The Duration Stack is Soma’s fatigue curve.
It maps how cognitive cost compounds over time — from light familiarization to full-system breakdown.
How It Works
The Duration Stack breaks cognitive loading into six time tiers.
Each one has a different psychological signature — and a different purpose.
1 min — Familiarization
This isn’t training. It’s tuning.
➔ Use it to help your athletes get familiar with the task.
3 min — Activation
Focus begins. Friction begins.
Sufficient to spark neural engagement.
➔ Ideal as a neural primer between sets. Combine with physical training for maximum impact.
5 min — Load Begins
Fatigue takes the first bite.
Variation starts to rise.
Mistakes show up.
➔ Introduces manageable fatigue to push the brain harder. Great between sets or pre, post, or concurrent training as long as total session dose hits at least 20 minutes.
10 min — Accumulation
Cognitive control is now a skill.
Speed fades.
Inhibition slips.
Variation spreads.
➔ Ideal for threshold sets or ramping cognitive load during the off-season or pre-season. Ensure total session dose hits at least 20 minutes.
20 min — Exposure
Now we’re in system stress.
Cognitive and physiological systems split.
Performance holds… or it fractures.
➔ Perfect for deep stress testing or extended neural fatigue. Use a minimum of one task or double up for a full 40-minute session.
30 min — Collapse
This is the wall.
Resilience isn’t a concept here — it’s required.
Expect full-system overload: mental, physical, emotional.
Used to break. Then rebuild.
➔ Use one task for 30 minutes or double up for a full 60-minute session at this next level of stress.
Why It Matters
Every athlete has a breaking point. Most never find it. The Duration Stack forces it to surface — not through effort, but through time. Each minute adds pressure. Each block adds risk. And sooner or later, something cracks. This isn’t guesswork. It’s not about how you feel. It’s about what the data proves. That’s where Soma’s MoM (minute-on-minute) tracking goes deeper — exposing the exact moment control fades, focus drops, and recovery fails.
Putting It Into Practice
Choose the duration that matches your athlete’s goal, whether it’s familiarization, building fatigue, or pushing toward full breakdown.
Start with the 1-minute familiarization block to help athletes get comfortable with the task and reduce friction before training.
The 3-minute activation phase serves as a neural primer between sets, sparking focus and preparing the brain for harder work — best when combined with physical training.
At 5 minutes, load begins to build manageable fatigue that challenges focus and reveals early mental errors. This phase is suitable between sets or alongside physical activity.
The 10-minute accumulation stage builds cognitive control under rising fatigue, making it ideal for threshold sets or gradually increasing cognitive load during the off-season or pre-season.
Pushing further, the 20-minute exposure phase drives system stress to test endurance and resilience. This can be done with one task or doubled up for a 40-minute session to induce deep neural fatigue.
Finally, the 30-minute breakdown block pushes athletes to full mental and physical overload. Use one task or double up for a 60-minute session to challenge ultimate resilience and recovery.
To ensure effective adaptation, make sure the total session duration reaches at least 20 minutes.