This is not asking for any medical advice and I’d appreciate responses from anyone who can relate and of course, coach.
Every time I take the neurotyping test, I’m a type 2A. Once, during a stressful period of time, my type 2B score was off the charts, but I was still 2A. During a more relaxed period of time, my type 1A score was through the roof, but I was still 2A.
Just like coach says, when you’re stressed, you move to the right of the spectrum. When you’re optimized, you could move to the left.
More often than not, I find myself not optimized. What are some tips you’ve developed to keep yourself to the left of the chart? Whether they be lifestyle, supplements, meditation, anything? I feel just as much work should be devoted to this as actual training.
Excellent points! What I would like to add to @baumbodies post is a another bulletpoint:
Keep your adrenaline in check. This can be drinking not too much coffee, when having a stressful period keep your training sessions short, making sure that you have enough carbs in the evening to calm you down (especially when doing IF), etc.
I think, when looking at myself, as a type 2A you can get excited pretty fast about a particular thing. Even to a point that it drains me completely and that all that I’ve worked for is lost. When I’m in the zone I can feel like a 1A too, but then I become rigid as well. Think because my serotonin becomes super low and I won’t be able to clear my adrenaline that efficient. So managing that has made a huge difference for me.
My question is, what do you do when you are “optimized” (borrowing your phrasing)? If you are anything like me, and I understand you correctly, then at least I in those periods then to try and capitalise on it and do more stuff. Obviously, when you feel awesome, strong and powerful you just want to do more but eventually I at least cannot maintain that effort and then I end up moving towards the other end of the spectrum.
Do you do any other sports or is it “only” lifting?
Maybe you can cycle between training like a 2B for accumulation and as a type 1A for intensification. If you’re “optimized” go for five days, if you’re run down go for 4 days?
Don’t neglect the psycho-social aspects of the neurotyping system. If you want to feel more like a 1A spend more time in 1A environments around 1A personalities doing 1A things.
This probably can be said for all the neurotypes, just like doing training that doesn’t ‘work’ for your neurotype, being in social environments that doesn’t agree with your type will cause more stress.
For a 2A you most likely will want a variety of social environments.
This is just so annoying. I’m pretty much bored by everything, and bored very quickly. Then I find something and go at with crazy intensity, then it fades away
Welcome to the wonderful world of the 2A passionate.
I’ve been like this my whole life. Heck, even right now. I’ve been passionate about golf and I can go hit balls for 4h per day, which negatively impact my training. I will watch golf videos for hours and always try to thinker with my technique (which slows down progression).
A few years back I was really into gymnastic rings training and would do that for 3-4h per day (which led to an elbow and shoulder injury which prevents me from pressing heavy to this day).
It’s funny because when I find something that I’m passionate about I can almost instantly become an expert in that because it becomes my whole life. And normally, once I mastered it, I lose interest.
I used to think I best described by the 2A actor but after a stint on SSRIs it became quite evident my dopamine levels then were low and looking back they’ve always been low. Subsequently, additional attributes of the 2A passionate became evident after reconsideration.
How have you managed, do you think, to progress so well despite having a hard time with adherence? I believe you’ve explicitly stated having problems with this in the past. Do you lean into being wholehearted more or do you attempt to parry it?
Do you think that this ‘tunnel vision’ trait is due to the fact that 2A passionate have low serotonin? Thus, perhaps they don’t handle switching between subjects/projects very well?