“Neurons that fire together, wire together.”

Although this is mostly understood from brain angle, here is my take on how it connects and show itself via our physicality.

In the attached image, we observe individuals loading their back or upper extremity, prompting a question: Can we discern their training approach from their posture?

(This phenomenon is frequently encountered in fast bowlers, though explaining it concisely in a post is difficult due to the nuanced postural intricacies that shape their neural circuitry.)

Indeed, I believe we can.

Allow me to elaborate – during resistance training at the gym, a pattern emerges in nearly all exercises, with the exception of back extension. In these exercises, we teach the back to stay aligned with the pelvis. The concept of neurons firing together and wiring together becomes evident. Consequently, the spine minimizes its reliance on elasticity (gets underactive) as the focus shifts towards isometrically contracting spinal muscles to sustain proper posture during training and getting over active in the process. Also with repetition, this process becomes automated, thereby establishing a bound neural circuit.

Some might contend its structural aspects, but I hold a differing view. This is the realm of human movement science, an area necessitating instruction to enlighten the formation of novel neural pathways.

My hypothesis: A study of the three legends prompts consideration why Rafa diverges from leveraging his back, unlike both Roger and Novak who seamlessly integrate it in line with their structural and serve mechanics. Rafa’s approach is equally proficient, yet it might be attributed to his potentially more frequent engagement in resistance training, wherein he draws upon his back strength differently than the other two icons.

This is not a condemnation of any particular approach. Instead, it underscores the individualized responses arising from distinct training regimens.

However, capitalizing on the spine’s elasticity can hold substantial benefits for certain fast bowlers or baseball pitchers, particularly those who, despite impeccable biomechanics, struggle to generate speed in their movements or whose back starts asking questions.

This phenomenon is recurrent in fast bowlers, offering a possible explanation for why subcontinent bowlers or those from previous generations tended towards a swing-oriented style, capitalizing on their spine’s elasticity as opposed to relying solely on raw pace with a straight back. The marvel lies in the captivating manner in which our bodies react to varied stimuli.

There is no doubt that fast bowlers are breaking more than ever. Even the best, with the most beautiful and smooth action, is breaking apart. Its time we start looking beyond what we know.

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Discussion:

I’m adding the below from my discussion on this subject on my LinkedIn post to help you understand the point better. The post has garnered a lot of interest from professionals the world over (9k views). Here is the post if you like to check – https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7098082667719507968/

Question put to me by a professional:

Now analyze Patrick Mahomes, whom regularly “resistance trains”.

I think you are being a bit too generalized when you are making reference to “resistance training”. I may agree with you when looking at the way Rafa trains (I don’t personally know what he does, nor the other two players when it comes to training), and I will say, in some agreement with you, that lots of training and trainers have problematic approaches when it comes to resistance training.

But what we all do in exercise/weight training can be EXTREMELY different from one athlete and coach/trainer to another. What you are saying may be true (repetitively doing particular movements, particular types of loading patterns, etc. will and does create a certain response), but you need to be specific.

Just lumping all “resistance training” together will just create a “don’t push you knees past your toes” when exercising kind of nonsense. The human body, and even each individuals responses, is very specific to the types of stress put on it.

We also need to know each individuals movement abilities (joint-by-joint ROM, muscle firing/recruitment patterns, etc…) and see what it is they may be compensating for with their chosen movement strategy.

My answer:

Could you please provide me with a picture of Patrick? In videos, I can only see a straight back, similar to Rafa’s.

Moreover, your analogy on knees not surpassing toes isn’t applicable, as our sport involves running and not just sitting or standing. Running practices replace gym teachings, establishing distinct neural pathways for running. If we were to mimic sit-stand actions, many might unintentionally replicate gym principles.

Similarly, to undo training patterns, we need to specifically target the lower back. This involves isolated work on back – extensions, flexions, and circumduction, moving beyond isometric contractions. Until we address this, the back will maintain its current alignment with the pelvis, as it has learned to.

For instance, javelin throwers incorporate varied back training beyond the gym. Basketball players engage/trains their backs in numerous ways during the game, as do badminton players.
Repetition ingrains a sequence. However, in sports demanding diverse back utilization, learned training behaviors are overridden, establishing novel neural connections.

Barring a few exceptions, wherever an athlete does not train as per the demands of the game, they get injured mostly.