Brains, beauty, and brawn. Today’s athlete has arrived.
Today we feature our conversation with the strong and exceedingly smart, Allison Brager. This Neuroscientist and CrossFit Games athlete somehow managed to find the time to talk to us about her new book, Meathead: Unraveling the Athletic Brain.
In talking with Allison, we find what inspired her to start researching for her most recent publication. As she explains, the dichotomy that exists in people of her profession who lift weights is widely scrutinized. The old stereotype of “dumb jock” still holds strong today despite evidence to the contrary. Allison goes on to discuss just how the brain is stimulated and developed simply through the acquisition of new skills.
Do you know someone who struggles with performing under pressure? Choking is a phenomena that can be tracked in the brain and improved upon. This drives our conversation to what can be perceived as the extreme opposite of those who can’t control their fear. The daredevil athlete. Allison explains why she considers herself one and why it also puts her at risk for other excessive dopamine seeking activities.
Finally, what role does sleep play in the brain of an athlete? This is a subject covered almost ad nauseam by most specialists but Allison provides a fresh take on what this really means in terms of wins and losses. Traveling across time zones and playing tournaments or competing has a quantifiable effect on all teams. The number of losses attributed to this alteration in sleep behavior is staggering.
Hold on because this is one dense episode worth several listens. Luckily, Allison keeps the information tangible both in her book and our chat. After all, we’re just meatheads? Right?
EMPOWER YOUR PERFORMANCE.
Want to get ahold of Allison’s book, Meathead: Unraveling the Athletic Brain? You can find it here or simply head to Amazon. It’s available in paperback or Kindle edition.
If you are headed to The CrossFit Games, be sure to cheer on Allison and the rest of the Squat Mafia from Atlanta, Georgia.
Don’t forget to get your shit together for the #ToesForward Challenge! Take a picture with toes pointing forward and hashtag #ToesForward and tag @PowerAthleteHQ and @MobilityWOD for a chance to win the following:
- – 6 months free Power Athlete Training via Train Heroic
- – $100 credit at Power Athlete’s store (plus free shipping)
- – 1hr movement and mobility consultation with M-Wod
- – Signed copies of new M-Wod books
The competition goes from the 26th of June to the 11th of July so let’s see those hooves, slippers, or prosthetics, TOES FORWARD!
SOURCES
Tagged: Athlete Brain / Brain / Choking / Competition / Neuroscience / Sleep / Sport / toesforward
AUTHOR
John
John Welbourn is CEO of Power Athlete and host of Power Athlete Radio. He is a 9 year starter and veteran of the NFL. John was drafted with the 97th pick in 1999 NFL Draft and went on to be a starter for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1999-2003, appearing in 3 NFC Championship games, and for starter for the Kansas City Chiefs from 2004-2007. In 2008, he played with the New England Patriots until an injury ended his season early with him retiring in 2009. Over the course of his career, John has started over 100 games and has 10 play-off appearances. He was a four year lettermen while playing football at the University of California at Berkeley. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Rhetoric in 1998. John has worked with the MLB, NFL, NHL, Olympic athletes and Military. He travels the world lecturing on performance and nutrition and records his podcast, Power Athlete Radio, every week with over 800 episodes spanning 13 years. You can catch up with John as his personal blog, Talk To Me Johnnie, on social media @johnwelbourn or at Power Athlete Radio.
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What the what?! All my photos are toes forward in the UAP, jacked, not so tan, and vascular! Gotta step up my instagame
[…] POWER ATHLETE PODCAST – DR. ALLISON BARGER – AUTHOR OF MEATHEAD […]
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