Re: Neural Activation Work & Prehab
“Neural system drives the muscular system, not the other way around, so ensure that irrespective of what you are weight training for include phases of neural activation work. This will ensure that you learn to synchronise and recruit a higher proportion of your fast twitch fibres, which after all is where you will make your greatest gains in size, strength and rate of force production”
G’day Dan
To me that quote is saying that you should work on the neural efficiency of a muscle not just the size. This is the basis for the saying “train movements not muscles”.
Obviuosly for size you would be using hypertrophy methods which increase lean muscle mass but have less effect on the nervous system (except for beginners where any strength training will see an increase in neural efficiency before any changes are seen in muscle size). For neuromuscular efficiency you would be using maximal weight methods i.e. low reps and heavy weights which increase intramuscular coordination (recruitment, rate coding, synchronisation etc). With these methods you learn how to use your muscles better. This is why a beginner can only recruit approx 60% of muscle fibres but an advanced trainer can recruit at least 85%.
I don’t believe it is referring to prehab exercises designed to “switch on” muscles which are probably best performed in a rehab or reconditioning phase of training i.e. after injury which has resulted in inhibition of muscle fibres and you are trying to retrain the movement.
Cheers
Damian
