scientific background

 

The advances in technology made in the last decade has pushed science into a new era where researchers are now more than ever capable of examining how the brain makes us navigate the world safely, efficiently and effectively.

In this section you will find references to work supporting brain endurance training (BET) as a methods of improving athletic ability.

 

mental Fatigue

… leads to a reduction in cycling time to exhaustion at 80% peak power output due to ↑ RPE
(Marcora et al. 2009).

… leads to increased electroencephalogram (EEG) beta-band activation, increased feelings of fatigue and reduced power output during cycling.
(Brownburger et al. 2013)

… results in decreased physical performance in rowers, rugby and hockey players
(Dorris, Power, and Kenefick, 2012)

… impairs soccer-specific technical and physical performance (Running distance in Yo-Yo IR1 ↓)
(Tolson, J., 2017).

… is a key regulator of technical performance of basketball players and seems to modulate endocrine and autonomic responses
(Moreira, A. et al. 2018).

… leads to an altered perception of performance during submaximal exercise due to higher-than-normal perception of effort
(Pageaux, B et al., 2015) (Smith, M et al. 2015).

… significantly reduces velocity at low intensities of a self paced running test
(Smith, M et al. 2015).

… negatively influences attention, action monitoring and cognitive control
(Boksem, & Tops, 2008).

… negatively influences manual dexterity and coincidence anticipation test
(Duncan, M et al., 2015).

… negatively influences performance on sub-maximal resistance training exercises
(Graham, J et al., 2016).  

Improvements after BET

Since only a small group of sports performance trainers are pioneering brain endurance training (BET) - no pear reviewed scientific research has yet to be published.

Besides case studies from the pioneers of this method - there are a few studies examining the effect of a longer period of BET on sports performance. Although none have been published in a peer reviewed paper yet, they present some interesting findings that support what we have seen in casestudies so far.

Cycling

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Brain Endurance Training (BET) to Reduce Fatigue During Endurance Exercise

… the combination of BET and standard endurance training is more effective than standard endurance training alone in ameliorating measures of fatigue (TTE and RPE) (Marcora et al., 2015).

Team sports

Cognitive overload with brain endurance training boosts performance in professional football players
(currently in pear review - expected publication ~early 2019)

… players showed a 11% vs. 3.7% reduction in reaction time to a cognitive task in BET vs. control group respectively
(unpublished data)

… testing on reactive agility the BET group improved speed and error making significantly compared to the control group (unpublished data)

… players in the BET training group completed the decisional phase of sprint, on average, faster than the control group in the RSA Random Test (unpublished data)

…a reduction in the perception of effort for a specific task, compared to a control condition, and thus improvement in performance. (submitted for publication)