The True Meaning of Bodybuilding
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In the realm of personal training, teaching and mastering motor gestures for athletic movements is a critical task. Two primary elements that lay the foundation for this learning are demonstration and emulation. The science behind these processes is fascinating and involves a special class of neurons known as mirror neurons.
Learning throughout our lifespan involves observation, understanding, processing, and imitation. The neurophysiological explanation for this widely observed process lies in mirror neurons. These neurons have the unique ability to activate both when performing a motor action and when observing the same action performed by another.
The term "mirror neurons" was coined due to their unique characteristic of reflecting observed actions as if "mirrored," forming the basis for observational learning. These neurons are not only implicated in imitative learning but also play a crucial role in understanding actions and emotions, allowing us to anticipate outcomes and empathize with others.
Motor learning is essentially the acquisition of a new pattern that includes an action, a behavior, and an expression. This learning process typically includes three stages: raw coordination, fine coordination, and autonomous or variable availability. Mirror neurons play a fundamental role in the first stage, and with repetition, we move on to the other two stages.
Imitation, a process essential for learning, can be interpreted in two ways. The first refers to the ability of an individual to replicate an act from their motor repertoire after observing it performed by others. The second involves learning a new action pattern by observing others, then carrying it out through repetition, refining it over time.
When observing a motor act not present in our "database," mirror neurons activate, breaking the observed act into several fragments. Each fragment corresponds to an already stored movement. These frames are then assembled, allowing the reproduction of the gesture through the definition of a new motor pattern.
Attentional processes are crucial when viewing a motor act. A good personal trainer will follow specific guidelines when teaching a new exercise. The exercises should preferably be multi-joint motor exercises, given the propensity of mirror neurons to activate more for complex motor acts.
Demonstrative ability is key for a personal trainer. The first introduction of a motor gesture to a client may be their first exposure to that movement. Therefore, it's necessary to provide correct input from the first session. A brief explanation of the exercise is helpful, but excessive information can be counterproductive.
The execution speed of the demonstration should be as natural as possible, giving the mirror neurons the opportunity to encode the right execution timing. The eccentric phase of the exercise should be slower and well controlled.
Let's consider a practical example: the flat bench press with a barbell. The trainer demonstrates the exercise, emphasizing the slowness and control of the eccentric phase and the importance of the range of movement. After a pause to allow processing of the information, the client is invited to attempt the exercise. In subsequent sessions, more time can be dedicated to the details, perhaps with small variations to encourage greater muscle activation.
The mirror neuron system emphasizes the importance of exercise demonstration by personal trainers. This is particularly vital when working under tight schedules and with clients who risk serious muscle-joint damage due to incorrect learning of execution.
Mirror neurons also play a significant role in situational sports, where each motor gesture has a very specific objective within the competition, and advance understanding of the opponent's action can make a difference.