NEUROTYPE
OVERVIEW
TYPE 1A
NEUROLOGICAL OVERVIEW
Need to be the leader, high self-esteem, seek out conflicts, strong but non-
adjustable personality, will do everything to win in any situation and losing
will ruin their day.
Dopamine sensitive - Goal oriented, high self-esteem, seek to win (to get
pleasure), love to take risks, need to be in charge
Low(er) serotonin vs. dopaminergic activity - A higher conversion of
dopamine to adrenaline makes them more aggressive, irritable, and very
driven. This also means they can’t tolerate a lot of volume because they will
easily deplete dopamine.
Higher GABA - Black or white personality … there are no grey zones. It’s
all or nothing. Not good at adjusting to various people or situations. Like a
bull in a china shop.
Lower acetylcholine - Motor skills are not as good, cannot tolerate lots
of volume because of a higher risk of dopamine depletion, don’t need as
much variation in training, memory and recall not as good as other types.
Low glutamate - Very low level of empathy, don’t care about hurting
people’s feelings, very tough against failure (if not affected, will just power
through), don’t lose confidence easily.
NEUROTYPE OVERVIEW
TYPE 1A
Personality Characteristics Training Considerations
• Confident • Heavy lifting, neurological work,
• High self-esteem need the nervous system to be firing
• Always want to be the leader • Don’t do well with mind-muscle
• Take up a lot of space connection or pump work
• Talkative, loud • Cannot tolerate a lot of volume
• Will do anything to win or variety per session (low
• Very competitive acetylcholine)
• Charismatic • Need intensity
• Risk takers • Motivated by lifting heavier weight
• Argumentative and “winning” the workout
• Need to be right
• Build muscle by getting stronger
• Impulsive
• Recover well from heavy,
• Don’t do well with authority
neurological work as long as volume
• Intense
is managed (high GABA)
• Burn the candle at both ends
• Grinders
• Impatient
Sport Preference
• Break rules
• Perform well under pressure • Powerlifting
• Resilient to stress • NFL linemen or linebackers
• Extroverted • Strongman
• Novelty seekers
• Any position requiring brute force
• Goal driven
and strength
• Need to see results quickly
• Addictive personality
• Low empathy
• Doesn’t care what others think of him/her
NEUROTYPE OVERVIEW
TYPE 1A
NUTRITION OVERVIEW:
Adherence tool: Type 1A’s are very competitive and have a hard time with
authority. We need to develop the early buy-in factor or they’ll quickly lose
faith in the coach or program. This means they need to see results very
quickly. Type 1A’s also have high levels of GABA and pretty high serotonin
as well, which makes them an ideal candidate for an aggressive protocol.
Fat loss structure: The sprint approach. Type 1A’s can handle a more
extreme deficit due to their high inhibitory neurotransmitter balance. This
also means that they don’t need very high carbs. An effective strategy for
fat loss is a 3 week aggressive deficit, followed by 1 week at maintenance.
Type 1A’s can do well with 1-2 refeed days per week to help with
adherence, and avoid any metabolic adaptations.
Muscle building structure: Type 1A’s don’t need much of a surplus, or
any, to build muscle. A starting point that makes the most sense for a type
1A is actually a very small deficit (100-200 calories) and then go up from
there. Many type 1A’s can build muscle at maintenance calories. Some may
need a small surplus. An effective strategy for muscle building is almost the
inverse of the fat loss plan - 3 weeks at maintenance or a small surplus,
followed by 1 week at a deficit to avoid unwanted fat gain.
Food considerations: The main thought process with type 1A is to
support dopamine production. Being dopamine dominant, their biggest
risk factor is dopamine depletion. We want to ensure that doesn’t
happen through our nutritional approach. Foods rich in l-tyrosine (and/or
supplementation with l-tyrosine) will help support dopamine production.
Also, meals comprised of mostly protein and fats will favor the transport of
l-tyrosine.
NEUROTYPE OVERVIEW
TYPE 1B
NEUROLOGICAL OVERVIEW
High level of self-esteem but can more easily adjust their behavior to
the needs of a situation, fast motor learners, multi-taskers, better natural
athletes.
High dopamine sensitivity - Goal oriented, high self-esteem, seek to win
(to get pleasure), love to take risks, lead by example.
Higher serotonin vs. dopaminergic activity - Less adrenaline
production results in them normally performing best under pressure (they
don’t get over-excited) but also harder to get “amped up”, less risk of
overtraining than 1A, more adaptable behavior.
Higher serotonin to GABA ratio - While not as adaptable as 2A’s, they
can more easily adjust their behavior to various people and situations.
High acetylcholine - Better motor learning, memory and information
recall, more creativity, more efficient stretch reflex, greater need for
experimenting with a lot of things.
