The central nervous system (CNS) controls the entire body. It’s comprised of the brain and spinal cord and is responsible for initiating every activity in the body from breathing, walking, or running, to sleeping and thinking. But one thing a lot of athletes don’t know is that CNS activation could be the key to unlocking your maximum athletic potential.
Why? You wouldn’t start a car in the dead of winter and try to drive it right away, would you? You would let it warm up, rev the engine a bit, and take off. The same principle applies to your body — you need to rev your own engine a bit before getting under a bar or on a field and knocking out a killer performance.
Cue: rapid response training — also known as central nervous system activation.
What is CNS Activation?
CNS activation essentially refers to warming up the brain and spinal cord prior to training. The idea behind rapid response training is that the brain is our control centre; it controls all of the force we can elicit, which is why training the brain, in conjunction with the body, may be one of the most important ways you can elevate your athletic performance.
