Guides | Rewire Fitness

Readiness Tracking: How and When to Use the Different Aspects of Rewire

June 14, 2022/in Guides /by David Lipman

PART 2 – HOW DO YOU USE REWIRE

Readiness tracking is a crucial part of athletic performance preparation. This is abundantly clear from the increasing adoption of various readiness apps and trackers. For more on why Rewire is the app of choice when it comes to comprehensive readiness tracking see this article.

But tracking readiness is only one part of the equation, it is what to do with this information that is key to performance impacts that can be seen from readiness tracking, and what is lacking from some of the trackers.
More succinctly, “what should you do when your readiness is low?”

Given the way Rewire tracks readiness this article will cover a variety of scenarios:

How should you action overall readiness?
How should you action cognitive readiness?
How should you action low physical readiness?
How should you action low emotional readiness?

It should be noted, but perhaps goes without saying, that managing/avoiding excessive stressors in areas like the emotional realm for example is obviously ideal but not always possible, especially for non-professional athletes.

Overall Readiness

Overall readiness is an indication of the global state of your readiness for the day. It is worth considering this as well as the breakdown thereof, particularly if you have flexibility in regards to work and training schedules.

What to do with High Overall Readiness

This is a green light, go for it.
And to be extra prepared for this, complete a pre-workout priming session.

Note, this may also be a good day for some extra Neuro-training as outlined in this article.

What to do with Low Overall Readiness

The first thing to consider here is ‘why’. What is impacting your overall readiness in a negative way. This has two components, these are; which aspect (or aspects) of Rewire’s readiness breakdown is impacted, but also what is driving that specifically. For example you may have low physical readiness due to poor sleep or hard training.

The reasons to explore this are to better understand how your lifestyle is impacting you to allow you to consider how you may avoid days such as this as well as work out the course of action you can take for that given day.

With low overall readiness, it is worthwhile to consider how you may want to modify your training and other lifestyle factors for the day. This may include removing some intensity and/or volume from training, it is also probably a day to consider reducing or removing any planning neuro-training. Similarly if you have the luxury of modifying your other life stressors this would be a good time to do so.

Regardless of whether you are able to or willing to take the above action and especially if you can’t, this is the time for a mindset recovery session. Rewire recommends mindset recovery sessions specifically geared towards helping you tackle the day given your personal readiness.

Of course, it should go without saying that each part of the breakdown of your overall readiness should be considered in combination with your overall readiness and other parts. These are all interconnected, but the following advice gives some insight into these aspects in a vacuum.

Cognitive Readiness

Cognitive readiness reflects the mental load you have been under predominantly but will reflect the fatigue your central nervous system is experiencing too. This is particularly important for athletes who are planning highly fatiguing central nervous system training such as speed and power training. Or for the time-crunched athlete balancing busy work days and training.

What to do with High Cognitive Readiness

This is an ideal time to do some neuro-training. Take the opportunity to get some good neuro-training done, whether combined with physical training or separately depending on training plans for the day, physical readiness and preference.

What to do with Low Cognitive Readiness

As mentioned above in the overall readiness discussion, considering the source of this low readiness is key to your progress. This may allow elimination or modification to prevent the issue, or indeed alteration of training plans around the stressor better, proactively rather than reactively.

When considering low cognitive readiness your relationship with training and it’s cognitive burden in the context of your full day is extremely important. For some people training is much more cognitively burdensome than others, and this would greatly modify your decision making around this readiness score.

Broadly though, it is likely that modifying or removing your neuro-training plans for the day and completing a mindset recovery session are the two first steps in this case.

Physical Readiness

Probably the most familiar of the breakdown components of the Rewire readiness score. This is the most prominent in most athletes’ minds but should be considered in context of the global training program also. There are times where low physical readiness may be the plan and goal.

What to do with High Physical Readiness

High physical readiness may be the license you want/need to try and do a little extra in training depending on the way your program is structured. If not, it is definitely a green light to get your training session done well.

