It’s not controversial at all. Nor is it controversial that you also get a stress response from exercises you like.
It’s literally axiomatic in the entirety of what training is and why we train/exercise.
2 Likes
So your saying… that me sitting on my fat ass on the couch stress free probably isn’t going to give me the desired effect. Damn …
I will respectfully agree with you, with the caveat that you could spend a year on the couch and still rep my maxes on any lift! 
1 Like
You get a stress response from doing stuff you do want to do, too. Just getting out of bed requires a relatively large amount of cortisol.
1 Like
Stress is fine. Except when the total sum of the stressors in life become too much. I feel that the articles mentioning cortisol fail to highlight this.
If life is good, weight is maintaining or increasing, then a voluminous/intense/challenging workout presents a stress that you and your body will be equipped to meet. And intra-workout carbs is just minutiae.
But, home-life is shit, work is shit, so you’re taking your frustration out in the weight room, you’re dieting, sleep has been shoddy so you’re downing proverbial gallons of coffee. Now cortisol/stress becomes a problem in a sense but really everything is a problem.
Some people can still progress even when a lot of those factors are 
and I’m going to guy-guess that the number of negatives a person can have while still progressing is related to genetics. Perhaps, chiefly, related to testosterone.
Haha! I’m certain there are many people that don’t want to get out of bed in the morning. As I’m sure you know, there is more to a stress response than the release of cortisol. There are a whole cascade of effect when when the sympathetic nervous system takes dominance. Some of them are similar to what occurs during exercise.
The difference between stress and a stress response( fight or flight) are the neurological factors. Cells can be stressed, and in the proper dosage this can be beneficial. But a stress response creates a feedback loops that can escalate to full blown panic.
So yes, we all train by applying localized stress. A stress response is much more potent and if not calmed can quickly escalate. If you are doing something you don’t want to do it can escalate. If you are doing something you want to do you will not panic unless you purposely activate that system for performance reasons like running a race or hitting a max bench press.
There is no reason to get a stress response from walking or any low effort activity. It inhibits the benefits of that activity and can alter neural circuitry in a way that makes it difficult to obtain those benefits from the activity in the future.
So, if you are walking 6 hours a day and aren’t in a parasympathetic state, what is the point? All you’re doing is wiring your brain to go sympathetic every time you walk. You will still lose weight, but you are turning one of the most relaxing activities you can do into a chore and a trigger of the beginnings of a stress response.
If you are about to do a heavy set of squats, go sympathetic, get fired up, get stressed out. The adrenaline will help if you can handle it. A few minutes after the set you should be back to parasympathetic dominance.
To summarize for TLLDR:
stress - used in exercise to improve traits, can be beneficial in proper amounts
stress response - fight or flight, feedback loop, can escalate to panic, very powerful in rewiring the brain.
1 Like
I don’t disagree with any of your points, conceptually, but, from a pragmatic point of view, I think we’re talking two ends of a spectrum so wide that is has very little utility in real life. How many folks are arguing to either knock out a single set of squats here and there or to walk for 6 hours?
I’m absolutely not against finding the exercise modality you prefer, but I’d come at that from a consistency standpoint (we simply won’t do, by and large, things we hate over the longer term) than a hormonal one. The difference in reason, though, may not matter; both our roads are leading to the same destination. The only caution I see with “don’t do anything you don’t like because the body will rebel and you’ll spin your wheels” is that it leads hedonists like me to justify never doing 30 seconds of cardio and to overeat/ drink because that’s what my nervous system desires!
Find it amusing this thread was started by someone who had obvious deep seated issues regarding his own weight. Based off one of his previous threads.
I was mainly throwing out a possible flaw in the study for why the group that walked 6 hours didn’t lose a lot more fat than the group that walked far less. Being miserable for 6 hours and fighting to get through is going to have a different effect than a relaxing 2 hour walk. That could explain the disparity in fat loss. It’s impossible to say, but it’s a flaw in the study.
Of course in real life there must be a balance and it is necessary to do things you don’t want to in order to improve. Usain Bolt and Muhammed Ali are two prime examples. Both despised training yet did what they had to do and achieved greatness. It’s an art where you use everything you can and go through anything you must to get what you want.
1 Like
I’m always dubious of these types of statements.
Are there any direct quotes from these two actually saying that, or is this something that a 3rd party said they said?
3 Likes
There is a documentary on Netflix(in the US) called I Am Bolt. In it Usain Bolt talks about his dislike of training at least twice.
Ok. Maybe we get different messages from it, but
I’m not getting “despised training” from this.
Certainly not enough to cycle somebody into a loop of panic attacks or any of the previously mentioned affects.
1 Like
If we do wanna talk great athletes that hate training, there is always Dave Goggins. Jon Andersen too, but my bias is obvious there.
1 Like
We’re talking about Athletes dude, not guys who are great at exercising.
1 Like
Couple of footballers, Ledley King and Paul McGrath. OK, they had injuries but were basically allowed to skip training and turn up on match days.
That’s not the right film. The film is called I AM BOLT.
But that is him.
I’m (intimately) familiar enough with training, stress, and conditioned panic responses.
Your point does have some validity. I just don’t think it’s nearly as important or affective to health and fitness as others might.
2 Likes
You asked if there is a direct quote of either Ali or Bolt saying they hate training. I responded there IS a quote directly form Bolt saying he hates training in the film I AM BOLT.
Then you posted a clip from Youtube which isn’t part of the film I am referencing. I told you you that wasn’t the film I am referencing.
Then you respond with “But that is him” followed by writing about things you are familiar with and things you think.
I don’t understand.
I gave you proof of what you wanted proven. What am I missing?
Nothing. It just isn’t that important.
What would you like for the result or product of this discussion to be?
1 Like
I would like to know that you understand Bolt said he hated training in a direct quote.