ReviewThe General Adaptation Syndrome: Potential misapplications to resistance exercise
Introduction
Within the resistance training literature, one of the most commonly cited tenets with respect to exercise programming is the “General Adaptation Syndrome” (GAS).1, 2, 3, 4, 5 This concept was first introduced in the 1930s by Hans Selye, and later adapted for exercise programming by Garhammer6 and Wilt7 in separate publications. In 1961, Forbes Carlile published a perspective proposing the acceptance of the GAS as a basic philosophical guide to coaching.8 However, this concept did not appear to become widely accepted (regarding its applications for resistance exercise) until its incorporation and discussion in a “theoretical model of strength training” outlined by Stone et al.9 in 1982. Within this model, it is suggested that the GAS applied to resistance exercise provides us with three phases of adaptation: Alarm, Resistance and Overtraining. As a result, periodization was developed to maximize adaptation while avoiding overtraining.6 This concept (GAS) has since become very well accepted within the resistance training literature, cited in many papers1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 as well as text books11 as an underlying theory behind the development of periodization. In fact the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) cites the work of Hans Selye as the central theory behind periodization,12 suggesting that the application of GAS through periodized programming can optimize performance and recovery. Our research group has recently critically evaluated the merit of periodization regarding its applications for muscle size and strength, concluding that there is little evidence to suggest that a periodized resistance-training program would augment changes beyond those observed in a non-periodized program utilizing progressive overload.13 This naturally led to the examination of GAS, with a specific focus on the original stress research conducted by Hans Selye. Thus, the purpose of this manuscript is to examine the original work of Hans Selye, as well as the original papers through which the GAS was established as a central theory for periodized resistance exercise. In doing so, we wish to better understand the application or misapplication of the GAS to resistance exercise.
Section snippets
The foundation of the General Adaptation Syndrome
The General Adaptation Syndrome is a concept based on a series of rodent studies testing the stress response to sub-lethal doses of different drugs (e.g., morphine, atropine), and stimuli (e.g., temperature, exercise).14 Interestingly, Selye observed a similar phenomenon in all conditions: gastrointestinal ulceration, thymico-lymphatic atrophy and adrenocortical ulceration. In fact, the three stages of the GAS (alarm reaction, resistance and exhaustion) were developed based on observed tissue
The application of GAS to sport and exercise
A review by Russell Viner discusses the “marginalization” of Selye’s original findings, suggesting that his work has “become a ‘rallying cry’ for proponents of modern concepts of disease as a controllable interaction between humans and their environment”17 It is our opinion that this may also be the case with its application to sport and exercise. Fred Wilt was the first (to our knowledge) to point out the importance of Selye’s work regarding the training of athletes.7 In his short
The bridge to periodization
Periodization has been defined as a “training plan, whereby peak performance is brought about through the potentiation of biomotors and the management of fatigue and accommodation.”3 Garhammer was the first to apply the principles of GAS to periodization.6 In his perspective, Garhammer suggested that the total load of a training program should be divided up into unequal portions (cycles), with the ultimate goal of avoiding exhaustion. This suggestion, at a basic level, makes sense. Selye’s
The potential misapplication of GAS
The original application of GAS to resistance exercise was to avoid overtraining. The application of such principles seems sensible for athletes, where the manifestation of stress from everyday life, stress from sport, and stress from supplemental exercise could lead to overtraining. Thus, the original model of linear periodization may help account for sports training during the year, as it decreases resistance training volume over time as the sports season progresses.9 This sensible concept
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, the early work of Hans Selye has applications in the understanding of any stressful stimuli, including exercise. However, his original work seems rarely re-visited regarding its analysis, interpretation and application to resistance exercise. Notably, Selye’s work focused on the universal physiological stress responses noted upon exposure to toxic levels of a variety of pharmacological agents and stimuli, rather than normal levels of exercise. Russell Viner discusses how the modern
Acknowledgement
This study was not supported by any external funding.
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Resistance exercise and sports performance: The minority report
2018, Medical HypothesesCitation Excerpt :Our research group has previously discussed the lack of evidence supporting the thesis that a periodized resistance training program will result in superior increase in muscle size and strength to that of a non-periodized resistance training program implementing progressive overload [47]. This led us to examine the general adaptation syndrome, the proposed theory underlying the periodization of resistance exercise [48]. The original concept of “adaptation energy” proposed by Selye suggested that a resistance (or adaptation) to one drug may limit the ability to adapt to another (i.e., morphine, atropine) [49].
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