On days with good physical readiness, a pre-workout-priming Mindset Recovery session will help to really knock the training goals for the day out of the park.

What to do with Low Physical Readiness

Days with low physical readiness are days to really take stock and make ground on your opposition. Yes, you read that right. These days offer some great opportunities to you via a mixture of smart training and using Rewire to its fullest potential to really gain ground on your competition.

Modifying your training on days when your physical readiness is low is a key part of success. This may include reducing intensity, which is covered in the above linked article regarding Rewire as a readiness tracker.

The real strength of Rewire, though, is that you have something you can actively do to aid your progress here, not just removal of training load. There are a few ways to use Rewire for this: firstly using mindset recovery sessions you are able to better recover from your fatigued state and secondly (especially on days with good cognitive readiness) you can undertake more neuro-training.

So whilst you may be modifying your physical training stimulus you do not need to be modifying your total training stimulus, or perhaps better said, you are always adapting, just to different stimuli.

Emotional Readiness

Often harder to appreciate without specific reflection (another strength of the Rewire system), emotional readiness provides some key insights which may be differently relevant in different user populations. Sources of emotional fatigue can vary greatly and are often quite specific to the individual. The impact that emotional fatigue can have on performance is both very real and of significant consequence given the narrow margins in sport.

For some the nature of their endeavors may mean that they find themselves in a relatively emotionally stable situation. This can be by chance or through design, but even those who are typically more emotionally stable might need to be able to perform with lower emotional readiness in the acute time frame. Examples of this may include tactical operators, health care professionals and some sports people.

In contrast, others may see a less stable emotional readiness based on external factors such as work or relationships, which means their readiness is more regularly impacted by their emotional state.

It should also be noted that it is rare for emotional readiness to be impaired in isolation, particularly in professional athletes. Similarly it should go without saying that considering the source of emotional burden should also be sought in all cases of low emotional readiness (though there is merit in finding sources of high emotional readiness too).

What to do with High Emotional Readiness

High emotional readiness should be seen as an opportunity to push yourself in endeavors that may not traditionally be seen as training (and may not be training). It may be a day to try to level up in our neuro-training (if cognitive readiness is appropriate) or take the time to work on some creative endeavors on the work front (for the non-professional athletes).
Having high emotional readiness can at times negate the need for pre-workout priming to a degree given this can be paired with a high degree of excitement/motivation for training.

What to do with Low Emotional Readiness

Given the intertwined nature of emotional readiness, it may be worthwhile considering modifying training as appropriate when considering other aspects of readiness. Regardless, if this is truly isolated low emotional readiness, mindset recovery sessions will aid greatly in this as training with low emotional readiness can be very draining. Similarly if the session is important and cannot be modified, pre-workout priming will play a large role in preparing better for the preparation as performance with a high emotional fatigue is exceedingly difficult.

This is unlikely a good time to do much neuro-training and if this is undertaken, lower levels should probably be done given the high potential for frustration associated with difficulty in these exercises.

Take Home Message

Whilst modification of training is usually an easy answer, it is not always possible. Similarly it may not be optimal in some cases, particularly given the part time nature of many athletes using Rewire. This is where Rewire can aid in the athlete’s journey, by providing actionable solutions and aids in preparation and recovery from training.

Dr David Lipman is an Australian trained Medical Doctor, Podiatrist and Exercise Physiologist. He has worked with athletes of varying levels in all 3 roles. He is an ultramarathon runner, avid physical activity advocate and is passionate about performance in all people.

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Neuro-Training: How and When to Use the Different Aspects of Rewire

June 14, 2022/in Guides /by David Lipman

PART 1 – How do you use Rewire

Neuro-training represents a unique aspect of the Rewire Fitness app giving athlete a significant opportunity to improve their performance through mental resilience. There are many ways to incorporate neuro-training into your training program and how you do so really depends on a number of things:

Goals
Phase of training/season
Other training for the day
Readiness
Lifestyle factors

Goals

As with all things, your meta goals will flow down into driving smaller and process goals. So, within your life’s goals, you will have other goals such as work or fitness related goals. These will aid in deciding how and when to use neuro-training. Ultimately, as with all training, the goals aid in decision making on if, when, how and how to use any given modality.

