One of the biggest benefits of having a training facility is the daily exposure and communication between athlete and coach. They get to know each other on a level that’s normally saved for friends and family. They understand what kind of training they like, what they respond best to, when they’re bored and need a new stimulus, etc.
The biggest obstacle we, as remote training providers face, is building that athlete-coach connection. We don’t have the luxury of seeing our athletes daily, which limits the information we are able to collect. As a result, it can be more difficult to know exactly which training program is right for each athlete. However, as Ryan Holiday put it so clearly, the obstacle often becomes the way. In other words, this gap we were having with our athletes, became the driver that led me to Christian Thibaudeau’s Neurotyping Course.
What is It?
Thibaudeau’s course focuses on 5 neurotransmitters: dopamine, adrenaline, acetylcholine, serotonin, and GABA. Based upon your levels of each of these, we can determine your neurotype, of which there are 5: 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, and 3. Based upon your neurotype, we are able to prescribe better training and nutrition, as well as communicate more effectively with each athlete.
Neurotypes Explained
Going through everything that was discussed in the course could fill a small book, and I don’t want to do that. As a result, I’ll cover just the basics.
Cortisol/Insulin:
Before we get into the neurotypes, we need to understand cortisol and insulin as these two hormones play a lead role in determining how we handle athletes. Cortisol is our stress hormone and insulin is our stress relieving hormone. If cortisol is up and we want to bring it down, we need insulin. This is important because different neurotypes handle their cortisol/insulin differently. The further you are to the left (type 1), the easier it is for you to control cortisol levels. The further you are to the right (type 3), the more likely you are to have chronically elevated cortisol levels.
This is vital information we need to know when it comes to training athletes. The harder it is for an athlete to control cortisol, the harder it will be for them to endure prolonged periods of intensive training. Conversely, the better an athlete is able to control cortisol, the easier it will be for them to handle highly intensive training loads.
The Neurotypes: 1A
Dominant Neurotransmitter: Dopamine
Training Preference: Intensity
1A’s are the furthest left on the spectrum. They have naturally high levels of seratonin and GABA, equating to lower levels of cortisol. Dopamine is their dominant neurotransmitter, which means they will search for that dopamine release to keep them motivated and invested in their training.
1A’s lack acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is responsible for several things, but for our purposes, it is responsible for “stretching out” dopamine, as well as assisting in skill acquisition. Since 1A’s have lower levels, they will not handle large amounts of training volume well, nor will they be the first to pick up new skills.
As a result, the best training for a 1A will be high intent, short duration, protocols. They are able to quickly lower cortisol after training, leading to quicker recovery, so upping frequency (while maintaining low intra-session volume), is a key in making sure these athletes get enough volume. They are also prime candidates for blending the weight room with skill work, if seeking greater transfer.
The Neurotypes: 1B
Dominant Neurotransmitter: Dopamine
Training Preference: Explosive
1B’s are much like 1A’s in that they have high levels of seratonin and GABA, allowing for lower levels of cortisol. They will also seek the dopamine release in their training to stay on track and motivated.
Unlike 1A’s, 1B’s have high levels of acetylcholine. They are able to “stretch out” their dopamine for longer periods of time, allowing them to handle the same intensities as a 1A, but with increased amounts of volume. In addition, picking up new skills will be much easier for them.
The best training for a 1B will be high intent with a focus on explosiveness and utilizing the stretch reflex. Conventionally, we teach athletes to not “bounce” their lifts, but doing so to these athletes may actually inhibit what makes them good in the first place. Remember, the goal is not a “good” lift, but a better athlete.
Finally, 1B’s will be your most naturally gifted athletes, so blending for skill transfer will likely not be necessary. Instead, they will do well under self organization protocols that allow them to use their natural athleticism, without getting in their own way.
The Neurotypes: 2A
Dominant Neurotransmitter: Adrenaline
Training Preference: Variation
2A’s, although run on adrenaline, have moderate amounts of all 5 transmitters. They will be the athletes that seem to mold into whatever situation they are put into. They have relatively high levels of seratonin/GABA, which means they will be able to handle a similar amount of training volume as a 1B. They are not searching for a dopamine release, which means they can handle high intensity, but it is not necessary.
2A’s have relatively high levels of acetylcholine, which means they will be able to handle an appreciable amount of training volume, as stated earlier, while picking up skills relatively easily, although not as easily as a 1B.
