How To Train Your Central Nervous System - Unlock Your FULL Strength & Performance

Summary

This video explores the central nervous system's role in strength and performance, emphasizing that muscle training alone is insufficient. It explains the CNS's control over muscle fibers, the importance of motor units, and the size principle. The video advocates for brain training, including heavy lifting, explosive movements, and overcoming isometrics to enhance neural drive and muscle recruitment. It also discusses skill acquisition, neural pathways, and the significance of recovery to prevent CNS fatigue, ultimately highlighting the brain's adaptability in enhancing physical performance.

Takeaways

• 💪 The central nervous system (CNS), comprising the brain and spinal cord, is crucial for strength and performance as it controls muscle movement.
• 🏋️ Muscle fibers contract based on signals from the CNS, and individual fibers are binary, meaning they either contract fully or not at all.
• 🧠 The primary motor cortex in the brain contains a 'motor homunculus' that maps each neuron to a specific body part for movement control.
• 🔌 Motor units, groups of muscle fibers controlled by a single motor neuron, are activated based on the strength of the signal from the CNS.
• 📶 The size principle states that smaller, weaker motor units are recruited first, followed by larger, more powerful ones as effort increases.
• 🌱 Brain plasticity allows for the growth and adaptation of the motor cortex, enhancing control over muscles through practice and training.
• 🏃‍♂️ Training for strength involves sending stronger neural signals, which can be achieved through heavy lifting or explosive movements.
• 🤸‍♂️ Intramuscular coordination can be improved by practicing movements with high neural drive, like overcoming isometrics, to enhance muscle control.
• 🔄 Rate coding increases the volume of neural signals, allowing for greater motor unit recruitment and effort during exercise.
• 🎼 Learning new skills or refining movement patterns involves creating and strengthening neural pathways in the brain through repetition.
• 🧘‍♂️ Recovery is essential to prevent CNS fatigue and maintain performance, with chronic stress potentially impacting strength and skill.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of the video script?

The video script primarily focuses on the role of the central nervous system (CNS) in muscle control, strength, and performance, and how training can be optimized to improve these aspects.

What does the central nervous system comprise of and what is its role in the body?

The central nervous system comprises the brain and spinal cord. It is responsible for our thoughts, memories, personality, and for sending signals to move the body, which are then relayed to the peripheral nervous system for conscious control.

How do muscle fibers contract and what role do myofilaments play in this process?

Muscle fibers contract by the action of myofilaments, specifically actin and myosin, which slide across each other, allowing the muscle cell to shorten as needed.

What is the motor homunculus and where is it located?

The motor homunculus is a map of the body located in the primary motor cortex of the brain, where each neuron corresponds to areas of the body that one may wish to control.

What is the significance of the motor units in muscle movement?

Motor units are groups of muscle fibers within a muscle that are all innervated by a single motor neuron. They play a crucial role in muscle movement by being the smallest contractile units that can be activated by signals from the CNS.

What is the Henneman Size Principle and how does it relate to muscle recruitment?

The Henneman Size Principle states that motor units are always recruited from the smallest and weakest first, with stronger and larger units being added as needed. This principle explains the order of motor unit recruitment based on the strength of the neural signal.

How does the brain adapt to new skills or movements?

The brain adapts through a process called brain plasticity, where the areas of the brain responsible for controlling new skills grow and thicken, increasing gray matter and cortical thickness, allowing for better control and coordination.

What is the role of rate coding in increasing the volume of a signal for muscle contraction?

Rate coding refers to the process where more rapid signals cumulatively stimulate the motor neurons to fire, allowing for an increase in the volume of the signal as effort increases.

What is the significance of 'greasing the groove' in skill acquisition and how does it work?

'Greasing the groove' is a training method that involves practicing a movement repetitively without incurring unnecessary fatigue. It helps to reinforce neural pathways and improve movement efficiency and skill.

How does the CNS respond to overtraining and what are the implications for performance?

Overtraining can lead to acute CNS fatigue, which is temporary and recovers within a few hours. However, chronic overtraining can lead to a heightened state of stress affecting performance and general health, although this is more related to the autonomic nervous system.

What are overcoming isometrics and how do they benefit CNS training?

Overcoming isometrics involve pushing or pulling against an immovable object, which helps in practicing the maximum neural signal for motor unit recruitment. This method is beneficial for CNS training as it allows for the development of stronger signals and improved muscle coordination.

Why is it important to include variation and unexpected elements in training?

Including variation and unexpected elements in training helps to build more robust movement patterns, allowing for better adjustment to precise movement patterns and enhancing the ability to cope with unexpected situations.