Tip Trigger Homeostatic Disruption Sometimes Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip Trigger Homeostatic Disruption Sometimes Here' s a lesson we can learn from CrossFit with caution by Charles Staley July 11, 2017August 18, 2019 Tags CrossFit, Metabolic Conditioning, Tips, Training Novel Unexpected Training Threats If you've ever watched a legit CrossFit workout, you might have noticed that it's a bit different from what you're used to doing. You probably never do more than 5 reps on deadlifts, or 2-3 reps per set if you're doing Olympic lifts. As everyone knows, "low reps are for bulk and high reps are for tone." Okay, couldn't help myself with that one (sorry), but you probably do buy into the idea that the "sweet spot" for gains is roughly between 8-12 reps per set. Or, if you're trying to improve strength, you probably do between 1-5 reps per set. In addition, you probably lift during some workouts and do cardio on others. And you know what? Science more or less agrees with you on all this. Thing is, CrossFit hasn't really gotten wind of these ideas as of yet, so they do things a little differently. So if you wander into a CrossFit box just as they're about to start a WOD, you might see people doing one of the following: The Filthy 50 50 box jumps to a 24-inch box 50 jumping pull-ups 50 kettlebell swings 50 walking lunge steps 50 knees to elbows 50 push presses with 45 pounds 50 back extensions 50 wallballs with a 20-pound ball 50 burpees 50 jump rope double-unders Murph One-mile run 100 pull-ups 200 push-ups 300 bodyweight squats One-mile run King Kong Three rounds of: 455-pound deadlift 2 muscle-ups 3 squat cleans with 250 pounds 4 handstand push-ups I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that you haven't done anything that even remotely resembles workouts like this. After all, at least at a quick glance, they seem to violate every known training principle ever conceived. But as whacked as these workouts seem (and maybe are), they do offer a unique advantage: They impose threatening demands on the body that trigger homeostatic disruption. What is Homeostatic Disruption That's when your body is literally threatened by the extreme novelty of a workout and begins to increase both muscle size and strength levels to protect itself against similar threats in the future. At the core of this premise is the idea that novelty is a key feature of effective training, particularly for muscular hypertrophy. Think about it: If you needed to be sore tomorrow, what would you do today to create that soreness? Would you do something familiar, or something very unfamiliar? Further, the more experienced you become, the more it is that novel training sessions grow in importance. After all, as a beginner, everything you do in the gym is novel, right? And of course you grow like a weed no matter what you do. Later on however, it becomes harder and harder to "shock" your system, even if you work hard, because the exercises you do are familiar, and you've already adapted to them. So, consider (carefully) scaring the shit out of your body with novel, unexpected training challenges. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Tip Safe and Effective Behind-the-Neck Pulldowns Yes, this is a safe exercise... if you do it right. Here's exactly how. Exercise Coaching, Tips Christian Thibaudeau February 1 Training Farmer s Walks for Fat Loss Coach Nick T. shows how this classic strongman exercise can turn your boring workout into a metabolism-stoking, fat-incinerating machine. Fat Loss Training, Metcon, Training Nick Tumminello June 7 Training Tip Save Your Knees With Target Squats This simple trick gives you a tiny assist at the bottom of the squat and spares your beat-up knees. It Hurts Fix It, Training Lee Boyce May 4 Training Tip 5 Pull-Ups Probably You Can t Do Before you strap on extra weight, master these advanced bodyweight variations. Bet you can't do them all! Training Tanner Shuck March 27