Novelty in Movement: NYT Reports It matters

Dudes working out - Photo by Victor Freitas from Pexels

In an updated article by NYT Phys Ed writer Gretchen Reynolds, we see another validation of Dr. Feldenkrais’ work. Ms. Reynolds cites a 2019 study published in PLOS ONE, “The effects of exercise variation in muscle thickness, maximal strength and motivation in resistance trained men.” The study finds that inconstancy and unfamiliar routines perplex and discombobulate our brains and stimulate against reaching a training plateau. They postulate that muscles supposedly will respond to the unfamiliar demands of the workouts by continuing to adapt.

The study concludes: Varying exercise selection had a positive effect on enhancing motivation to train in resistance-trained men, while eliciting similar improvements in muscular adaptations.

“There was one notable difference between the groups, however. Those men completing the ever-changing workouts reported feeling much more motivated to exercise at the study’s end than the other group.

What these findings suggest is that muscles are not deterred or bored by unvarying routines, says Brad Schoenfeld, an associate professor of exercise science at Lehman College in New York and a co-author of the study. “They adapt to load,” he says, whether that load arrives through the same exercise or a different one each time.

But minds are not muscles and could be influenced by novelty, he says. “The differences in motivation scores at the end were substantial,” he says, suggesting that “from a purely motivational standpoint, variety matters.
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— How ‘Muscle Confusion’ Might Help Your Workouts Shifting, quicksilver workouts may yield mental benefits that more rote regimens do not.

Of course, as Moshe Feldenkrais reminds us, muscles don’t know anything and cannot be ‘confused.’ In face, muscles are very dumb (except perhaps for the tongue, which is loaded with sensors and can move in six directions.) It’s the brain doing the work, responding to novel challenges, learning from variety and creating new, more efficient pathways for whole body movement. Awareness Through Movement® has novelty baked into the philosophy - getting bored is not an option!