Understanding Your Neurotype

( Personality Testing For

Individualized Results)
Your “Neurotype”… a way to learn what your personality type is and how you should
be adjusting your training and nutrition, according to that. Some are skeptical, some are
simply interested, and some completely swear by it. One thing we can say about The
Neurotype System, is that we DO believe in it’s merit as a way of reading and
predicting a client’s personal preference. It’s a tool to individualize. Better yet, it’s a
tool to understand an individual so that you can individualize their training and
nutrition.

But at the end of the day, all about it or not about it… you should be constantly
searching for tools and methods in order to dive deeper into the psyche of a client (or
yourself) so that you can better adhere to the plan you’re embarking down, because
consistently adhering really is the key to long term success with your physique.

That being said… let’s dive into how to find out what your Neurotype actually is and
how you should adjust your training and nutrition, based on YOUR individual
Neurotype.

Our personality is genetically determined and influenced by the balance of our

neurotransmitters, which control all our conscious and unconscious physical and mental
processes, for example how we react to stress of any kind, how well we recover, our
energy output in training, as well as our OPTIMAL training intensity, frequency and
volume.

Understanding your own neurological profile can be a great guideline for choosing the
right training program in order to allow for optimal adaptations and to stay motivated
over time. It can also help you approach your diet in the right way (for example: are you
someone who does well on lower carbs or higher carbs, do you need a more aggressive
or moderate approach, would intermittent fasting work for you?) and simply help you
understand why you navigate social situations in a certain way.

ORIGIN OF THE NEUROTYPE TRAINING

There are a couple of different personality tests, for example the “Braverman-
Assessment System” that can help us determine our neurotransmitter profile
(hence Neurotype as a name for the ideology). Strength coach Christian Thibaudeau was
the first to use psychiatrist Dr. Robert Cloninger’s questionnaire called the “Cloninger
Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI)” to draw parallels to training and nutrition
and made neurotyping popular in the fitness space.

[ Check out our Podcasts with Christian → Episode 1 and Episode 2 ]

Neurotyping itself is not a training system or program or nutritional model (although

nowadays there are specific neurotype programs available). Neurotyping simply enables
us to choose from existing training and nutrition strategies, which compliment and our
own needs and neurological and hormonal structures.

THE DIFFERENT NEUROTYPES – WHICH

NEUROTYPE ARE YOU?
Personality and personal preferences already tell a lot about an individual’s
neurotransmitter balance and which are high and which are low.

Dr. Cloninger went a little deeper and identified that personality structures depend on
neurotransmitter balance, likes and dislikes, stress resistance, recovery ability and so on.
If you transfer this knowledge over into your training program, you create the perfect
training stimulus, keep motivation high long term.

Cloninger’s ‘Temperament and Character Inventory’ (TCI) consists of four dimensions

of temperament and three dimensions of character.
Christian Thibaudeau took this model, applied it to exercise and nutrition and created a
model with 5 main neurotypes in training.

Neurotype 1 – The Novelty

Seekers

NEUROTYPE 1 A – LOW DOPAMINE AND

LOW ACETYLCHOLINE

CHARACTERISTICS
→ Likes a good challenge and competition

→ Can handle stress very well, excels under pressure and in competition

→ Can only focus on one thing at a time, often forgetful

→ Extroverted and comfortable in public

→ Very chilled at rest, but can lose temper quickly

→ Likes to argue and to go against the grain, doesn’t care what others think of him/her

→ Very low anxiety

→ Always looking for a new thrill

APPLIED TO TRAINING
→ This athlete can be described with “Brute Strength”
→ Prefers difficult and compound exercises such as Squats, Bench, Deadlift, Overhead
Press, Pull-ups dis, Clean and Jerks, Snatches to Isolation work.

→ Likes the heavy grind work, ‘Strongman’ training, Powerlifting etc.

→ Can tolerate high amounts of neurological work, and very low amounts of muscular
volume

→ Not naturally gifted or drawn to endurance sports, particularly because they get
bored quickly

→ Needs to get amped up before training, naturally takes very long rest between sets

→ MOTIVATION is key for this athlete. If they don’t enjoy doing something, they will
(either not do it or) not be switched on and get a suboptimal training stimulus. The way
to get them excited and activated is by including new things on a regular basis.