NEUROTYPE OVERVIEW
TYPE 1B
Personality Characteristics Training Considerations
• High self-esteem • Explosive lifting, neurological work,
• Multi-taskers more variety (high acetylcholine)
• Quick learners • Build muscle by becoming more
• Naturally athletic explosive
• Explosive personality • Love to utilize momentum or the
• Imaginative stretch reflex
• Like to try new things • Need to be challenged or gets
• Impatient bored easily
• Goal oriented • Best transfer from assistance lifts to
• Excellent skill transfer main movements
• Competitive
• Can handle high intensity and high
• Lead by example
volume (dopamine sensitivity, high
• Risk takers
acetylcholine, high serotonin)
• Perform well under pressure
• Resilient to stress and recover
• Need to see results quickly
well from neurological work (high
serotonin)
Sport Preference
• Olympic lifting
• Sprinters
• MMA
• CrossFit
• Any skill position in sports
(naturally the most athletic)
NEUROTYPE OVERVIEW
TYPE 1B
NUTRITION OVERVIEW:
Adherence tool: Type 1B’s will be very similar to type 1A’s in the sense
that they are also dopamine dominant and need to see results very quickly.
They are also resilient to stress due to high inhibitory neurotransmitters and
high acetylcholine. The biggest difference is that type 1B’s will respond
better to intermittent fasting due to their need for brain stimulation.
Fat loss structure: The sprint approach. Type 1B’s can also follow an
aggressive deficit for 3 weeks on, followed by 1 week at maintenance. We
can also include a 14-16 hour daily fast and 1-2 refeed days per week.
With high levels of serotonin, type 1B’s don’t need a lot of carbs to recover,
so a low carb plan is optimal for fat loss.
Muscle building structure: Type 1B’s can build muscle without much of
a surplus. Some can get away with a slight deficit, while others will need
maintenance or a small surplus to grow. There are a couple of strategies
that work well with type 1B’s. First, they can utilize the 3 week maintenance
(or small surplus) followed by 1 week at a deficit approach. Or, they can do
6 days at a little higher surplus with a 24 hour fast each week. They can
build and recover well on moderate carbs.
Food considerations: Being dopamine dominant, type 1B’s will also want
to support dopamine production through foods that are rich in l-tyrosine.
They will also want to support their naturally high levels of acetylcholine
through choline-rich foods. Meals that are high in protein and fats will help in
dopamine production through the transport of l-tyrosine. They also respond
well to fasting protocols (in general).
NEUROTYPE OVERVIEW
TYPE 2A
NEUROLOGICAL OVERVIEW
More changing personality, a social chameleon, will adapt their behavior
to the person or situation, lower level of self-esteem so need others to
respect/like them. This makes them great at reading people.
High adrenaline sensitivity - Personality that changes when stress
is elevated. Will go from chill, relaxed, lazy and friendly to confident,
driven, irritable, energetic (they become more like a 1B or 1A … the more
adrenaline there is, the more like a 1A they become).
Balanced dopamine, GABA and serotonin - Under “optimal” situations,
these three neurotransmitters are fairly balanced, which gives 2A a
“friendly”, easy-going and easily adaptable behavior. They are, however,
easily influenced by periods of stress that can deplete either one of these
three neurotransmitters.
Moderate to high acetylcholine - 2A’s can be pretty close to 1B’s when
it comes to athletic skill and motor learning because they have the second
highest level of acetylcholine of all of the types (in general). There are
exceptions, of course.
Moderate glutamate - Along with their lower natural level of self-esteem,
the moderate level of glutamate gives the 2A a good amount of empathy,
second only to the 2B. When under stress, or due to nutritional factors,
glutamate can increase and GABA decrease, which makes a 2A behave a
lot like a 2B.
NEUROTYPE OVERVIEW
TYPE 2A
Personality Characteristics Training Considerations
• Main motivation is to seek admiration, • Need variation, equal mix of
respect, and to be liked by the person neurological and muscular work
they are with • Everything works but nothing works
• Can adapt to any situation for very long
• Low self-esteem at rest but potentiated • Can handle high volume and density
by adrenaline and becomes alpha
with short rest periods (adrenaline
version of themselves
sensitivity)
• Want to be liked by everyone
• Great at reading people • Easily fatigued mentally when things
• Indecisive get too repetitive
• Procrastinators • Difficult to physically overtrain (high
• Experience FOMO frequently mix of GABA/serotonin)
• Fun to be around • Can be more like a 2B under
• Care a lot about the opinion of others stress, more like a 1B under better
• Need variation, constant change conditions, or a 2A with high
• Perform better when up against a acetylcholine
deadline
• Great impersonators, actors, creating
personalities Sport Preference
• People pleasers
• Letting someone down is destructive for • CrossFit
them • Team sports
• Hate to feel left out • Will try different modalities
because of their need for variation
NEUROTYPE OVERVIEW
TYPE 2A
NUTRITION OVERVIEW:
Adherence tool: Type 2A’s crave variety so they will get bored quickly
with the same structure. There are several ways to incorporate variety into
their plan, but the nice part with a type 2A is that everything works! You
can really implement any nutritional strategy, depending on the individual,
as long as things are kept fresh and progress is considered. Type 2A’s do
especially well with carb cycling, training vs. non training numbers, a bit of
intermittent fasting, and rotating food choices.
