relax and recover.
  

• Box breathing (link) – shifts your body out of fight-or-flight and slows the heart rate
  

• Have sex – Proven to reduce cortisol and improve overall well-being (you didn’t hear it from me 😉).

You can train hard, track everything, and optimize your workouts—but if stress levels stay high and recovery is compromised, progress will stall.