Dan John's CNS Test

[rockStar60631]

Step #3: Give Your CNS a Call

Have you checked in with your central nervous system (CNS) lately? Years ago, the late Stefan Fernholm showed me this interesting test where you'd take a pencil every morning and put as many dots on a page as you can in ten seconds. Let's say you knock out 40 to 45 every day for two weeks. Then, one morning, you struggle to hit 30. Now, making dots on a paper is pretty simple, but you're down 25%. Stefan noted to me, "This is bad."
broken pencil

Later, my friend Mike Rosenberg made a little computer program for me where he used the space bar as the pencil and added a built-in timer. For two years, I started my day with a ten-second test. And, after charting all of this, it was true: When my numbers dropped, I ended up getting sick and hurt.

Clearly, the reduced performance on my little finger tap test was indicative of CNS fatigue.

After that, when I saw my numbers drop, I eased my training, increased my protein, and took care of the little things like sleep, hot tubs, and resting. It was a miracle.

full article
Does anyone think this is actually a good measure your CNS? If anyone wants a computer program that tallies up space bar taps, PM your email address.

 

[Donut62]

PTSB2K

I've been doing it for the past few days. After a few months I will go back over the data. I think it might be interesting, but I'm not going to worry or think about it until I have some results.

 

[vision1]

What I've done in the past, is using one of those weak grippers that you can find at any sport store, I see how fast I can close it. Something like 5 reps as fast as possible. I could normally tell how fatigued my CNS was with this method. Doesn't work if you train grip specifically the day before though...

EDIT: Why not go on a program like word and just see how many times you can press a key? Afterwards you can use the count character feature to tally up the score.

EDIT2: Program above is much more fun. I can't even score half of the all time records.

 

[Mumrik]

Donut62: This is a crazy but interesting experiment. If you end up following through you should post a thread about your findings.

 

[Vedic]

Dan John is one of the people that I listen to EVERYTHING he says. It has merit

 

[Revok]

5 sec = 39
10 sec = 77
20 sec = 152

But are all spacebars created equal?

 

[Donut62]

5 sec = 39
10 sec = 77
20 sec = 152

But are all spacebars created equal?

I think the important thing is to standardize the way you do it and compare against yourself. use the same keyboard, use the same finger, keep your hand in the same place, etc.

 

[hunto]

5 sec = 39
10 sec = 77
20 sec = 152

But are all spacebars created equal?

OH! My old ass got 42 in 5 sec!

*sigh*

Darvocet and Pseudoephedrine HCL, 30mg.

 

[Donut62]

OH! My old ass got 42 in 5 sec!

You need to be tested for performance enhancing drugs for that record to count.

 

[Barut]

40, 87, 157

 

[rEmY]

I remember reading something that eastern bloc trainers used to use grip dynometers to measure the athletes CNS level, and program accordingly.

 

[rEmY]

44, 94, 176. My CNS is strong.

 

[Donut62]

44, 94, 176. My CNS is strong.

You don't lift anymore, it should be

 

[hunto]

44!

 

[ronin0352]

45, 83, 152

 

[Krossinc]

43, 80, 147

 

[EZA]

Considering that everybody seems to be getting the same numbers +/- 10% I wouldn't consider it a very reliable indicator of much. To accurately test the CNS you have to fire more muscle than is being used in pressing the space bar or react to an auditory stimulus like a beep to determine how fast you can process the sound and react by pressing something. Using a dynamometer is a better gauge and you can also look at your vertical jump and vertical jump in relation to a depth jump vertical to get an idea of your CNS. It's more time consuming than pressing the space bar for 20 seconds, but your CNS isn't going to get fried overnight so you can do it once a week.

It also doesn't seem very likely if your space bar taps went down it would be an indication that your immune system is down and you're about to be sick. In reality the opposite would be true, the body performs at the highest level just before you get sick because a lot of its adaptation mechanisms are mobilized. There were some experiments trying to infect people with colds and such just before their competitions but it was too difficult to time it right.

 

[kaboom187]

38, 68, 132

i guess i'm handicapped, but i did just train my grip, soh itting the key repeatedly got rough.

 

[Lusst]

44 in 5 seconds.

It's too late to try this anymore...I'm going to go watch Deadliest Catch.

 

[Cmart]

48, 94, 179.

My laptop's spacebar is a short "throw".

I like the idea of CNS monitoring, though. It makes sense to me.