Fat loss structure: The moderate or interval approach. Type 2A’s do well
with a moderate deficit and a plan that incorporates variety. They can have
some days at a small deficit, some days at a large deficit, and some days at
a moderate deficit. Even incorporating a surplus day will work well. Utilizing
an interval approach will also work where the nutritional strategy changes
every 3-4 weeks. For example, 3-4 weeks of carb cycling, 3-4 weeks of
training vs. non training, 3-4 weeks of intermittent fasting, 3-4 weeks of low
carb, etc.
Muscle building structure: Type 2A’s build muscle in the same way
they lose fat ... utilizing moderation and variety. Having surplus days mixed
with deficit and maintenance days is a great approach as long as the net
balance is a small to moderate surplus. Utilizing carbs around training is an
effective approach for a type 2A when it comes to building muscle.
Food considerations: The most important thing to consider for a type
2A is to maintain adrenaline sensitivity. That means that we don’t want the
adrenergic receptors activated for too long. That’s why post workout carbs
can help, and not going too drastic with a prolonged deficit. Moderation
works better. We also want to maintain adrenaline production through
dopamine support (since adrenaline is fabricated down stream from
dopamine). Therefore, l-tyrosine rich foods can be a staple in their diet.
When a type 2A is under more stress, we can add more carbs, which will
favor l-tryptophan production and help increase serotonin. Type 2A’s also
do well with longer periods of time in between meals.
NEUROTYPE OVERVIEW
TYPE 2B
NEUROLOGICAL OVERVIEW
The more emotional type, all their emotions (good or bad) are amplified,
they have a lower level of self-esteem and need others to like them to feel
good, they have the highest level of empathy, and are often prone to rapid
mood swings.
High glutamate - Good memory, but not necessarily good recall of
information, strong emotions, prone to frequent mood swings.
Serotonin higher than GABA - Fairly adaptable behavior, not as much as
2A’s but equal or superior to 1B’s. The 2B is often seen as “the good guy or
girl.”
Low inhibitors vs. activators - More prone to anxiety, tend to produce
more cortisol than all the types except type 3, prone to overthinking and
creating scenarios in their mind. Will prefer to stick to things they know than
taking risks.
Low to moderate acetylcholine - Memory will still be good because of
glutamate, but recall of information will be slower. Motor learning is not as
good.
NEUROTYPE OVERVIEW
TYPE 2B
Personality Characteristics Training Considerations
• Need to feel important • Need to FEEL their muscles working
• Higher anxiety (high glutamate)
• Introverted but can be extroverted when • Love a good pump
they feel good • Motivated by a positive reward
• Great listeners from their training (ie lots of sweat,
• Prefer one-on-one situations muscles burning, etc)
• Emotional • Mind-muscle connection
• Seek admiration and respect of others
• A bad workout can ruin their
• Fall in love easily
motivation
• People pleasers
• Cannot handle a lot of neurological
• Give all of themselves to others/
relationships work
• Have a hard time saying no • Can handle a lot of volume of
• Hate to disappoint others muscular work
• Stick with things they know and love
• Read people well
• Like to dress up and look good Sport Preference
• Very empathetic • Bodybuilding
• Most prone to choking under pressure
• Physique
• Hard on themselves
• Will sacrifice themselves for others
• Most prone to emotional eating and
binge episodes
NEUROTYPE OVERVIEW
TYPE 2B
NUTRITION OVERVIEW:
Adherence tool: Type 2B’s are all about FEEL so we want to support
a protocol that makes them feel their best, which will allow for better
adherence. They are typically great at following a plan. However, they can
be very hard on themselves, so one slip up or perceived failure can be
costly. It’s important to have that understanding as a coach, or as a 2B, to
work on the all or nothing mindset. They are the most prone to emotional
eating. It helps to develop other outlets and create awareness around their
habits when it comes to emotional eating. We’ll see in the food choices that
supporting GABA and reducing glutamate through nutrition will be important.