→ Also likes extreme sports because of the adrenaline rush.

APPLIED TO NUTRITION
→ Does well on low carb diets, because of lower insulin sensitivity and are least likely
to lose muscles or strength on a low carb diet

→ Needs to see results fast (so an aggressive approach with bigger deficits or surpluses
might be a good strategy to keep them motivated)

→ Something like a matador approach with 2 weeks in an aggressive deficit and 2

weeks at maintenance could work well to keep motivation high

→ They eat “for pleasure”, things need to taste good; they do better with keeping overly
tempting foods out of the house rather than eating a little bit of it. Does not do too well
on bro-style diet.

→ Workout nutrition: No pre-workout carbs (as they have a calming effect and this type
need to get amped up), better implemented halfway through the workout of afterwards.
THE SCIENCE
Out of all 5 Neurotypes, this Neurotype can handle the least amount of training volume.
Acetylcholine is very low, therefore the body has to release a large amount of
adrenaline to create the same contractions and mental focus. To do that dopamine is
needed, which also is low in the Type 1A, therefore the resources for adrenaline
production are exhausted rather quickly.

Due to the high levels of serotonin on the other hand, it is hard to get into the right
training mode. Therefore warm up and CNS activation are very important for this type,
because it stimulates dopamine production.

STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDELINES

→ Intensity: high = 85-95% of ME

→ Volume: low = less than 6-12 working sets

→ Warm up: CNS activation (explosive movements such as box jumps, plyo push ups,
prowler sprints…), keep it short otherwise this type gets fatigues before the main lifts
even start!

→ Duration of main lifts = 20-30 minutes per session (without warmup/ activation)

→ Main exercises: 1-3 per session, for example one main lift and 1-2 accessory
exercises, thrive on Dead-start work, isometric work and paused reps. It’s all about the
weight and intent of ‘grinding’ the barbell to complete the lift.

→ Rest periods: At least 2 minutes

→ Training frequency: high = 6-7 days per week, can even tolerate 2 sessions per day,
two short sessions are better than one long one

→ Ideal Rep Range: no more than 5-6 reps per set for main lifts
→ Training Cycle: Longer meso cycles are fine, but has to include something new and
interesting on a regular basis in order to keep motivation high, but also to vary the
stimulus for the CNS that is otherwise adapting too quickly. Linear periodisation (lower
reps to higher reps)

CARDIO RECOMMENDATIONS
This Neurotype needs to get amped up for training. Low intensity steady state cardio
has a calming effect on the CNS and is not stimulating/motivating for this type. All they
can think of when they do LISS is ‘this sucks’ and because of this it hardly ever has a
positive effect for this neurotype. Short sessions of High Intensity Cardio with some
heavy weights on the other hand can be implemented, for example 10-15s strongman
work with 45s rest.

NEUROTYPE 1B – LOW DOPAMINE AND

HIGH ACETYLCHOLINE

CHARACTERISTICS
→ Great memory, good at multitasking

→ Born leaders, classical ‘alpha type’, does not do well with authority or structure

→ Classic adrenaline junkie, always looking for the next thrill

→ Can handle stress very well

→ Very comfortable in social settings

APPLIED TO TRAINING
→ This athlete can be described with “Explosive”
→ Picks up sports very quickly, good at anything they touch, this type has the best
genetic predisposition to become a performance or world class athlete

→ Great at team sports or other sports like CrossFit, Track & Field, Gymnastics…

→ Type 1B, like 1A, also has a high percentage of fast twitch muscle fibres and is
because of this naturally excels at explosive and powerful movements.

→ Still needs high training intensity, but can tolerate much higher volume than Type
1A, rest periods can be shorter as well.

→ For some 1B athletes a more auto regulating training/training program works rather
well also to keep them motivated (as it allows them to do what they like = motivation
stays high). Meaning you could have a “pool” of exercises and then carry out the
sequence, rep range and intensity and so on as you like. However, this only works well
with advanced athletes.

High skill transfer. Can go months without practicing a skill and end up getting better
at it just by strengthening the involved muscle groups.

