B.A.S.S. – Balance. agility. strength. stretching

BRAIN B.A.S.S for Week 8 - More In The Tank

By natalie kaebisch

How do you decide when you’ve had enough?

This week we’re looking at something that sounds simple but is surprisingly complex: fatigue.

Start with a quick check

When your arms start tiring during wall push-ups, do you automatically stop?

And when an exercise feels harder than expected, does that feeling make you assume you have reached your physical limit?

Why this matters

Fatigue is not simply a fuel gauge showing that your muscles are empty.

Your brain is also involved in regulating effort. It considers information such as how hard the exercise feels, how long you think it will last, what you have done before and the conditions around you.

Research in athletes has shown that perceived exertion can even change when the physical task itself has changed very little. In one study, cyclists performed differently depending on the performance information they were given. Being told to say phrases like ‘I can do this’ can have big impacts on our ability to actually push further and faster.

The useful lesson for the rest of us is not that fatigue is imaginary. It is that how hard something feels and how much you are physically capable of doing are not always exactly the same thing.

That is where the idea of being comfortable being uncomfortable can help.

What to do this week

During your wall push-ups, notice the point where your arms start to feel tired.

Rather than immediately deciding you are finished, recognise the effort for what it is. You are asking your muscles to work.

The same principle applies to this week’s agility exercise, where Anna-Louise demonstrates catching yourself safely onto the bench. Your arms need enough strength and confidence to accept your body weight quickly.

That has a practical purpose. If you stumble, push yourself up from the floor or need your arms to react suddenly, you want them accustomed to producing force when the task feels demanding.

This week’s reminder:

“I’m tired, but I’m OK.”

Watch this week’s video below to see Anna-Louise put the Brain B.A.S.S. challenge into practice.