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Central Nervous System Recovery
The smart way to make your body obey your mind
The central nervous system recovers five to six times slower than the muscular system. In other words, even if your muscle cells have fully recovered, your nervous system may still be recovering. So how do you know when your nervous system is fully recovered?
One effective way to monitor overtraining for the central nervous system is by using a handgrip dynamometer, a simple device that you squeeze to measure your grip strength. The handgrip test has been shown in two research papers to be a great predictor of performance at world championships in judo and wrestling. Here’s how to do the test:
Take a measurement after you have had a few days’ break from training. After you arise in the morning, grip the dynamometer with your dominant hand, positioning your opposite foot slightly forward. Raise your dominant hand overhead and then slowly lower your arm while squeezing the handgrip as hard as you can. Record your results, and then repeat the process with your other hand; again, record your results. These scores will represent your standardized measurements.
Every morning measure your grip strength in both hands in exactly this manner. If your scores are down by 2 kilos or more per hand, neurologically you have not fully recovered from your previous workout(s). If you have a poor score on the morning grip dynamometer test, you may not necessarily need to skip training altogether, but you may need to reduce the volume of training so you do not overtrain any further. It is, in fact, usually excess volume, not intensity, that causes overtraining.
Another very good test for central nervous system (CNS) status is the standing vertical jump. For example, it actually can predict how well an athlete will do in a 500-meter speedskating sprint. A simple drop in 2 cm can have disastrous effects on one’s best time in that race. Speedskating coach Jacques Thibault demonstrated this a few years ago on the World Cup circuit while doing research for his master’s thesis.
In our experience, CNS recovery is most influenced by quality of sleep; how rested you are also affects glycemic balance throughout the day and levels of GABA and serotonin. A simple strategy such as using magnesium threonate and inositol can do wonders in restoring healthy neurotransmitter levels.
Remember, your progress in the gym is a direct function of your ability to recover from workouts.
Monitoring Central Nervous System Recovery | Poliquin Article
The smart way to make your body obey your mind
The central nervous system recovers five to six times slower than the muscular system. In other words, even if your muscle cells have fully recovered, your nervous system may still be recovering. So how do you know when your nervous system is fully recovered?
One effective way to monitor overtraining for the central nervous system is by using a handgrip dynamometer, a simple device that you squeeze to measure your grip strength. The handgrip test has been shown in two research papers to be a great predictor of performance at world championships in judo and wrestling. Here’s how to do the test:
Take a measurement after you have had a few days’ break from training. After you arise in the morning, grip the dynamometer with your dominant hand, positioning your opposite foot slightly forward. Raise your dominant hand overhead and then slowly lower your arm while squeezing the handgrip as hard as you can. Record your results, and then repeat the process with your other hand; again, record your results. These scores will represent your standardized measurements.
Every morning measure your grip strength in both hands in exactly this manner. If your scores are down by 2 kilos or more per hand, neurologically you have not fully recovered from your previous workout(s). If you have a poor score on the morning grip dynamometer test, you may not necessarily need to skip training altogether, but you may need to reduce the volume of training so you do not overtrain any further. It is, in fact, usually excess volume, not intensity, that causes overtraining.
Another very good test for central nervous system (CNS) status is the standing vertical jump. For example, it actually can predict how well an athlete will do in a 500-meter speedskating sprint. A simple drop in 2 cm can have disastrous effects on one’s best time in that race. Speedskating coach Jacques Thibault demonstrated this a few years ago on the World Cup circuit while doing research for his master’s thesis.
In our experience, CNS recovery is most influenced by quality of sleep; how rested you are also affects glycemic balance throughout the day and levels of GABA and serotonin. A simple strategy such as using magnesium threonate and inositol can do wonders in restoring healthy neurotransmitter levels.
Remember, your progress in the gym is a direct function of your ability to recover from workouts.
Monitoring Central Nervous System Recovery | Poliquin Article