The simple answer as to why you would use neuro-training is anyone who is looking to improve mental endurance. Where mental endurance may help, is a more extensive question but in short, anywhere that prolonged focus and concentration is required. This comes to the fore in prolonged physical endurance activities (as mental fatigue is part of more general fatigue) as well as prolonged mentally taxing activities for example aspects of work, long haul driving or an extreme example may be extensive surgery. The other aspect in which neuro-training comes to the fore is resilience, that unexpected hill in your run, the unforeseen weather during your competition or just a generally tough day at work.

With this in mind, who should do neuro-training is clearer, but even in the examples above it is fairly simple to see that how these people may approach neuro-training is very different, more on this later.

Focussing more on the athletic population, the goal question becomes a level deeper, in that this question can be applied to any given period of training, or training session itself. Certain training sessions and phases of the season lend themselves more or less to neuro-training than others or may mean neuro-training is best fit into the broader schedule differently. For example it may be sub-optimal to perform extensive periods of neuro-training prior to a key workout that requires significant mental focus and endurance. Whereas a easy session, with the goal of primarily adding easy training volume may lend itself well to some neuro-training, perhaps even during the training session to augment the mental aspects of the training session.

Phase of training/season

Once goals are understood, a program is usually built towards these goals in a systematic way. This will have different phases with different emphasis points and sub-goals therein. For example, one may be trying to run a new marathon time, but with a base building phase, where the goal is to accumulate running volume and develop the aerobic and musculoskeletal systems. Or, in a team sport example, the pre-season may be focused on certain tactical and technical aspects that will be key to performance of the selected tactical game model.

The phase of the season and resultant training emphasis and goals of the period should form part of the decision-making process when considering how to best incorporate neuro-training into your training week.

During more general and less specific training periods, as is usually the case further away from the competitive portion of the season, neuro-training will be able to be used more flexibly. That is, accumulating mental fatigue at this stage of the season has fewer negative consequences. In fact, if this is during a conditioning phase, where physical fatigue is being accumulated, it may be additive in the training stimulus.

As time progresses and the training phases become more specific, where neuro-training fits into any given day or week becomes more important. That is due to the fact that neuro-training can be quite taxing and thus should be removed from training sessions that are more focussed on skill acquisition, tactical specifics or perhaps even more significant speed or endurance balanced sessions. This is due to the cognitive and neural load of these sessions in themselves and wanting to be fresh for them. There is, of course, the ability to do neuro-training after these types of training sessions if you want to add more stimulus. Specifically this is where you can best utilise the ‘Post-Workout’ Neuro-Training category.

Once you are in your competitive season, it should be considered how much neuro-training is appropriate given your competition. For example, in championship type events such as is common in endurance sport, it may be reasonable to avoid neuro-training for a period pre-race. Similarly, neuro-training on the game day for team sport athletes seems counterproductive.

Other training for the day

Zooming in a layer deeper from the phase of the season, we can start examining where within a day may be appropriate for you to fit neuro-training in. Of course, most users are busy, as part time athletes so this becomes even more important.

Neuro-training can of course be done at any time that suits you but can also be done as part of your physical training session, be it between sets in the gym, during a run or on the bike trainer (with Rewire Neuro-Buttons – Coming Jan ‘23). There are definitely some training sessions where this would not be appropriate (and of course the normal safety caveats here!).

Training sessions with very specific focus on quality of execution do not generally lend themselves to use of neuro-training during the training session or indeed before it. It is best to do these training sessions fresh and really get the best benefit from them. It is probably best to complete neuro-training on other training days, where sessions are less contingent on high quality execution and thus mental freshness. That said, there may be a role for neuro-training after a session of high quality if you feel up to it and cannot complete it elsewhere.

