Neural priming of the brain is like the “ready, set” before the “go”! Neural priming increases attention, focus, readiness, and accuracy of response. It can help you move faster and become stronger!
Let’s start with some basic drills you can add prior to your training!
🥼 The science behind it!!
Priming muscles increases their initial speed of response, giving us the edge when time of response is critical. Priming our visual, auditory and other senses alerts the brain to get ready for more input. The concept of neural priming (post activation potential, or PAP) has many benefits, but here are two!
Our synapses are the areas where an impulse signaling movement leaves a nerve and moves to the surface of our muscles. The PAP response may create an environment where nerve impulses signaling movement in our bodies move at a much faster rate, thus allowing us to increase the speed at which we generate muscular force.
Sufficient intensity of the PAP exercise will improve an athlete’s muscular sensitivity to calcium. Calcium is released once the impulse mentioned above reaches the muscle through the synapse and gives our muscles the green light to start contracting. A higher sensitivity to calcium in the structures responsible for cross-bridging and contracting may allow our muscles to produce a higher force contraction than they would otherwise.
Are you ready to go?
Misha
