Are people born with high-level skills? Not likely. Although some genetic predisposition can occur with an individual’s ability to learn a certain task, in most cases, we as human beings are on a level playing field. Why is it then, that some people seem to be able to learn high-level skills such as muscle ups, hand walking, and Olympic weightlifting more quickly than others?
There are many studies in the world of evidence based practice that have looked into an individual’s ability to learn both in a physical way, and educational one. Today, we’ll focus on the physical ability. What is the key to learning these high-level, physical skills? The answer, is neurological pathways. Neurological pathways can be seen as a roadway for electrical impulses. In fact, movement is caused by our brain when it sends out signals, which are then carried through our spinal cord, axons, and finally to our muscles. The efficiency of this ‘road’ is where the ability to learn physical skills comes in. For instance, if you’re driving 15 miles on a highway and you’re able travel at 15 miles per hour, your destination will simply take you one hour. Now, let’s take that same distance, and add potholes. Suddenly your hour trip becomes 3 hours, 4 hours, or even 5 hours. This is due to a poor pathway from point A, to point B.
So how do you build a road? By some, it has been theorized that high volume of repetitions is the best way to create neurological pathways, and it’s true, practice does help create high-level skill. However, high volume work alone is not the answer and can actually lead to poor movement. For example: say we build our road without taking the time to level it, grade it, or check it for quality control. Although the road is being laid down, it will likely need constant repair because of the negligence it was subjected to when it was being built. In fact, we may even have to demolish it, and rebuild it at some point because it’s unsafe or inefficient. Taking that analogy a little further, think about how the construction crew will feel when they’re being pushed hard to build a road on a time crunch. They’re likely fatigued, working well below their ability, and turning out a crap product, right? Knowing this will be the outcome, we instead give the crew time to rest, check everything twice, keep morale high and produce a quality product the first time. Ever hear the phrase, “measure twice, cut once” - This is the key to proper construction.
In the case of physical skill, the road we are building is thicker myelin sheaths. These sheaths can be seen as conductors for our electrical impulses, and produce a “smooth” road that creates quick and efficient pathways for our electrical impulses. It is theorized, that the thicker the myelinated sheaths, the quicker the neurological pathway, and the easier it is for us to learn. This is important to note, because thicker myelination of these pathways is caused by repetition. If volume creates thicker sheaths, it would seem counterintuitive to creating a roadway slowly right? Wrong. What we want to do is find a happy medium between the volume of repetition, and quality of repetition. Here is the best protocol for doing that:
Learn high-level skills when properly warmed up, but not fatigued (learn demanding skills before conditioning, always).
Rest between reps and sets to let your mind process the movement.
When in the learning process - stop training when fatigue sets in, and quality of movement drops. Practicing a movement poorly, will lead to constant poor movement in the future.
Always end on a quality repetition (let your mind end a training session remembering a good rep).
Following this protocol will keep you moving forward in an efficient way, and foster the learning of high-level skill. Now, go build those roadways, and as always.. Have fun and train hard.
**It’s important to note that specific volume was not mentioned. Volume for every athlete will be different when learning a movement. This boils down to an athlete’s general physical preparedness. If you have a highly conditioned athlete, he or she will likely be able to work longer without fatigue setting in, allowing for more quality repetitions, thus catalyzing the learning process. Volume should always be individualized, if possible.