Readiness

Similarly, to your daily readiness potentially modifying other training plans as a result of not being ready to best adapt to the planned stress of the training session, you can consider modifying neuro-training plans to fit readiness also.

Overall readiness, as dictated by the Rewire app, gives you a level of insight into your general preparedness. It may be worthwhile having days off or very easy if this is particularly low. Within that global score, though, are the components thereof: physical, emotional, and cognitive. Herein lies the opportunity to really dial things in.

Neuro-training on low physical readiness days

This could be the biggest opportunity afforded to Rewire users over the competition. Whilst preliminary, there is evidence supporting training based on physical readiness (specifically HRV, a component of Rewire’s physical readiness component – see references), wherein athletes down regulate training when HRV is low (and physical readiness is low). On these days, there is the ability to perform extra neuro-training and take advantage of the reduced physical load.

Neuro-training on low cognitive readiness days

It is probably ill-advised to complete neuro-training on days where your cognitive readiness is low. This may also be the case on days of low emotional readiness though this is probably somewhat user dependent and a little dependent on how frustrating you find aspects of neuro-training.

Lifestyle factors

Whilst much of the discussion to this point has been pertaining to fitting neuro-training in with the rest of your training program, as with the rest of it, you should consider neuro-training the context of your broader day also. Specifically, this usually means work for most people who aren’t full time athletes. Depending on your job and its mental load, it may be that neuro-training is best done post work, with the fatigue of work aiding in the stimulus and meaning less neuro-training stimulus is required. Doing this may also mean the neuro-training stimulus required is lower, both practically and for optimization of the training effects. Alternatively doing your neuro-training before work may be a good option on days where you have a less mentally burdensome start to the day.

All of this negates the very practical viewpoint of “the best place to do neuro-training is the place where you will be consistent in doing it”. Specifically, as a non-professional athlete, it should always be remembered that training will be somewhat secondary (or tertiary) and thus will never be optimal, but just more or less optimal. Making sure you get your desired neuro-training stimulus is more important than it being a little more or less optimal in the scheme of your day or week.

Other Use Cases

Injury

Whilst unpleasant to think about and often not mentioned, this is a reality of life as an athlete of any level. In a somewhat similar scenario to the above “Neuro-training on low physical readiness days” section, there is a unique opportunity to increase neuro-training load when physical training is limited. This represents another unique opportunity to leverage the unfortunate situation to gain an advantage over the competition for Rewire users.

Building Load

Whilst not quite the same as the above situation, and with the acknowledgement that neuro-training is hard to quantify and not a direct replacement for physical load, there is an opportunity for athletes who are currently unable to increase physical training loads. These athletes may see benefit in performance outcomes but also preparedness to tolerate increased physical loads in the future as a result of increasing neuro-training in preparation for increases in physical training load.

Examples

These examples are to give some idea of how one may fit neuro-training into fairly standard weekly plans and periodisation models for the given example scenario. These are not exhaustive but aim to put some paradigm and context to the above information.

Endurance Athlete

More neuro-training in base building, off-season and pre-season phases and less in-season.
Try to avoid neuro-training before key workouts and races.
Good times for neuro-training: during or around easy volume (60-90mins Zone 2 of a 5-zone model for instance).

Team Sport Athlete

More neuro-training in base building, off-season and pre-season phases and less in-season.
Try to avoid neuro-training before skill training and game days.
Good times for neuro-training: Conditioning days, easy lifting days, rest days.

Strength Sport Athlete

More neuro-training in base building, off-season and pre-season phases and less in-season.
Try to avoid neuro-training before technically challenging days, key sessions and competition days.
Good times for neuro-training: Conditioning days, easy lifting days, rest days.

Take Home Message

As mentioned above, some neuro-training is better than none and so whilst optimizing neuro-training can help in training outcomes, this should not be a barrier to doing any neuro-training.