The best training for a 2A is…everything. Everything will work as long as it isn’t employed for too long. We will often put them on conventional cycles that take them through hypertrophy, strength, power, and speed phases as this allows us to continually modify their training and stave off boredom, while making them better athletes in the process.
The Neurotypes: 2B
Dominant Neurotransmitter: Adrenaline
Training Preference: Feel the Burn
It’s rare that we encounter a 2B as their natural tendencies often take them away from the sport of baseball. They run on adrenaline, but have low levels of seratonin and GABA, which means they have a hard time managing their cortisol. They can be motivated, but only when adrenaline is released. They can often appear to be two different people, either “in their shell” or “out of their shell”, depending on what state they are in.
Due to elevated levels of cortisol, they do not handle large amounts of high intensity well. While it can be introduced, it should be preceded by a long preparatory phase, and should be ended after a short period of time.
The best training for a 2B is high volume, low intensity type work in which they can feel themselves making progress. Again, due to the explosive nature of baseball, it’s rare to find a true 2B in our domain.
The Neurotypes: 3
Dominant Neurotransmitter: Seratonin
Training Preference: Routine
An important distinction that needs to be made with type 3’s is that “seratonin dominant” does not mean they have high levels of seratonin. Quite the opposite. They have low levels of seratonin, but are extremely sensitive to it. This is true of all the “dominant neurotransmitters”. They don’t necessarily have high levels of that neurotransmitter, but they ARE sensitive to it. Moving on…
Type 3’s have the hardest time managing cortisol. Each new stressor they are presented with takes a larger toll on them than it would any of the other neurotypes.
The ideal training for a Type 3 is that which doesn’t change. We do our best to lay out what these athletes will be doing next week, 3 weeks from now, 3 months from now, and 1 year from now, as planning will help them avoid the stress of unplanned activities. Although they have many of the same characteristics as a Type 2, we have seen more Type 3’s be attracted to baseball due to its’ repetitive nature.
Nutritional Considerations
Understanding neurotypes allows us to not only make training considerations, but nutritional considerations as well.
We know that cortisol is our stress hormone and that insulin is our stress reduction hormone. If cortisol is spiked and we want to lower it, we need an insulin spike to make that happen. Carbohydrates allow us to make this connection. When we eat carbohydrates, we get a resulting insulin spike. This is one of the reasons it is important to consume carbohydrates following a training session. Training = stress = cortisol spike. Carbohydrates = insulin = insulin spike. An insulin spike means a drop in cortisol. A drop in cortisol means quicker recovery.
Taking this concept further, an athletes’ neurotype plays a role in determining how many carbohydrates they need in their diet, as well as when and how often those carbohydrates need to be consumed. Type 1 athletes, because they have better control of cortisol levels, will not need as many carbs as, say, a Type 3. Now this is not to say they don’t need ANY, because they do. It just means that they can go on fewer, which is particularly important if we are looking to make body composition changes with them.
Probably the biggest takeaway I gleaned on the nutrition end is this: diet proponents often push for the diet that worked FOR THEM. What they fail to take into account, is that not everybody’s body works like theirs does. For instance, eating 6-8 small meals per day might work great if you’re a Type 3 that needs consistent, small amounts of insulin to counter your cortisol. But for a Type 1, eating that many carbs that often is unnecessary, and may even be detrimental.
As with all things, there is no 1 size fits all.
Tip of the Iceberg
There is quite a lot of additional information we are able to glean from knowing an athletes’ neurotype that goes beyond the scope of this article. But what we have found is that understanding an athletes neurotype helps us decipher, in a quicker timeframe, what type of training, nutrition, and communication they will best respond to.
With all of that said, it’s important to keep in mind that we all have learned behaviors. Trying to determine how a humans brain works is a very complex process, and reducing it down to your “neurotype” is grossly oversimplified. Nevertheless, we have found the testing to be astonishingly accurate, and when done as part of our athlete’s initial evaluations, helps us put the athlete on the right path immediately, while allowing small modifications to be made as the athlete progresses in their time with us.
In closing, I’ve found Neurotyping to be a vital piece of our remote-driven training. If you have additional questions on how we are employing it, or on anything else in this article, feel free to reach out at brady@dacbaseball.com.
Thanks for reading, and as always,
Stay Hungry.
Brady