Posts Tagged ‘neural circuits’

Can Michael Phelps still be Michael Phelps on less training?
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on August 23rd, 2010

Could TI-style training help Michael Phelps — and other “adult” elite swimmers?

Video: “Work Less, Swim Better” in Triathlon (or anywhere)
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on August 18th, 2010

What is Perpetual Motion Freestyle and why does it work better than “pool-honed technique” for longer distances, and especially open water? And what does myelin have to do with this?

Proof that *Swimming Makes you ‘Smarter.’*
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on July 7th, 2010

Exercise grows new brain cells. New brain cells improve thinking. The optimal situation is a ‘virtuous loop’ in which you use increased thinking capacity to tackle vexing problems in your exercise.

How I learned (maybe) I’m not a Marathoner
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on June 30th, 2010

I swam two marathons in 2002 and 2006. I swam two more in March and April of 2010. I now question whether I have the stuff – mentally, not physically, to swim more marathons in the future.

Struggle–the right kind– Can Be Good.
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on June 29th, 2010

Better skills happen not by trying harder indiscriminately, but by trying harder in thoughtful, purposeful, targeted ways.

How to ‘Work Your Abs’ While Swimming
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on June 27th, 2010

Thinking about Active Streamlining, rather than “Pulling in your Navel’ will produce a more ‘functional’ engagement of core muscles. It will also do more to “grow new circuits in your brain.”

Why “Weightlessness” Is Essential
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on June 15th, 2010

Relaxing into Weightlessness replaces an inborn reflex to fight gravity with a calmly considered choice to cooperate with it. That saves physical, but it saves even more mental energy. Which you’ll use to acquire other skills.

Learning new skills: Repeat, repeat, repeat.
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on June 3rd, 2010

Adults learn new skills more slowly than kids. But they learn them better over time.

Caution: This Could Become Addictive
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on May 26th, 2010

How I experienced the “thrill” of nervous system adaptation in the precise moment it occurred during my first-ever practice using a Tempo Trainer to swim at precise Stroke Rates.

USE practice time. Don’t use it UP!
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on May 25th, 2010

The best way to improve your swimming is to shift from following arbitrary “formulas” for training, to planning sets that produce insight and steadily expand your “critical framework” for planning practices.