Chaos is the scientific study of ordered disorder. It offers a way to see order and pattern where previously only the random, erratic, and unpredictable (i.e., chaotic) were seen. If you inspect a rocky cliff, with its many jagged and irregular patterns spreading out in all directions, you can conclude that the pattern of the rock looks the same if you look at an area of 100 square feet or 1 square inch. Therefore, although the general structure appears different, that is, the divergences and the size of the rock cut, the fragments that constitute the composition maintain a great similarity. Consequently, although chaotic in appearance, its nature is predictable and determined. Similarly, exercise can be very chaotic yet predictable, always changing from one workout to the next but with direction…extreme variety along with standardization for sufficient measurement and comparison purposes.
Chaos Training(TM) is the randomization of exercise stimuli that includes a limited measure of standardization to maintain a benchmark against which to compare exercise performance. In other words, this method provides an accurate method of measurement, from one workout to the next, to establish and test training progress, but allows for drastic alteration of the stimulus, making the exercise (at the very least) more enjoyable and interesting. Chaos TrainingTM is an ideal method for maintaining motivation while instilling structure – two must-have considerations for trainees as well as exercise instructors who need to collect feedback data from their clients.
Now, perhaps the most relevant concern when changing a program too often is consistency in maintenance and data collection, to determine if and how much progress is being made. Essentially, students must have a benchmark to compare to determine the cost or benefit of current and future protocols. However, a person should not stick to the exact protocol from one workout to the next for too long, as this causes overadaptation to the exercise stimulus. In other words, a person wants to stick to the program by building bigger, stronger muscles, but doesn’t want to stick to the exercise methods that act to stimulate gains.
On that basis, a highly variable routine improves productivity, but there must be some degree of consistency to measure progress. This is possible as long as there is some consistency at some point in the training. And the best time and place to be consistent and standardized is at the beginning of a workout. Consider, for example, a trainee who always decides to alter his workouts, eg no two workouts will be exactly the same, or it may take several weeks or months before the same sequence and set variables repeat themselves in the same way. Three different workouts (for any exercise) using the break/rest-pause exercise method could appear as follows:
TRAINING 1
3 repetitions (5/5 cadence)
30 seconds left
3 repetitions (5/5 cadence)
30 seconds left
1 repetition at a slow cadence of 10/5 followed by…
8 upper partials + 1 forced
TRAINING 2
3 repetitions (5/5 cadence)
40 second break
4 reps (3/4 cadence)
0 seconds left
4 negatives, followed by a 10 second static hold at the bottom
TRAINING 3
3 repetitions (5/5 cadence)
60 second break
8 repetitions (3/3 cadence)
0 seconds left
2 forced, followed by 1 series of pectorals x 5 repetitions
At first glance, there doesn’t appear to be any similarity between the three examples, as each consists of various loads, reducing or maintaining the same weight and tension times, allowing for different levels of recovery and metabolic demands, etc., to suit the changes. various requirements
Obviously, a thirty second break is very different from a 40 or 60 second break, or if a student implements a break close to zero. The magnitude of weight reduction required to complete another 3 repetitions in a similar style, for example, will be much greater with a few seconds of rest than if it is preceded by a 60-second recovery rest. The repetition cadence can also influence performance and demands; a slower cadence makes it more difficult to complete a particular number of repetitions (consider lifting 100 pounds in one second instead of five or ten seconds). The altered mental and physical energy reserved for the remainder of the workout after the first set, second set, etc., must be taken into account.
However, close examination reveals that each example initially consists of 3 repetitions, all performed identically 5 seconds up and 5 seconds down (for a total of 30 seconds); And that’s the benchmark: a biomarker buried in a realm of chaos. An increase in the load under the same conditions would lead to an improvement in the lifting capacity or function. Thereafter, the trainee is free to be inventive and spontaneous during the remainder of the training for that muscle group. This is just one example of how a person can apply Chaos Training’, limited by his imagination.
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