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It's not really, central nervous system exhaustion needs to be managed with strength training. And it takes quite a bit of concentration to lift properly, a sho

It's not really, central nervous system exhaustion needs to be managed with strength training. And it takes quite a bit of concentration to lift properly, a short mental break is really useful.

bbarnett 6y ago
I added more details while you were writing this I think. Your nerves don't care how heavy something is. Fine muscle control is just as intensive as anything to the nerves. Talking uses waaaay more nerve and muscle control than lifting heavy weight. Breaks are required so that the blood can carry away waste, and replenish glucose and oxygen. That's all.
- a-and 6y ago
  I'm someone who's been seriously active in powerlifting for years and I was getting ready to argue, but you seem to be correct. Not only was I not able to find research supporting CNS fatigue, Menno Henselmans himself(quoted in the article) agrees https://mennohenselmans.com/cns-fatigue/ https://mennohenselmans.com/cns-fatigue/. What I have anecdotally observed is that regularly lifting closely to your maximum (particularly at higher levels) will inevitably lead to accumulated fatigue. Whatever the root cause of that fatigue is (whether muscoskeletal, endocrine or nervous) is a factor that does lead to degraded performance over time. The literature is lacking in longer-term studies, so I'm curious to see whether my anecdotal experience is pure confirmation bias or there is a mechanism behind it.
  - ubercore 6y ago
    I don't think it seems to be that clear cut, but the consensus does seem to show it's not a huge driver. More anecdotally though, to my original point, I really do need some brain rest in addition to just muscle fatigue between hard lifts.
- ubercore 6y ago
  Fine motor skills are, afaik, controlled by different networks than gross motor skills. They develop at different times in the brains. I don't think they can be that directly compared. Besides, I do like to take a break if I'm typing or writing a lot :)
- blunte 6y ago
  The point is that the brain is the essential point of initiation of muscle movement, and it is an essential part of the sensory feedback loop which then leads to muscular adjustments. The ability to focus without fail is not unlimited. When you're holding more than your bodyweight on your shoulders, the demands to simply maintain balance are significant. This means a lot more than just muscles holding a static position. If you are not very focused on the sensations which indicate a change in balance somewhere, you will lose form and possibly hurt yourself. Whatever the mechanism within the brain, the breaks are also necessary there. Of course the muscles need recovery time, but the brain does also.

It's not really, central nervous system exhaustion needs to be managed with strength training. And it takes quite a bit of concentration to lift properly, a short mental break is really useful.

bbarnett 6y ago

I added more details while you were writing this I think. Your nerves don't care how heavy something is. Fine muscle control is just as intensive as anything to the nerves. Talking uses waaaay more nerve and muscle control than lifting heavy weight. Breaks are required so that the blood can carry away waste, and replenish glucose and oxygen. That's all.

a-and 6y ago
I'm someone who's been seriously active in powerlifting for years and I was getting ready to argue, but you seem to be correct. Not only was I not able to find research supporting CNS fatigue, Menno Henselmans himself(quoted in the article) agrees https://mennohenselmans.com/cns-fatigue/ https://mennohenselmans.com/cns-fatigue/. What I have anecdotally observed is that regularly lifting closely to your maximum (particularly at higher levels) will inevitably lead to accumulated fatigue. Whatever the root cause of that fatigue is (whether muscoskeletal, endocrine or nervous) is a factor that does lead to degraded performance over time. The literature is lacking in longer-term studies, so I'm curious to see whether my anecdotal experience is pure confirmation bias or there is a mechanism behind it.
- ubercore 6y ago
  I don't think it seems to be that clear cut, but the consensus does seem to show it's not a huge driver. More anecdotally though, to my original point, I really do need some brain rest in addition to just muscle fatigue between hard lifts.
ubercore 6y ago
Fine motor skills are, afaik, controlled by different networks than gross motor skills. They develop at different times in the brains. I don't think they can be that directly compared. Besides, I do like to take a break if I'm typing or writing a lot :)
blunte 6y ago
The point is that the brain is the essential point of initiation of muscle movement, and it is an essential part of the sensory feedback loop which then leads to muscular adjustments. The ability to focus without fail is not unlimited. When you're holding more than your bodyweight on your shoulders, the demands to simply maintain balance are significant. This means a lot more than just muscles holding a static position. If you are not very focused on the sensations which indicate a change in balance somewhere, you will lose form and possibly hurt yourself. Whatever the mechanism within the brain, the breaks are also necessary there. Of course the muscles need recovery time, but the brain does also.