The Motor Recruitment Difference

We are not the same. One way we are all different in the gym is that we all have different levels of ability to recruit motor units. This is simply your ability to get your muscle fibers to do work. Generally, beginners don’t have as good of motor recruitment as advanced lifters.

Some people are able to recruit more muscle fibers than others in the gym.

Why is motor recruitment worth reading about? Well, simply put, what if I told you you’re not using all of your hard-earned muscles when you lift, but you could? If you had better motor recruitment you’d use more of them to complete a squat, for example. If you had worse motor recruitment, you’d use even less of them for the same squat effort.

For coaches, this is so important that we specifically pick movements that demand a great deal of motor recruitment from students. What are those, you ask? They are specific efforts that have a high force requirement or a high-velocity component. Lifting heavy and moving fast are the best ways to get better at the whole motor recruitment business.

There’s a way to expedite your improved motor recruitment.

Ready for a tip? Since you’re doing the same training as your classmates, you can actually improve your motor recruitment by moving the bar as quickly as possible to the lockout. You heard me. Set of six? Lock the bar out as quickly as possible. You don’t need to put any more weight on the bar than you would have, you’ll just need to move it as fast as possible.

Once you learn to recruit more muscle fibers than your classmates, every training session will count for more. Why? Those with improved motor recruitment are able to draw more fitness adaptation out of the same reps and sets than others can. Plus, your numbers will go up instantly!

Good luck!