This week, I went deep on two studies that I really think there is some great knowledge in.

The first compared two forms of exercise; badminton against running in young, healthy adults.

The second compared the effects of 16 weeks of resistance training, continuous aerobic exercise, and high-intensity interval training in older adults.

Different populations, different exercise types, and some really interesting results.

First of all, badminton produced significantly higher levels of BDNF than running, even at the same intensity.

BDNF - as we covered last time - is essentially your brain's growth hormone. It's one of the main biological reasons exercise makes you sharper.

And badminton, being an open-skill sport that demands constant reactions and real-time decision-making, appears to results in a bigger secretion of it than continuous aerobic exercise.

More than this, the authors also measured the effect on actual cognitive skills and found an effect that was very close to being significant. Meaning badminton made participants perform better, which continuous aerobic training did not.

And remember, this was not an intervention study, but a study that looked at the immediate effects, so one can only speculate what the results what have shown if the scientist had made the participants do these exercise types for weeks and measure there cognitive abilities before and after.

This is a layer, that the older adult study added.

In this study, the 3 interventions groups plus one control group, where followed for 16 weeks.

Higher cognitive functions; concentration, sustained focus, filtering out distractions, responded best to moderate-intensity continuous aerobic exercise, where resistance training was a close second.

High-intensity interval training had the biggest impact on simple reaction speed.

First of all, we can again say that exercise, regardless of the type, has positive effects on cognitive performance, or at least the underlying mechanisms that support it.

But if we go one level deeper, these findings also offer a chance to optimize your training based on the mental abilities you want to improve the most.

If your main goal is better focus and deeper work, the majority of your training should probably be steady-state cardio like a moderate running or cycling sessions.

This is especially relevant if you’re building a business, creating products, or doing creative work that requires long periods of concentration. It also applies if you’re a leader who needs to stay sharp all day and make important decisions consistently.

If you’re more interested in supercharging your ability to learn new skills, you may benefit from putting more emphasis on “open-skill” sports and games.
Things like badminton, football, tennis, or similar activities that require reacting, adapting, and making decisions in real time.

This can be especially valuable if you’re a student, or early in your career and focused heavily on learning.

If you want sharper reflexes and faster processing speed, make room for high-intensity interval training. Not necessarily every session, but probably more often than you think.

That said, remember the bigger principle: exercise works because it stresses your body. In response, your body adapts and becomes stronger, more capable, and better prepared for the next challenge.

Which also means this: exercise is only beneficial when it’s balanced with adequate recovery. Without rest, stress(exercise) stops being productive.

If you’d like help managing your energy, balancing stress and recovery, and making it all fit into a busy schedule, I’m offering 50% off all my coaching programs for readers this week only.

You can learn more about my coaching programs here:

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