When you think of a great athlete, what are some of the attributes that come to mind?
Speed? Quickness? Strength? Power? Elasticity? Endurance? Agility? Coordination? Balance? Mobility? Skill?
Each of these components are necessary to some degree in order to be a great athlete, but there is one thing underlying all of them that fuels them all…
The neuromuscular system.
In other words, the ability for the nervous system to coordinate the muscles to complete a specific task in a specific time.
The better your nervous system and muscles communicate, the faster signals are sent to your muscles to contract, the more robust those signals are, and the more options there are for your nervous system to send signals to get the job done.
It’s kind of like if you are trying to drive from your house to the gym and you have different routes to get you there–one route uses the interstate, another uses smaller highways, and a third uses side streets.
With the general, unathletic population, it’s like their neuromuscular system is filled with side streets. They may be able to get to where they want to go, but it is going to be slow and inefficient.
With athletes, your neuromuscular system is filled with interstates. Big, wide roads that you can drive as fast as you want to on and get to your destination quickly. And, the better the athlete, the more interstates you have as possible routes to get you to your destination.
In other words, the better your neuromuscular system functions…
And, on top of all that, the more options your body has to do all of the things (i.e. you are better at compensating) which means if one road slows down due to construction you can immediately detour to another road that is equally as fast without losing any noticeable time.
So the question is, how do you get a better-functioning neuromuscular system?
There are three things that I have seen to be most effective over the last 14 years.
In order from most general to most specific, the first is strength training that is focused on maintaining a mind-muscle connection the entire time you do each exercise.
Just like have written about previously, building and maintaining a mind-muscle connection when you strength train is absolutely essential to using your workouts as a way to build your athleticism without risking injury or excessive wear and tear on your body. Lifting a weight just to have it go up and down in the air or moving a band just to have it stretch and shorten is putting your results–and your career–secondary to the weight and the band.
Remember, your strength training workouts should be serving the sole purpose of enhancing your ability to perform, should be decreasing the time you need to recover, and should be building your resiliency to injuries and stress during your practices and games.
The weights moving up and down don’t have anything to do with that, but building a well-functioning neuromuscular system does. Keep your focus on the mind-muscle connection when you strength train to help you do that.
The second thing, which is more specific than general strength training, is low-intensity isometric exercises like the ones I send out every week in my free newsletter, The PRO Hooper Newsletter.
These exercises are specifically designed to re-establish and build neuromuscular function so long as the steps I outline in each video are followed. They can also help make your strength training more effective as you will be entering each of those workouts with a neuromuscular system that is functioning better when you do the exercises consistently.
The third thing, which is the most specific, is Muscle Activation Techniques®, or MAT®. The entire MAT® process is designed to identify where there are inefficiencies within your neuromuscular system and then address those directly, helping to immediately increase the strength and function of your muscles.
The great thing about MAT® is, once you know where your biggest vulnerabilities are and you get those addressed, you can use the low-intensity isometric exercises to help keep the work holding longer while you work your entire body during your strength training sessions.
For me, when I work with any of my clients, MAT® is the foundational piece that allows me to easily give exercise and workout recommendations that I know will continue to build the strength and function of their neuromuscular system.
And, in my opinion, it is the most specific thing you can do to become a better athlete.
If you would like to experience MAT® for yourself and are in the Chicagoland area (or are willing to travel here), you can see my availability and get yourself scheduled by clicking here.
And if you would like guidance on what to do with your strength training to build your strength and athleticism no matter where you are in the world or what equipment you have access to, you can fill out an application to get started here.
Charlie
Charlie Cates is the leading consultant to high-level professional, college, and high school basketball players in the Chicagoland area for injury prevention, recovery, and muscle performance.
As one of Chicago’s most sought-after Muscle Activation Techniques® practitioners, he is certified in the highest levels of MAT®, including MATRx, MATRx Stim, and MAT® Athlete.
A former college basketball player, he uses his personal experience and understanding of the game and player demands to create customized exercise options for his clients to recover faster and perform their best.
He sees clients in-studio at Muscle Activation Schaumburg as well as in-home.
You can schedule your MAT® assessment with him by clicking here, and be sure to follow him on Instagram at @CharlieCates!