→ “Genius” athlete, can be described as “poetry in motion”

→ High utilization of the ‘stretch reflex’ (for example touch and go reps in CrossFit)

APPLIED TO NUTRITION
→ Still similar to the Type 1A and needs to be kept motivated and see results fast, for
example 7 days in an aggressive deficit followed by 3 days at maintenance.

→ Can still do well on low carb and should stay away from pre-workout carbs to allow
for proper neurological activation.

→ Also is a pleasure driven eater, does not do too well on a ‘bland’ bro-style diet.

→ Workout nutrition: Carbs post or mid-way through the workout like 1A

THE SCIENCE
Because of the higher acetylcholine type 1B can tolerate a slightly higher training
volume and duration, because less adrenaline is needed and therefore less dopamine
utilised (and can last for a longer training session). The higher acetylcholine is also the
reason why this type does well at learning skills easily and makes this Neurotype more
explosive than the type 1A.

STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDELINES

→ Intensity: high about 80-90% of ME

→ Volume: moderate = 12-20 working sets

→ Warm-up: CNS activating explosive work

→ Duration of main lifts: Moderate = 30-45 Minutes per session (without warm-
up/activation)

→ Main exercises: 3-5 per session, mostly explosive and compound exercises. Lots of
exercise variation, appeal to their multitasking capacity. ‘Acceleration’ and
‘momentum’ work is what they thrive on.

→ Rest periods: 90s – 3 minutes

→ Training frequency: high = 5-6 days per week

→ Ideal rep range is anywhere up to 6-8 reps; Type 1B can incorporate more isolation
work than 1A.

→ Training Cycles: Similar to the Type 1A, a longer meso cycle is fine as long as
training motivation is kept high through frequent new stimuli for the nervous system,
since nervous system adaptation occurs so quickly for the type 1 athlete (hence the
name ‘the novelty seeker’), linear periodization (low reps, gradually increasing)
CARDIO RECOMMENDATION
Also does not enjoy Steady State Cardio either, as it does not activate them. Explosive
high intensity interval training is much more enjoyable for a Type 1 athlete (does not
necessarily need to involve heavy weights as for the 1A, more explosive work), for
example 20s sprints on the prowler, bike or rower.

Neurotype 2 – The Reward

Dependent
NEUROTYPE 2A – LOW NORADRENALINE,
HIGH GABA

ATTRIBUTES
→ Typical people pleaser

→ Very dependent on recognition of others, because of this they are very social and
empathic

→ Low self-esteem

→ The word that describes this person is “Variation”

→ Need to feel like they “belong”

→ Good at reading other people, tend to mimic the leader

→ Tend to crumble under pressure

→ Not a naturally gifted athlete (like the 1B), but makes up for it with hard work

→ Needs a lot of variety, in training and nutrition as well as with life in general
→ Fun to be around

→ Great at solving conflict, ‘silent leader’, not good as the actual leader though

APPLIED TO TRAINING
→ Great team sports athlete

→ Needs to practice the actual movement (like a Muscle up) in order to progress at it
(low skill transfer)

→ Needs a good amount of warm up exercises and sets, but more skill work than CNS
activating work

→ Easily gets excited about different kinds of equipment, because it means variation

→ Can have the same skill set as a 1B, but less confident and not so good under
pressure

APPLIED TO NUTRITION
→ Needs variation, everything works until it doesn’t.

→ Most likely to binge and feel bad about it later on.

→ Carb cycling can work well as it means variation or just generally enjoy regular
refeed days (for example 5:2).

→ Overall a moderate carb approach could work well, but can and should be adjusted
according to training focus at the time (since this should vary also)

→ Workout nutrition: ½ of carbs prior to the workout and ½ midway or throughout

THE SCIENCE
→ All activities and behaviors are targeted to stimulate the production of
norepinephrine.

→ Norepinephrine triggers a feeling of well being and self-confidence. Is

norepinephrine low, it can lead to depression, insecurities and lack of motivation. To
counter this the type 2A is looking for external recognition and is highly dependent on
the opinion of others.

