Part 1 of this series introduces you to neurological typing. In short, your baseline levels of three neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine) strongly influence your personality and dictate your how you should train and eat for best results. Part 2 covers the first neuro profile: the novelty seeker. Part 3 covers Type 2: the reward-dependant profile. Part 4 discusses the harm avoider type.
Now let's dig deeper into each type, talk about specific programming, and cover mixed neuro types.
All Type 1 lifters need intensity. They're neutrally driven. For them, performance is more important than getting a pump or mind-muscle connection. Methods where the nervous system is the most active will lead to the most improvements. In fact, they often find isolation or pump work boring and annoying.
The two subtypes differ in two ways: how much volume they can handle, and how much variation they can have within one workout.
In both cases, it depends on their acetylcholine levels. Having high acetylcholine allows a Type 1 to be able to handle more volume. How? By decreasing the reliance on adrenaline. When you have more acetylcholine, you don't need the same amount of adrenaline to perform well. Acetylcholine increases contraction strength of the heart and muscles. It also increases vasodilatation and focus.
Remember, adrenaline (epinephrine) requires dopamine to be produced. So the more adrenaline you need to produce, the more dopamine you'll "use." That could lead to depletion.
To have high training motivation and aggressiveness you need a high dopamine level, and novelty seekers have a naturally lower dopamine level. So if they produce too much adrenaline they'll quickly deplete dopamine and work capacity will go down. So, if a Type 1 has a high acetylcholine level he can tolerate more volume because he doesn't deplete dopamine as quickly.
Furthermore, people with a higher acetylcholine level are good at multitasking. They can easily switch their attention from one task to the another without any loss in efficiency. Signs of high acetylcholine levels are a great memory and the ability to pay attention to more than one thing at a time and do more than one project at a time.
People with low acetylcholine levels often forget things (losing their keys for example) and might have recollection problems. When they're doing something they almost forget the rest of the world exists. They can have a hard time making a decision when there's more than one option.
Another good example of an acceptable training style would be my Bulgarian Training Simplified program.
My Layer System would also be a good plan to use for this type. They'd also do great on the Indigo-3G® strength program
While acetylcholine levels can have a small impact on the Type 2's capacity to tolerate volume, it won't be as impactful since Type 2's don't have low dopamine levels and are very sensitive to adrenaline.
However, they can be heavily influenced by GABA levels. A higher GABA level will give them better motor control and less anxiety, leading to a more positive attitude and more self-confidence.
They are people pleasers but they wait for others to give them respect, admiration, and positive feedback. If they don't get it, they close up on themselves. In a group where they aren't automatically the center of attention they tend to withdraw or become invisible, which also gives them a lot of anxiety.
Type 2's with low GABA have less motor control, aren't as good at learning new skills, and don't do well on explosive work.
They're also people pleasers and depend on the admiration and respect of others to build their self-worth, but they actively try to get that respect. They're more proactive and are great at mingling in groups. They instinctively mimic the attitude of the person they're talking too. They're great at one-on-one conversations. But they aren't as comfortable when talking to several people because they don't know how to adjust their behavior. They always want to avoid conflicts and will almost always agree with the person they're talking to.
Type 2's with high GABA have good motor control, are less prone to anxiety, and do great on explosive work as well as "playful" training sessions. They like training programs with a theme or challenge. They do well on CrossFit-style training but without the high skill level.
Examples of programs that work well for this type: The Zombie Apocalypse Workout and
HSS-100
Programs that work for this type: Vince Gironda style programs and Growth Factor style programs such as Growth Factor Shoulder Training and Growth Factor Chest Training.
A good program for them would be German Volume Training.
The profiles are a continuum in the order presented and they go from high intensity to high volume. The continuum is:
From the top of the list to the bottom, intensity decreases and volume increases.
When you take the formal TCI test you might find that you either have a strong dominance or that you're a mix of two types. You can be:
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