In the world of neurophysiology, the underlying mechanism that enables the improvement of any skill can be summarized by the phrase “what fires together wires together”.
This basically means that connections between neurons are strengthened when those neurons fire together. (Together technically meaning sequentially instead of simultaneously, although that’s unnecessarily precise for practical purposes and isn’t as catchy.) As those connections become stronger so do the related skills or actions, whether they’re physical, mental, or emotional.
When it comes to improving movement patterns and strength, there are a few strategies that we can use to make this concept work to our advantage besides simply practicing the specific skill.
Here they are along with a few examples of how I’ve used them in training programs for myself and others:
Correct a pattern by working its opposite
This probably seems like a weird strategy to suggest right after saying that what fires together wires together. But what I actually mean is working the opposite of what appears to be the pattern that needs fixing.
The specific example I’m thinking about is something that most of us do too much on a daily basis: sitting and slouching.
While doing so occasionally isn’t necessarily an issue, in the long term it often leads to shortening and stiffening of the muscles in the chest and front of the hips (which can cause low back issues) as well as stretching and weakening of the postural muscles throughout the back (which can lead to neck discomfort).
I’ve mentioned in the past that the Brettzel and T-spine Bridge are great options for improving all of those areas, so I won’t rehash the details here. Instead I’ll just point out that extending the hips and rotating/extending the spine look like the opposite of the trouble-causing patterns of flexing the hips and spine (i.e. rounding the shoulders). Yet they’re exactly what’s needed to help you more easily sit up straighter. (← Speaking from personal experience!)
Improve a pattern by working a similar pattern
As I mentioned above, practicing a movement pattern or skill will cause the related neurons to fire together and improve your ability. For example, practicing running technique will improve your ability to run.
But training specific movement patterns in multiple ways can produce even better results—because the firing & wiring happens more often—while also providing some “rest” for the working muscle group. (See the following strategy for more details.)
Two simple examples I’ve often used include:
- Kettlebell swings to improve running and jumping: Swings strengthen the posterior chain (e.g. hamstrings, glutes) and train powerful hip extension—both of which are important components of running and jumping—while also being much lower impact than either of the other two activities.
- Pull-ups to improve throwing and swimming: Pull-ups are one of the best ways to strengthen the lats while also utilizing the obliques and abs, all of which is exactly what’s needed in most swimming techniques (not the least of which being freestyle) and throwing anything from a baseball to a football to a punch. (It will also improve a volleyball spike, which is similar to although not exactly a throw).
Strengthen a pattern by working opposing patterns
This is a more advanced strategy, but it seems the most interesting to me.
Think of two different exercises that look similar but work in opposite directions. For example:
- Standing Military Press (i.e. vertical push) & Pull-up (i.e. vertical pull)
- Push-up (i.e. horizontal push) & Inverted Row (i.e. horizontal pull — lean back while holding onto a suspension trainer and then row while maintaining a face-up, plank-like body position)
- Squat/Deadlift (i.e. hip extension ↑ & hip flexion ↓) & Hanging Leg Raise (i.e. hip extension ↓ & hip flexion ↑)
While the exercises in each combination don’t look exactly the same, the movement patterns are similar—just in opposing directions. In such cases, muscle groups that are the prime movers in one exercise work as the stabilizers in the other exercise and vice versa.
During a training session, alternating sets of each exercise—that’s doing a set of one exercise, resting, and then doing a set of the other, not doing them back-to-back as a superset—allows each muscle group time to work “less hard” while it’s acting as a stabilizer.
That’s a great way to get in a lot of high-quality work in minimal time while also staying fairly fresh, reinforce movement patterns through firing & wiring, and build strength efficiently and effectively. (The Military Press & Pull-up combo is my favorite!)
Putting it into practice
If you train on your own, I probably can’t overemphasize the value of regularly adding Brettzels into your day or learning how to safely perform a quality kettlebell swing, especially if you play any sort of sport or have other active hobbies. (Check out a kettlebell 101 workshop in your area for the latter.)
If you train at TNT, I obviously take care of building this stuff into the training plan for you. But this should give you a little more insight into the logic behind the programs. Of course, I’m always happy to answer any other questions you have about any of it too. 🙂