Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Get Smarter By Climbing A Ladder

At least if you’re a rat and a weight is attached to your tail, you’ll get smarter if you climb a ladder.That’s what new research shows.

She speculates that resistance training, by strengthening the heart, improves blood flow to the brain generally, which is associated with better cognitive function. Perhaps almost as important, she added, resistance training at first requires an upsurge in brain usage. You have to think about ‘proper form and learning the technique,’ she said, ‘while there generally is less learning involved in aerobic training,’ like running.’

The brain benefits from being used, so that, in a neat circle, resistance training may both demand and create additional brain circuitry. Imagine what someone like Einstein might have accomplished if he had occasionally gone to the gym.”

Boy, if you have to think about proper form while only lifting weights, how about the thinking that goes on while you’re doing a hard climb?

Next time I see you Einsteins at the climbing gym, tell me about any new theories you’ve developed. At least, relatively speaking.

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