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Load Adaptation Mechanism

Meaning

The intrinsic biological process by which the human organism detects a physiological or psychological stressor, or ‘load,’ and subsequently initiates a series of compensatory and structural changes to enhance its capacity to tolerate that same load in the future. This mechanism is central to the concepts of training, resilience, and anti-fragility, involving coordinated responses across the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and neuroendocrine systems. Hormones such as growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor-1, and testosterone are critical mediators of the structural component of this adaptation.