→ Strength Training Guidelines:

→ Intensity: anything works for a short period of time

→ Volume: anything works for a short period of time

→ Warm up: Skill focused

→ Duration of main lifts = 45-60 minutes (without warm up /activation)

→ Main exercises: Highly skill focused, this type thrives on mastering a certain
lift/exercise rather than “mind-muscle connection”, training should be “fun”, variety is
key; explosive jumps, throws, sprints

→ Rest periods: 60s-2 minutes, need to train fast

→ Training frequency: 5-6 times per week, can tolerate very high training volume if
done properly

→ Ideal rep range for example: 3-6 on main compound lifts and 8-10 on accessory or
isolation work (need both, neurological and muscular component, but not a lot of
either), but anything works really

→ Training Cycle: Even within one cycle there needs to be variation otherwise this
person gets bored and loses motivation. Several different micro cycles within a meso
cycle or simply incorporating a wide range of equipment and training techniques within
a cycle can help keep this person engaged. No deload needed if you change training
roughly every 3 weeks (first week of new program is technically the deload), undulating
periodisation

CARDIO RECOMMENDATIONS
Same as with training in general: as long as there is variation to it, the Neurotype 2 A
athlete can do LISS, tempo work, interval work, strongman work… Even within a
training week there can be variation such as LISS on day 1, AMRAP on day 2, interval
sprints on day 3, strongman work on day 4…

NEUROTYPE 2B – LOW NORADRENALINE,

LOW GABA

ATTRIBUTES
→ Helper type person

→ The word that describes them is “Connection”

→ Need to feel “connected” with people, fewer friends, but very close ones

→ Need to feel the “mind – muscle” connection in training (chasing “the pump”)

→ More introverted, does not like big crowds

→ Good at introspection

→ Not necessarily good under pressure

APPLIED TO TRAINING
→ Prefers a classical bodybuilding type of training over heavy weight, explosive
movements or mastering a certain skill. Needs a moderate pace in training to FEEL each
exercise properly.

→ Can easily get frustrated in training if they do too many compound lifts and don’t
feel “the pump”

→ Need to train the fastest (with short rest periods) out of all neurotypes (because they
need the adrenaline)

APPLIED TO NUTRITION
→ Classic bodybuilding style diet (‘bro diet’), with a reasonable high percentage in
carbs

→ During a dieting phase still higher carbs, low fats, mostly bunched around workouts

→ If they ‘cheat’ on their diet they will often try to compensate for it and build a love-
hate relationship with food, refeeds can work (possibly 1-2 per week if needed), but no
cheat meals advised.

→ Workout nutrition: ½ carbs prior, ½ midway or throughout the workout

THE SCIENCE
Due to the low GABA, exercises that are too complex in nature can overwhelm and
demotivate a type 2B athlete.

STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDELINES

→ Intensity: moderate about 60–80%

→ Volume: moderate-high 12-16 working sets

→ Warm up: focused on “feeling” the muscle activate

→ Duration of main lifts = 45-60 minutes (without warmup/activation)

→ Main exercises: more isolation work than main exercises, this type responds very
well to dropsets, mechanical drop sets, long eccentric phases, isometric stops, partial
repetitions, loaded stretching, supersets etc to really FEEL a muscle group; increasing
strength and progression is less important; does well with a classical bodybuilding body
part split

→ Rest periods: 30-90s, Superset also work really well

→ Training frequency: about 5 times per week, sometimes 6, depending on fatigue

→ Ideal rep range of 6-12 reps on complex lifts, isolation and accessory work 12 or
more

→ Can stay with a training program for quite some time 6-12 weeks and sometimes
simple adjustments (like increasing reps slightly or adding another set) can be sufficient
to continue to see stimulation.

CARDIO RECOMMENDATIONS
Does well with steady state work, but also with lactic acid work with long intervals like
30-40s on and 30-40s rest, for example 400m sprint, prowler push etc.

