The fitness industry has a big problem. 90% of people quit the gym within the first 90 days. This is an enormous problem for gym owners and trainers, but if you’re a busy professional who needs to be in shape there’s a 90% percent chance it’s your problem too.
Sticking with fitness training is not a want it is a need. To be the most productive and effective version of yourself you have to be on a serious, organized TRAINING program.
Everyone is aware of the obvious positive effects of training; increased muscle mass and decreased body fat make you feel and look better, increased strength makes every movement feel easier, improved cardio endurance makes you last longer when doing something physical, and a decreased resting heart rate makes your relaxation time more relaxing.
But there is another less well-known effect of training that massively increases your productivity and it acts almost immediately.
The positive effects listed above are mostly long-term training effects. While they improve a bit each day it often takes a week or more to see a noticeable gain in those areas. Those effects are primarily structural (improvements in muscle mass, bone density, and joint tissue integrity) and vegetative (improvements in the heart’s ability to supply oxygen and improvements in cellular energy storage and utilization).
There are also short-term training effects that you will notice immediately every day when the training is dosed correctly.
The essential function of your brain-body system when you lift a weight is the brain engages and controls the nervous system which then engages the muscles to produce Force and movement.
The motor cortex is the region of the brain that is primarily involved in controlling neural networks. Neural networks are made up of groups of neurons and muscle fibers that activate the body and perform complex tasks.
When a training program is organized correctly, training sessions should fire up the motor cortex and nervous system so that after the session, you will feel invigorated until the next training session. Have you ever carried a heavy backpack of books for a walk, then taken the bag off and noticed some pep in your step? That is a simple short-term example of neural invigoration in effect.
The scientific principle behind it is called Post-Tetnic Potentiation; after you produce a large amount of Force for some time, all other lower-force actions will feel more manageable. The nervous system integrates to produce high force, and that integration lasts for some time afterward and is brought to bear on everything you do. It feels great. When you train consistently this effect is to an extent ever-present throughout your day-to-day life: EVERYTHING IS BETTER.
The short-term effect of training doesn’t end there, however. To lift a weight we activate the motor cortex to engage and control the nervous system. When we lift heavy weights we force the motor cortex to activate at a high level. Studies have shown that the motor cortex is involved in other mental activities besides physical movement. For instance, The motor cortex is involved in the production of speech.
Like the neuromuscular networks, the motor cortex itself experiences an invigoration during training that potentiates mental activity; the activity that determines our abilities to develop complex thoughts and communicate them to others, to think creatively in problem-solving, and to act on the decision. Quite literally, lifting potentiates both your brain and body to better find, solve, and execute tasks of all types, this makes every day more productive and meaningful for you professionally, socially, and creatively.
Just like how training also has positive long-term effects on the body , there are also long-term positive effects on the brain.
When we lift weights neurons in the brain (and rest of the body) increase the strength and number of connections with one another as a result of repetition. The same happens when we speak effectively, solve mathematical problems, or learn to play music. Since we established that there are great cross-over benefits between all these activities, the implications for the necessity of weight training are massive.
The great thing about a good weight training program is its directness. The work is clearly cut out for you. Getting better at the other activities listed above is a more complicated process. Since we know the motor cortex is involved with so many other important activities besides movement, it is clear weight training is a direct and extremely effective way to potentiate your brain for performance in many other modes.
When we add weight to the bar for a lift we make the task for the motor cortex more complex. We demand more of it, it adapts and becomes better. Quite literally getting stronger is getting smarter.
The art of controlling training lies in the systematic prescription of weights and reps over time. The program is sort of like a blueprint across time designed to improve the athlete/client-->YOU.
The more intelligently designed your program is, the more intelligence it will build in your motor cortex.
This is what you need.
This is why we opened the StratFit Training Studio. You need to become your best and stay that way. You know yourself, your family and friends, and the world needs to experience the best version of you and benefit from all you will accomplish.
At StratFit we are here to design your best-version blueprint. We will build the Pillars of Your Fitness.
Don’t wait any longer, start TRAINING.