Fat loss structure: The interval or marathon approach. Type 2B’s tend
to be a little more anxious and produce higher cortisol, so an aggressive
deficit is not a great idea. They can take a slow and steady approach and
be just fine, or they can take more of an interval approach. Type 2B’s want
to pay more attention to any stress relieving activities like meditation, belly
breathing, stretching, walking, sleep routine, and any other mindfulness
practice. Some type 2B’s can feel great on a ketogenic (or modified keto)
diet to help increase GABA and decrease glutamate, before shifting into a
cyclical keto or carb cycling approach. They can also make progress on a
small deficit over a longer period of time and utilizing carbs, mostly around
the workout window and before bed.
Muscle building structure: Type 2B’s will build muscle well with a typical
bodybuilder or “bro” style of eating. Pack most carbs pre, intra, and post
workout, and then save a little for before bed and hit a small surplus on a
daily basis. It’s important to manage cortisol and insulin sensitivity through
nutrition, training, and lifestyle considerations.
Food considerations: As mentioned above, the main focus for a type 2B
is to support GABA production and reduce glutamate. To support GABA,
foods rich in taurine will help. To reduce glutamate, avoiding processed
foods, frozen meals, fast food, and refined sugars is important. A temporary
keto diet can help with that balance. Proceed with caution, however,
because a keto diet can also reduce serotonin, so some people will feel like
crap. Carb timing can be a useful tool for a type 2B to shut down cortisol
and increase serotonin when needed the most, like around training and
before bed.
NEUROTYPE OVERVIEW
TYPE 3
NEUROLOGICAL OVERVIEW
Generally introverted, patient, love structure, are very disciplined and make
decisions based on facts, not emotions, tend to be overly analytical, and
have a hard time adjusting to sudden changes.
Fairly high dopamine (but low sensitivity) - Very patient, easily accept
delayed gratification for later success
Low serotonin - Higher level of anxiety, chronic overthinkers/paralysis by
analysis, OCD-like behavior, super structured, love following a plan, bad at
adapting on the fly.
High activators (glutamate, dopamine, adrenaline) vs. inhibitors
(GABA, serotonin) - More prone to anxiety, tend to produce the most
cortisol, prone to overthinking and creating scenarios in their mind. Will
prefer to stick to things they know than taking risks.
Variable acetylcholine - Type 3 can have high acetylcholine and, along
with a fairly high glutamate level, it gives them a very good memory, which
is almost a requirement for their profile to be “happy” (they are information
accumulators). They can be pretty good technicians in sport or training
and, in fact, often put technical mastery above pure performance increases.
NEUROTYPE OVERVIEW
TYPE 3
Personality Characteristics Training Considerations
• Anxious • Need to feel in complete control of
• Perfectionist the movement, technique geeks,
• Introverted but can be more extroverted prefer structure (serotonin dominant)
when they are in more familiar situations • Don’t do well with heavy or explosive
• Pragmatic neurological work and need more
• Analytical rest days (low serotonin/GABA)
• Patient • Prefer repetition - variety can create
• Great at following a plan more stress/anxiety
• Motivation is to avoid injury or stress • Highest cortisol producers
• Don’t like to take risks
• Longer rest periods (high adrenaline)
• Observers
• Prefer repetition over novelty
• Make decisions based on information
Sport Preference
and data, not impulse
• Sudden changes in their plan can cause • Runners
a lot of stress • Cyclists
• Don’t like to talk about themselves
• Endurance sports
• Very focused
• Love structure and rules
• Detail oriented
NEUROTYPE OVERVIEW
TYPE 3
NUTRITION OVERVIEW:
Adherence tool: Type 3’s are typically the best at following a plan. The
most important thing for a type 3 is to give them as much information
as possible, as far in advance as possible. Of course, this isn’t always
possible, but type 3’s love to know why they are doing something and they
don’t want any surprises.
Fat loss structure: The marathon approach. Type 3’s are the highest
cortisol producers so they do very well on a high carb, low fat plan.
However, they can’t handle a very drastic deficit, so keeping a small deficit
over a long period of time is the best way to cater to their nature. Type 3’s
are great at playing the long game. They don’t need much variety at all, and
adherence is typically not an issue.
Muscle building structure: For type 3’s, we take the same approach as
we do with fat loss, but we utilize a small surplus instead of a deficit. High
carb and low fat is still the best approach for a type 3, even when it comes
to building muscle. Any strategies to help reduce cortisol and improve
insulin sensitivity will be useful.
Food considerations: The main consideration for type 3’s is supporting
their inhibitory neurotransmitters. Protein and carb meals will favor the
transport of l-tryptophan, which will support serotonin. When both serotonin
and GABA are low, we want to fix serotonin first. Foods rich in taurine will
support GABA production. Type 3’s will do well with mindfulness practices,
supplementation with adaptogens and 5-HTP, and a proper sleep schedule.
NEUROTYPE OVERVIEW
