Use the F-word to Optimize Your Training

Improving skilled control in your foot and ankle (or anywhere in your body!) requires the F word. No…not THAT F-word. The other one: FOCUS.

In high school, I tried to sleep with my notebook under my pillow in hopes that some of that information would leak its way into my brain. It never did. Don’t laugh - I’m betting all of you reading this tried it at least once too! 

The interesting thing here is WHY this doesn’t work, and why FOCUS is CRITICAL to enable learning. On top of running MOBO, I also teach at Oregon State University. We covered this in my Motor Behavior class, and there’s some insight to help you get the most of your training. So here we go.

Learning = Wiring Your Brain

Neural Plasticity

is the process of learning where your brain creates new pathways to get information into and out of your nervous system. In short, it teaches your nerves to communicate better so that you can do things better.

No FOCUS, No Learning

Your body needs skilled control to perform. You likely once started to train your core and got better. You got better at training shoulders. Feet can be trained too. Feet are made up of 26 bones – and all those bones require SKILLED control to build a stable foundation. I know that people with foot and lower leg issues often say they have ‘weak feet’, but the reason a lot of people are a wobbly mess isn’t strength, its a deficit if skill. And to build that skill, your brain needs to FOCUS on your brain-body connection. So if you are training to build a better foot on your MOBO while distracting yourself with TV, social media, or your kid’s homework, there’s no FOCUS. The ‘secret sauce chemicals’ (called neurotransmitters) aren’t released to trigger your nerves to network. Your foot and ankle might be moving, but you really aren’t LEARNING, and the outcome of that session is wasted.

The F-word = Change

When you FOCUS on the task at hand, we get a much different outcome. Its like turning the garden hose on full blast! But instead of water, you spray a secret sauce of neurotransmitters (called acetylcholine and epinephrine if you are interested) that floods and activates your nerves. This change in neurophysiology builds new networks, creates new pathways, and ensures you LEARN your new skill much quicker. 

Take Home: the experiences that you pay SUPER important attention to are what opens up PLASTICITY to build better control in your body.  And that gives YOU better results.

Practice with Intent + Focus

3 key tips

The following tips relate to building SKILL. This is not the same as trying to do more/heavier squat reps; that’s trying to increase the load on your body to build stronger parts. And there IS a place for that! But building skill isn’t about strength. It’s about strategy. And remember, the goal of training on MOBO isn’t to get good at MOBO, but to practice + build skilled control that transfers to the things you love to do. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of ANY training you do to learn new things. 

  1. Lots of short sessions are better than cramming sessions: When your brain is fresh, we can challenge it a bit more.  Instead of using MOBO once a week for 45 min, use it 3-5x a week for 5-10 min. It reduces fatigue and improved processing in your brain. This means fewer errors, and more importantly, better transfer of skills into your life + sport.

  2. Variability: On our exercises page, you’ll notice that we have a list of exercises in each block. Why? You need some VARIABILITY to optimize SKILL. So instead of sticking with the same 3 exercises each week, you’ll actually LEARN more by doing DIFFERENT exercises and cycling through them.

  3. Take breaks: Breaks are good. Rest is good. If you get super fatigued and sloppy, you are practicing and reinforcing bad form. Give rest as needed (even 15-30 seconds may be enough!) to ensure you get quality out of each rep.

Music + Mind

One last pearl here. Some people love music when training, studying, etc. But how does music impact FOCUS?

There’s a zone of optimal arousal. When you pop out of bed tired in the morning, you aren’t ready for the most intense concentration of your day. Likewise, slamming 2 cans of RedBull and being on the field with 100,000 fans cheering your name gets you a bit too pumped up to think clearly. Poor arousal = poor outcomes.

Think of music as a way to get you into the ‘right zone’. You likely aren’t going to play Rage Against the Machine if you are writing a term paper, and you aren’t going to mellow out to Joni Mitchel if you are trying to get pumped up for your key race of the year. When it comes to the impact of music on FOCUS, the research is pretty clear: If you want to use music, find something that helps to get you in the right level of mental arousal, but isn’t too distracting. And if you don’t think you need music to find that state of mental arousal, you are likely better off without it if the task you are doing requires a lot of FOCUS.

Sure, you can crank Rage Against the Machine when you are trying to get pumped to do your last set of squats, but if you are trying to build SKILL, it’s a bit too intense, will detract your focus away from the task, and impair your learning. Shifting your mind to what’s important will earn WINS!

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Why Does my Achilles Hurt: Part 1

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The Power of Proprioception: Feeling Movement