How can I improve my physical and cognitive performance?

Improving Physical and Cognitive Performance

To optimize both physical and cognitive performance, prioritize resistance training at least 3 times per week targeting major muscle groups, combined with 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity weekly, as resistance exercise demonstrates superior cognitive benefits compared to other exercise modalities. 1

Exercise Prescription for Cognitive Enhancement

Resistance Training Takes Priority

• Resistance exercise produces superior cognitive benefits compared to aerobic or other exercise modalities, particularly for executive function, memory, and processing speed 1
• The World Health Organization recommends muscle-strengthening activities involving major muscle groups at least three times per week 1
• Benefits begin immediately with no minimal threshold required 1
• The estimated minimal exercise dose for clinically relevant cognitive changes is 724 METs-min per week 1
• Doses beyond 1200 METs-min per week provide diminishing returns 1

Aerobic Exercise Requirements

• Adults should complete 150-300 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, or 75-150 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity activity 2
• Moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity shows moderate-to-strong evidence for improving cognition, including academic achievement, processing speed, memory, and executive function 3
• Acute bouts of moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise provide transient cognitive benefits during the post-recovery period 3

Physical Performance Enhancement

Strength and Power Development

• Resistance training 2 or more days per week improves muscle-strengthening outcomes 2
• Regular physical activity improves endurance, strength, power, and balance through systematic training adaptations 4

Cardiovascular Fitness

• Aerobic exercise improves cardiovascular function, reduces risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and mortality 4
• Physical activity fosters better physical functioning and reduces risk of chronic diseases 2

Evidence Nuances and Contradictions

Important caveat: While observational studies consistently show associations between physical activity and reduced cognitive decline, intervention trials in older adults have shown conflicting results. The American Geriatrics Society found insufficient evidence that physical activity interventions improved cognition in older adults when examining randomized trials 5, 6. However, the most recent 2025 evidence from network meta-analyses demonstrates that resistance exercise specifically shows superior effects 1, resolving this apparent contradiction by identifying exercise type as the critical variable.

Age-Specific Considerations

• In children and adolescents, coordinative or perceptual-motor forms of exercise show larger effects on cognitive performance, particularly executive functions, than aerobic exercise alone 5
• Children aged 6-17 years should complete 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily 2
• Older adults should incorporate multicomponent physical activity including balance training alongside aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities 2

Additional Performance Benefits

Sleep Quality

• Regular physical activity is associated with better sleep quality among healthy adults, with moderate-to-large effect sizes 7
• Improved sleep quality may partially mediate the associations between physical activity and reduced risk of mortality, cardiovascular diseases, and dementia 7

Comprehensive Health Effects

• Physical activity improves attention, memory, and cognition across all ages with strong evidence grading 6
• Regular exercise reduces risk of noncommunicable diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, depression, and dementia 4
• Greater amounts of physical activity are associated with reduced risk of developing cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease (strong evidence) 3

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Focusing exclusively on aerobic exercise while neglecting resistance training is a critical mistake, as resistance training shows superior cognitive benefits 1
• Treating all exercise doses as equivalent ignores the non-linear dose-response relationship that is exercise-type dependent 1
• Recommending only high-intensity programs overlooks that lower doses of resistance training achieve clinically meaningful benefits 1
• Breaking up sedentary time has minimal independent impact compared to meeting basic physical activity guidelines 6

Practical Implementation

• Moving more and sitting less benefits nearly everyone, with individuals performing the least physical activity benefiting most from even modest increases 2
• Both aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity are beneficial and should be combined 2
• Additional benefits occur with more physical activity beyond minimum thresholds 2