Life moves fast, before you know it half the year has gone by. While technically the second, minute, and hour are the same as the last few million years, we perceive them as faster than when we were in school. Since time isn’t slowing down, what can you do with your workouts to strengthen your mind and body at the speed of life?
All movement starts with the central nervous system (CNS). The National Academy of Sports Medicine’s (NASM) Performance Enhancement Specialist Certification Program states skeletal muscle activation starts in the motor cortex of the brain. The brain sends electrical impulses down the spinal cord, then out into the periphery nerves of the body to the muscles you want to move. All humans operate in this same manner.
Working out trains the brain and the muscles. The more complex (multi-joint) movements you use, the more your brain responds with building new neural pathways. This concept is called neuroplasticity and is enhanced with exercise.
The pace you lift weights at is an adaptation that helps the body deal with positive stress placed on it. As muscle fibers are recruited as a part of activated motor units, a new homeostatic function is produced. The associated adaptations to such stimulation are related to the specificity of the training program or practice (NASM). Because all movement starts in the brain, lifting at faster speeds requires your brain and nervous system to initiate the impulses for faster movements by the muscles. As you move through life’s challenges at work and home, your brain becomes suited to making decisions at faster speeds because of the training you do.
Take these facts into an athlete whose movements and decision-making skills are required to be fast for them to play their sport. They train at game speed so their brain adapts and can send impulses to the muscles to contract at the appropriate times per their sport. Their sport is their job, and performing at their best is how they make a living. Your job requires quick thinking on complex issues. Your family requires quick thinking on different kinds of complex issues. By introducing faster tempos to your workouts, you can enhance your critical thinking skills under pressure.
I am not saying that every exercise has to be at top speed. Being fast and careless leads to injuries, similarly, making fast and careless decisions can lead to reduced profitability. Adding a quicker tempo to movements you’re familiar with, like a pushup, are adaptations that benefit the body and brain. Additionally, your heart rate increases with faster movements to help build your cardiovascular conditioning. You get a triple benefit of improved aerobic conditioning, stronger muscles at faster speeds, and neuroplasticity.
The top athletes in any sport are the ones who can slow down the game mentally to make the right decisions physically. You’re an athlete in your game of life, being able to slow down your world mentally to make the right decision for your company and family to go physically is how you win. What new product or service needs to be developed or improved? What arrangements need to be made for kids to carpool for school and practice? Adding exercises at controlled, faster speeds helps you with these daily challenges.
The neuromuscular adaptations to sports performance training are the cornerstone of sports performance (NASM). You don’t have to be a collegiate or pro athlete to reap the benefits of sports performance training. The science is there and so are the results when you turn on the TV and watch your favorite team or athlete. Make these adjustments to your workouts and watch your career and family life grow!