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This flow chart and written guide will show you how to monitor mental fatigue, cognitively prime athletes, and expand their physical and cognitive capacities through effective Brain Endurance Training (BET).
Monitoring Mental Fatigue
Ensure your athlete receives the right amount of cognitive load without risking overtraining.
Assessments and Training
Pre PVT-B Assessment
Purpose: Establish baseline metrics for reaction time and lapse count.
Procedure: Conduct this assessment before starting the training session.
Training Session
Activity: Engage in the cognitive training session designed for the athlete.
Post PVT-B Assessment
Purpose: Measure any changes in reaction time and lapse count after training.
Procedure: Reassess immediately after the training session.
Outcome Indicators
Increased Reaction Time/Lapse Count: Indicates sufficient cognitive load or mental fatigue, suggesting positive brain adaptations.
Decreased Reaction Time/Lapse Count: Suggests the session may not have adequately challenged the athlete.
Lapse: Defined as responses slower than 355 milliseconds, indicating decreased alertness or cognitive performance.
Cognitive Priming
Ignite your athletes' performance for their physical training session without leading to fatigue.
Priming Protocol
Tasks Per Session: 1-2 tasks to stimulate cognitive readiness.
Task Duration: 5 or 10 minutes per task.
Session Duration: 10 minutes total.
Brain Endurance Training (BET)
Designed to enhance both physical and cognitive limits
Pre-Training
Purpose: Perform cognitive tasks before physical training to increase perceived effort and pre-exhaust the brain.
Tasks Per Session: 3-5 tasks.
Task Duration: 5, 10, or 20 minutes per task.
Session Duration: 20-30 minutes.
Frequency: 3-4 sessions per week.
Periodization Strategies:
Progressive Overload: Gradually increase intensity, duration, or frequency each week.
Undulating: Alternate between increasing and decreasing intensity, duration, or frequency weekly.
When to Use: Ideal for significantly boosting overall physical training load and capacity.
Intermittent Training
Purpose: Include cognitive tasks during rest periods between physical sets to enhance overall training effectiveness.
Tasks Per Session: 3-6 tasks.
Task Duration: 1, 3, or 5 minutes per task.
Session Duration: 20-30 minutes.
Frequency: 3-4 sessions per week.
Periodization Strategies:
Progressive Overload: Increase intensity, duration, or frequency each week.
Undulating: Alternate between increasing and decreasing intensity, duration, or frequency weekly.
When to Use: Best for increasing overall session load with minimal barriers, and excellent for enhancing time efficiency.
Concurrent Training
Purpose: Integrate cognitive exercises during specific heart rate zones to maximize time efficiency.
Tasks Per Session: 3-5 tasks.
Task Duration: 5, 10, 20, or 30 minutes per task.
Session Duration: 20-30 minutes.
Frequency: 3-4 sessions per week.
Periodization Strategies:
Progressive Overload: Gradually increase intensity, duration, or frequency each week.
Undulating: Alternate between increasing and decreasing intensity, duration, or frequency weekly.
When to Use: Effective for multitasking and increasing both cognitive and physical capacities, ideal for rehabilitation or off-season conditioning.
Post-Training
Purpose: Perform cognitive tasks after physical workouts to leverage residual mental fatigue and further challenge cognitive capacity.
Tasks Per Session: 3-5 tasks.
Task Duration: 5, 10, or 20 minutes per task.
Session Duration: 20-30 minutes.
Frequency: 3-4 sessions per week.
Periodization Strategies:
Progressive Overload: Increase intensity, duration, or frequency each week.
Undulating: Alternate between increasing and decreasing intensity, duration, or frequency weekly.
When to Use: Suitable for extending an athlete’s cognitive capacity when they are already fatigued, great for simulating conditions where an athlete must exceed their limits.
By following these guidelines, you can ensure your athletes achieve a balance between cognitive and physical training, leading to enhanced performance and reduced risk of overtraining.