Training the Nervous System, Not Just the Muscles

By: Crosley MacEachen

The deeper I get into performance training, the more I realize good programming is not random. Exercise order, intent, rest periods, and movement pairings all matter more than most people think.

Lately I’ve been spending a lot more time studying why certain training methods actually work instead of just prescribing exercises because they “look athletic.”

One thing I’ve found really interesting is the science behind supersets and Post Activation Potentiation (PAP).

Most people think supersets are just a way to make workouts harder or faster by doing two exercises back to back. Sometimes that’s true, but when movements are paired intentionally, they can actually improve how the body produces force and moves.

A review published in Sports Medicine by Hodgson, Docherty, and Robbins explained PAP as a phenomenon where muscular performance can temporarily improve following a previous muscular contraction. The article discussed how the body’s “contractile history” affects performance, meaning what you do first can directly influence how well your body performs the next movement.

The paper also explained that performance is essentially a balance between fatigue and potentiation. If an exercise creates too much fatigue, performance drops. But if the nervous system is stimulated correctly and fatigue is managed well, the body can temporarily produce more force, power, and explosiveness afterward.

That’s why you’ll see people pair things like:

A heavy squat before jumps.

A bench press before med ball throws.

Or resisted sprint work before free sprinting.

The goal is not just to get tired. The goal is to “prime” the nervous system and improve the quality of movement that follows.

Even for people who are not athletes, this concept still matters. Better force production, coordination, and movement efficiency can improve the quality of training overall. It’s one of the reasons some workouts just feel more “powerful” and connected than others when exercises are sequenced correctly.

This post also appeared in LinkedIn.