Neurotype 3 – The Harm Avoider

NEUROTYPE 3: LOW SEROTONIN- LEVELS

ATTRIBUTES
→ The word that describes that person is “Control”
→ Can tolerate the least amount of stress and intensity as they naturally have high
cortisol levels, feels easily overwhelmed

→ Can tolerate a high amount of volume

→ Very introverted, often shy

→ Thrive on routine and structure, the more the better as it gives them as sense of
security

→ Hate conflict and open confrontation

→ Love to plan, very good at organization; struggle if plans change last minute as it
causes their stress levels to go up even further

→ They try to avoid any kind of risk (in life and in training)

→ Perfectionist tendencies

→ Doesn’t like change, but great at planning and preparation

→ Does not do well with critique or constructive criticism

APPLIED TO TRAINING
→ Naturally inclined to do endurance sports, it has a calming effect on the nervous
system, reducing their naturally high cortisol

→ If they happen to end up in a sport like CrossFit (natural tendency), these people
would be known as “the engines”

→ Don’t naturally like competition

→ Don’t like variation in training

→ Struggle the most out of all neurotypes with putting on muscle

→ Naturally approaches training and progress more conservative with small increases
in weight and a big focus on technique

Does not like contact sports, martial arts, adrenaline sports or extreme sports

→ Becomes unmotivated with a sudden change in plans (for example the coach has a
new idea for an exercise or wants to change the program last minute)

APPLIED TO NUTRITION
→ Often chronic under-eaters and over exercisers, like to suffer as it gives them a
feeling of control over their body (also seen in anorexia).

→ Do not do well on low carb diets, needs carbs to stimulate serotonin release and to
keep cortisol (stress and anxiety) low.

→ Often work best on several small carb doses throughout the day (rather than large
helpings in one sitting)

→ Do not do well on Intermittent Fasting or with large calorie deficits, more with a
conservative slow approach and like to know the plan ahead of time (for example 4-8
weeks then 1 week at maintenance)

→ Because of the chronically high cortisol levels, protocols for insulin resistance can be
implemented, including berberin, cinnamon, fish oil etc, but without addressing the
cortisol level and managing stress as best as possible it will be ineffective.

→ Workout nutrition: Benefits from pre-workout carbs as it brings their anxiety down
to an ideal level.Carbs post-workout and before bed time are also very important to
stimulate muscle protein synthesis.
THE SCIENCE:
Naturally low in serotonin and high cortisol levels. All actions and behaviors are
targeted to increase serotonin levels. Chronically low serotonin can also show in
constantly being tired or having digestive issues.

STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDELINES:

→ Intensity: moderate – low about 50-75%

→ Volume: high about 20-50 sets

→ Warm up: the neurotype that benefits the most from mobilisation before training as
they are often “tight” and “tense” by nature; additionally, warming up can help reduce
the fear of getting injured from training; the CNS does NOT need to be activated in this
type as their neurons are already firing high.

→ Duration of main lifts = about 60 minutes

→ Main exercises: 4-5 movements overall, focus more on metabolic exhaustion than
mechanical tension, high rep ranges and set with lots of time under tension work really
well

→ Rest periods: short (if any), can also do well with active rest (for example jumping
on a bike for some low intensity metabolic work between sets)

→ Training frequency: 3-4 times per week, does well with an upper/lower or full body
split

→ Movements: Focus on technique and “proper” exercise execution, minimal

distractions (such as conversation), often prefers to train alone, controlled moderate
speed, does not naturally like explosive movements
→ Ideal rep range: 8-20 repetitions, does well with isometric stops and partial
repetitions instead of heavy weight, would do well on German Volume Program for
example 10 sets of 10 reps at 60% at a slow tempo

→ Prefer strict training programs with a long term plan and familiar activities and rep-
schemes, usually over cautious with exercise progression and does really well with
linear progressions of reps or sets, likes to have clear instructions rather than vague rep
ranges, few small changes in a training program at a time, such as adjusting tempo, can
be very effective. Often don’t start to see progress until

CARDIO RECOMMENDATIONS:
Type 3s actually ENJOY Steady State Cardio. It allows them to go into an almost
meditative state, calm their mind and reduce anxiety. This type can even do cardio
before strength training and benefit from it. HIIT or other strenuous activities like
CrossFit can be very taxing and increasing cortisol levels even further in this type.

SUMMARY
Most people are a mixture of a couple of neurotypes. That means that all criteria for one
type hardly ever apply to one person.

The neurotype system offers a practical base and orientation, which can help choose and
adapt a training program for optimal ADHERENCE, results and also longevity (due to
adherence, avoiding over training or injuries…). In even more detail, it goes as far as
offering specific supplement suggestions and optimal recovery methods for your type.

Finding your Neurotype can also offer an explanation why not all training methods
work for everybody in the same way.