When building your neuro-training schedule into your training program always consider:

Goals
Phase of training/season
Other training for the day
Readiness
Lifestyle factors

And of course, don’t forget to utilize it more when physical loads are less able to be tolerated for example when nearing current load tolerance capacity or when injured.

Peter Düking, Christoph Zinner, Khaled Trabelsi, Jennifer L. Reed, Hans-Christer Holmberg, Philipp Kunz, Billy Sperlich,Monitoring and adapting endurance training on the basis of heart rate variability monitored by wearable technologies: A systematic review with meta-analysis, Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport,2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2021.04.012.
Javaloyes A, Sarabia JM, Lamberts RP, Moya-Ramon M. Training Prescription Guided by Heart Rate Variability in Cycling. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2018 May 29:1-28. doi: 10.1123/ijspp.2018-0122. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 29809080. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29809080/
Carrasco-Poyatos M, González-Quílez A, Altini M, Granero-Gallegos A. Heart rate variability-guided training in professional runners: Effects on performance and vagal modulation. Physiol Behav. 2022 Feb 1;244:113654. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113654. Epub 2021 Nov 20. PMID: 34813821 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34813821/
Manresa-Rocamora A, Sarabia JM, Javaloyes A, Flatt AA, Moya-Ramón M. Heart Rate Variability-Guided Training for Enhancing Cardiac-Vagal Modulation, Aerobic Fitness, and Endurance Performance: A Methodological Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Sep 29;18(19):10299. doi: 10.3390/ijerph181910299. PMID: 34639599; PMCID: PMC8507742. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/19/10299

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Best Practices to Win the Morning: 3 Steps to Master Your Morning Routine

May 27, 2022/in Guides, Hacks /by Patricia

Waking up in the morning can be tough. I get it, the bed is warm and cosy, obligations don’t exist, and everything is calm. But imagine being able to master your morning and looking forward to, rather than dreading, the sound of your alarm.

1. The Night Before

Preparing yourself the evening before sets you up to win the morning.

Some tips:

Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep a night.
Set an alarm (and stop hitting snooze!).
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
Write down your to-do list and prioritise.

Check out our article on how to optimise your sleep for recovery here!

2. Set the Right Intentions

The right mindset changes everything. But that’s way easier said than done, I know. I try to remind myself of my non-negotiables, those things that are so important to me that I will do them regardless of how much time I have or how tired I am, because I know that they will help me master my morning.

I always ask myself: what makes me feel confident and ready to tackle the day?

I have a few non-negotiables for my morning routine:

Reenergise – whether it be a gentle yoga flow or a hardcore kickboxing workout, I love getting some movement in straight away.
Refresh – two minutes or an hour, I like to sit still and try to relax into my body and my mind. It’s not really meditation (my overactive mind does not like the thought of that, but more of a grounding moment for myself). Learn more about the benefits of mindfulness without meditation here.
Refocus – for me this means a cup of tea and a cold shower. I know, I know, but the benefits are promising. Did you know that an ice-cold shower can help improve circulation and strengthen the immune system?

3. Find What Works for You

So many people say “wake up early, be productive – you’ll automatically be better off for it”! I disagree. I’m an early riser and I love having a long morning routine to center myself and dive into some deep work. However, just because it works for me, doesn’t mean it works for everyone. It certainly doesn’t work for my sister. She prefers an extra hour or two of sleep in the morning and starts her day with a cup of coffee and cuddles with the dogs. I say – do what works for you! It might take a little trial and error, but there is no magic morning routine – find what suits you and fits your lifestyle. Win your morning, your way.

Oh, and while you’re at it, don’t forget to do something that brings you joy today. Whether that be your favourite cycling route or finally starting that book you’ve wanted to read for ages, go for it!

Bonus: some food for thought to help win your morning.

Today, I am most excited about __________.

I am thankful for __________.

My affirmation today is __________.

Read more about the impact of positive self-talk on your mood and performance here.

Bonus #2: add the Rewire App.

