About such a phenomenon as the connection between the brain and muscles, you need to know not only doctors, but also everyone who does sports. Everyone can face a halt in training progress, this is called the plateau effect. The reason for the plateau is not always in physical limitations, blockage can occur at the level of thinking, not in the muscular system, but in the head. Let’s see how the brain-muscle mental link manifests itself and how to use this knowledge to achieve success in training.
To see this connection and make sure of its existence, it is necessary to observe how newcomers in the room work with iron. Movements will be non-synchronous, hands and feet trembling, the reason not only for the high weight of the projectile, but also for the absence of a mental relationship. The nerve impulse transmitted from the brain to the muscles is weak, so a person knows the technique of performing the exercise in theory, but can not apply it in practice.
How does it work?
For the muscular system it is characteristic to be in three states: reduced, stretched, relaxed. Contraction is a complex action that can be triggered in different ways. The most common types of muscle contractions are isometric, in which the length of the muscle does not change, and isotonic, when the muscle becomes shorter or longer under external influence. Isotonic contractions can be eccentric when the muscle lengthens, and concentric when the muscle becomes shorter, for example, when the athlete shows the biceps. Skeletal musculature has many more ways to contract.
The command for any action comes from the brain, the more often it is executed-the stronger the impulses. A strong brain-muscle connection is the reason that a professional athlete can give his muscles a serious load with an empty handle, and a beginner can not do it even with a huge weight. The brain plays the role of the Control Center, from its cortex go stable impulse channels to each muscle unit.
There is also feedback, each cell of each muscle sends a response pulse, and the more active the system, the more stable this signal.
How to amplify the signal?
It turns out that the answer to the question, to make the muscles work, you need to look not in the room, but inside your head. One technique that bodybuilders use is visualization. In order to master it, you need to listen to your sensations in training, analyze the work of each muscle. When you remember these sensations, you can reproduce the whole process in your head before training, clearly representing each tension and relaxation. As a result, you will understand that the musculature requires a little — it is enough to create a compression force. Everything else is the moment of actions, their intensity and synchronicity are determined and set by the Control Center.
As practice and experience develop, such a thorough analysis will not be required, the control center itself will know the sequence of commands for performing each exercise, the intensity of the necessary effort. You will not realize this, the body will begin to work on its own,this is called working the technique until automatism. You will not need to think about how to make the gluteal muscles or biceps work, the body will become a unique system capable of solving this problem on your own.
Everyone has heard about such a phenomenon as muscle memory, at its basis exactly the same mechanism. In the absence of constant practice, the body loses its shape relatively quickly, but the skills remain, they are fixed by strong mental bonds. In order to develop such a skill, it takes an average of 3-5 months of regular training, each class works not only muscles, but also the brain.
About the benefits of brain training
Among the terms of success in strength sports, it is customary to list regular classes, recovery after them and increased Nutrition, but that’s not all. To become like Arnold Schwarzenegger or Wesley Withers, you need a connection between the muscles and the brain. The three terms listed contribute to strengthening the capacity of the management centre.
SIMILAR MATERIALS
Which is better for the muscles of the chest-a barbell or a dumbbell? Which is better for the muscles of the chest-a barbell or a dumbbell?
How does the functioning of our brain improve during training? How does the functioning of our brain improve during training?
Any physical activity is beneficial to the brain, especially if it is regular activities focused on the program. The main advantages of sports:
increased blood flow;
increased concentration of oxygen in the blood;
acceleration of the removal of by-products of vital activity;
get rid of stress, find a psychological balance.
In order to pump up the mental relationship, you need to train at least three times a week, so that physical activity lasts at least 40 minutes. The activity should be different, even if the goal is only to transform the muscular system in addition to strength loads, the program should include cardio and coordination of movement exercises, stretching.
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Additional recommendations
On Nutrition
In order to expand the capabilities of its control center, it does not hurt to include several healthy foods in the diet:
blueberries, which are part of its composition, antioxidants help purify blood, improve memory and coordination of movements;
fish of fatty varieties, these are both proteins and omega-3 fatty acids that strengthen neural connections and increase the potential in one or another type of learning;
lean meat, lean proteins are needed as a supplier of tyrosine, this amino acid makes the brain more awake and efficient;
Bran and whole grains, fiber is needed to purify the blood and stimulate its flow to the brain;
dairy products, like meat, contain protein and the necessary acid tyrosine;
nuts provide not only protein, fiber and healthy fats, but also valuable vitamin e;
broccoli, a source of antioxidants and fiber.
On reconstruction
Mental fatigue is as destructive as physical, so it is important not to forget about qualitative recovery. After intensive training, the brain should have at least two days of rest, but this does not mean that two days can not do anything. Light usual exercises do not load the control center, because when performing them, already established connections are activated. Daily recovery is a night’s sleep, it should last at least 6-8 hours continuously, which is important not only for the regeneration of muscle tissue, but also for the restart of communication between the brain and muscles.
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