Scott Sonnon
06-02-2004, 07:54 PM
This article regards one of the absolutely invaluable aspects of CST: the Intuitive Training approach; which involves three values - Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE), Rating of Perceived Discomfort (RPD) and Rating of Perceived Technique (RPT). Just by differentiating between exertion, technique and discomfort, one develops an incredibly powerful perception, but this goes much, much deeper...
In general (and this is only a generalization!) men have great difficulty differentiating between RPE and RPT. Before CST, most of them don't even have the meme/concept structure to support understanding the difference.
Men love exertion (a fact which I suspect relates to testosterone.) As a result, they perceive more effort as 'better,' even if form/technique is sacrificed during exercise. They experience great difficulty taking the time to PRACTICE SKILLS and instead rush to brute effort.
For the early stages of a skill, say the first 2-3 years, exertion and technique are inversely proportional: as you increase exertion, technique goes down hill. This is typically, IMO, why men usually injure themselves within the first 2-3 years, have to take time off to recover, start again and injure themselves again within another 2-3 years. It's a cycle which I see among men so often that I recognized the pattern before I understood the cause.
When men begin with CST, they must learn to assign and OBSERVE the value of their perceived exertion and technique. Daily practice makes OBVIOUS that as exertion numbers go up, technique goes down. This is also why I've given them a governor: they can only increase variables (intensity, volume, density, velocity, etc.) if they have a consistent RPE of 6 or less and a consistent RT of 8 or higher in a particular exercise (SKILL!) With this governor, they most often regain the intuitive insight to responsibly control their own training load.
With women (again - this is a generalization), I observe a different, though not necessarily opposite, phenomenon. Women see the most benefit from learning the skill of assigning value and observing the difference between RPE and RPD. Women seem to have no problem dedicating themselves to proper technique (RT). They listen, ask questions and observe any changes in form. It's quite refreshing... except when it comes time to follow-through with consistently increasing levels of exertion.
When it comes to exerting themselves, in GENERAL (there are obvious exceptions for both men and women), women often associate increased exertion with increased discomfort. This sets up dangerous patterns of failure and injury, because if they assume exertion is (injurious) pain, they may CREATE injuries. I've seen this in women who become so afraid of exerting themselves that they end up hurting themselves because they feel out of control.
The other side of this regards they aversion to exertion since it becomes associated with discomfort. This can set up negative patterns and a downward spiral of inactivity. I think this can go without expansion.
The very fact that women involved with CST learn to differentiate between a value for exertion and discomfort reframes their entire approach to fitness (and more importantly, life in general.) The great thing about women though is that since they dedicate themselves to increasing form, they learn to apply force properly must faster than men. This is why I advise women, in general, to increase RT of 8 or higher and RPD of 6 or lower before increasing RPE above 5. This way the exertion takes on the shape of funneled technique - exertion through form - which is the most controlled effort.
It would be interesting to discuss the nature of these gender differences, but essentially, it's a generalization. I've observed men who have the RPE/RPD issue most common in women, and I've observed women who have the RPE/RPT issue most common in men.
Regardless, CST Intuitive Training helps you turn your focus and concentration where you need it... on the subjective experience of exercise, with a granularity of vision needed to gain the 3 C's - confidence, competence and coordination.
In general (and this is only a generalization!) men have great difficulty differentiating between RPE and RPT. Before CST, most of them don't even have the meme/concept structure to support understanding the difference.
Men love exertion (a fact which I suspect relates to testosterone.) As a result, they perceive more effort as 'better,' even if form/technique is sacrificed during exercise. They experience great difficulty taking the time to PRACTICE SKILLS and instead rush to brute effort.
For the early stages of a skill, say the first 2-3 years, exertion and technique are inversely proportional: as you increase exertion, technique goes down hill. This is typically, IMO, why men usually injure themselves within the first 2-3 years, have to take time off to recover, start again and injure themselves again within another 2-3 years. It's a cycle which I see among men so often that I recognized the pattern before I understood the cause.
When men begin with CST, they must learn to assign and OBSERVE the value of their perceived exertion and technique. Daily practice makes OBVIOUS that as exertion numbers go up, technique goes down. This is also why I've given them a governor: they can only increase variables (intensity, volume, density, velocity, etc.) if they have a consistent RPE of 6 or less and a consistent RT of 8 or higher in a particular exercise (SKILL!) With this governor, they most often regain the intuitive insight to responsibly control their own training load.
With women (again - this is a generalization), I observe a different, though not necessarily opposite, phenomenon. Women see the most benefit from learning the skill of assigning value and observing the difference between RPE and RPD. Women seem to have no problem dedicating themselves to proper technique (RT). They listen, ask questions and observe any changes in form. It's quite refreshing... except when it comes time to follow-through with consistently increasing levels of exertion.
When it comes to exerting themselves, in GENERAL (there are obvious exceptions for both men and women), women often associate increased exertion with increased discomfort. This sets up dangerous patterns of failure and injury, because if they assume exertion is (injurious) pain, they may CREATE injuries. I've seen this in women who become so afraid of exerting themselves that they end up hurting themselves because they feel out of control.
The other side of this regards they aversion to exertion since it becomes associated with discomfort. This can set up negative patterns and a downward spiral of inactivity. I think this can go without expansion.
The very fact that women involved with CST learn to differentiate between a value for exertion and discomfort reframes their entire approach to fitness (and more importantly, life in general.) The great thing about women though is that since they dedicate themselves to increasing form, they learn to apply force properly must faster than men. This is why I advise women, in general, to increase RT of 8 or higher and RPD of 6 or lower before increasing RPE above 5. This way the exertion takes on the shape of funneled technique - exertion through form - which is the most controlled effort.
It would be interesting to discuss the nature of these gender differences, but essentially, it's a generalization. I've observed men who have the RPE/RPD issue most common in women, and I've observed women who have the RPE/RPT issue most common in men.
Regardless, CST Intuitive Training helps you turn your focus and concentration where you need it... on the subjective experience of exercise, with a granularity of vision needed to gain the 3 C's - confidence, competence and coordination.