This is Part 2, please read Part 1 first!

4. Overload - In order to create strength and endurance, you have to add intensity, resistance, or improve your time, but with consideration to progression (Law #2). You don’t want to take an advanced class if you are a beginner. There is a risk of injury there. Progression and overload are very similar as far as creating a change to the intensity and duration of the stimulus, and then using the law of adaptation to get the body adapted to that new stress. See how beautifully these laws interchange?

5. Specificity - If you want to be a better hiker, hike! If you want to get better at squats, squat. If you want to be a better golfer, go golfing. If you want to improve on cardio, strength training or Pilates won’t help to sustain the heart rate. On the flip side, if you want your core stronger, running won’t help with that specificity. If we want to improve in a certain exercise or sport, we have to practice it. This doesn’t mean you can’t cross train. It requires focus, hard work, and deliberate practice to consistently strengthen the muscles and the motor control refinement of the nervous system in artforms like dance or sports, like basketball. Short aside: Have you seen the documentary series about Michael Jordan called “The Last Dance”? It’s fantastic if you haven’t, but in the series, Jordan decided to switch to professional baseball after years of playing basketball. After he had some time playing baseball, he wanted to go back to basketball. He was out of shape for basketball, and his game suffered. That summer while he was filming a movie, he had to apply specific training, which included having an indoor basketball court built where he was shooting to play competitive basketball games among his serious player friends. After an 18 hour day of filming, he would play a couple hours of basketball everyday. He had extreme focus and drive to get back his incredible skills.

6. Regularity - The use/disuse principle. Use it or lose it. If you can plan your cardio and strength training weekly and commit to it, you will stay strong and not atrophy muscle. Consistency is everything in the realm of improvement. This can be 3-5 times a week depending on your individuality (law #1). Find something you enjoy so you can stick with a habit of fitness. And if you don’t feel like doing it, give yourself a push and do it. You will always feel better afterwards, and will uphold your fitness goals!

7. Recovery - You can’t go hard all the time. You must allow your body the three R’s: rest, repair, and recovery. You have to balance when you push and when you rest. Low and high intensity. The classic yin yang of fitness (and life). The body must repair. There is risk of overuse injuries if this law is neglected. Rest is essential. Yin is good.