Adding the Rewire App and the readiness assessment to your morning routine can help you have the best day, every day.

Feeling drained? Primed? Baseline? – Rewire has customised training and recovery plans for every mood to help you make the most out of your day. Win your morning with Rewire – download the Rewire App today.

Bonus #3: Level up your Brain Health

Check out this Rewire article to learn 5 simple habits that could improve your Brain Health.

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How to use Visualization to achieve your goals

How to Use Visualization to Support Sport Performance

March 30, 2022/in Guides, Hacks, Training Tips /by Danielle

Many elite athletes such as Michael Phelps have used visualization techniques in preparation for competition. According to neuropsychological evidence, practicing visualization can help you achieve your sport performance goals. Visualization stimulates brain regions involved in movement rehearsal, priming the brain and body for action and, like physical practice, functions as training to improve real-life performance.

Our top strategies for using visualization to reach your sport performance goals:

Get Clear and Specific on Your Goal: Be clear about what you are trying to achieve. Visualization works best when you are specific and detailed as it needs to be as close to reality as possible.
Visualize the Full Sensory Experience of Reaching Your Sport Performance Goal: Make sure that you visualize the full sensory experience. The more sensations you bring in, the better the mental rehearsal.
Visualize it in Real-Time: For example, if you are visualizing a 100m sprint, the visualization should reflect the duration of time it will take for you to complete it. It is important for your visualization to be as close to the realistic event as possible.
Practice Frequently: Practice your visualization daily. Mentally rehearsing allows your skills to improve with repetition.

Struggling to implement visualization into your day? The Rewire App will support you in your journey to achieving your sport performance goals!

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6 Tips for Achieving your Fitness Goals

March 30, 2022/in App Content, Guides, Hacks, Training Tips /by Danielle

Exercise and fitness goals are among the top New Year’s resolutions set by people each year, but many people fail to achieve or follow through on their resolutions.
People can fail to accomplish a goal for various reasons, including lacking the willpower to continue long-term, failing to make deliberate decisions, or forgetting about them altogether.

Continue reading for our top 6 tips to achieving your fitness goals so that you do not fall into these pitfalls!

1. Think about Your Why.

Think about why you have set your goal and why it is important to you. Reflecting on your purpose for setting the goal will drive you to achieve it when motivation becomes low.

2. Make Sure that Your Goals are Measurable.

Once a goal is set, make sure that it can also be measured so that you can carefully and continuously monitor your progress. Check whether the effort you are putting in is in line with what you were hoping to achieve. A re-calibration, a plan change, or an adjustment might be needed sometimes.

3. Narrow Down and Be Specific.

The number one mistake athletes make is that they set too many fitness goals. Narrow it down to the 1-2 goals that are the most important to you right now and make progress on them until you switch to something else.

4. Build Your Self-Control.

Whenever we set a goal, we have to exert effort that is outside of our regular routine which requires self control. You can start exercising your self-control by using neuro-training exercises on Rewire to build mental toughness.

5. Set Realistic Goals that are Optimally Challenging.

Make sure that the goals you set are difficult, but possible. You should have a fair chance at accomplishing them, but they cannot be too easy. Once you reach them, you will feel good and be ready to set new ones.

6. Boost Your Self-Efficacy.

According to Bandura’s (1997) Social-Cognitive Theory, self-efficacy refers to your beliefs about your ability to successfully perform certain actions. Studies in psychology have shown that boosting a person’s self-efficacy helps them perform better, focus attention more effectively, exert more effort, and remain optimistic in the face of challenges.

Visualization can be a great tool to help you prepare and succeed in achieving your fitness goals! Read more about how to use visualization to support sport performance here.

Are you ready to achieve your fitness goals and unlock your ultimate performance? Start Rewire free today!

Sources:

Bandura, A. (2012). Social cognitive theory. In P. A. M. Van Lange, A. W. Kruglanski, & E. T. Higgins (Eds.), Handbook of theories of social psychology (pp. 349–373). Sage Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446249215.n18

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