Even more important when combining strength training with high level sports and athletics.
Is seems so obvious that being able to find the minimum amount of stress needed to cause an adaptation is going to leave as much energy as possible left to practice and compete (and, lo and behold, even reproduce!). Most importantly, to compete in an actual adapted, fitter state. It highlights that in this day and age many people still feel that the exercise is making them fitter. Its like thinking that rubbing your skin is making a callous, or that frying in the sun is making you brown. When the basic, irrefutable fact is, a hole is forming in the skin when its rubbed, and the skin is being damaged by the sun. Stop the rubbing and the body, the recovery, will form the the thicker skin. Get out of the sun, the body will repair, go brown and adapt. Its so simple. Yet, still... 'maybe just another ten sets', 'maybe 3 sessions a day, with drop, drop, drop sets'. Its like thinking that a marathon runner, or in fact even a sprinter will run over the line bigger and stronger. Obviously the total opposite is true.
The total opposite, and the very basis of the trendy arguments used to back up tons of running, and running, and running , and running (until there's barely an anabolic hormone left) mode of thinking, that is, persistence hunting. The ultimate irrational contradiction. 'Great, proven way to kill things'. Or is it, 'we'd better stop chasing it or we'll never catch the thing. If it does any more sets and reps it will simply grow fitter and become invincible before our eyes?'
