Hybrid Fitness Training Where Neuroscience Meets Fitness – An Interview with Aaron Delgrolice
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
Aaron Delgrolice and Hybrid Fitness Training stand apart by combining neuroscience and fitness. Aaron, a 20-year fitness professional whose work blends strength training, pain management, injury recovery, nervous system education, brain-based movement drills, and individualized coaching. His core philosophy is “stimulate, not annihilate,” meaning clients should be challenged in a controlled way that builds capacity rather than overwhelms the body.
In this interview, Aaron breaks down how his journey started with neuroscience and fitness as well as what brain-based training and movement neurology really is. He discusses some of the misconceptions surrounding strength training, rehabilitation, and injury recovery and why training and strengthening the nervous system is so important.
Aaron Delgrolice, Neuro Performance and Fitness Coach
What first led you to explore the connection between movement, the brain, and nervous system regulation?
My passion and exploration around combining neuroscience and movement started around 12 years ago from my own trauma and injuries. I’ve been a fitness coach for 20 years and I’ve been active my whole life. I’ve broken bones, torn tissues, suffered pinched nerves and concussions. I was also dealing with some emotional trauma in my life and I was trying to find ways to heal myself. That’s when I stumbled onto movement neurology and brain-based training through companies like Applied Movement Neurology and Z-Health Performance. So, I started learning as much as I could about neurology, mindset, meditation, breath work, posture, nervous system regulation and more. Once I started studying these subjects, a proverbial light bulb went on and I realized how powerful and important this knowledge is and that I want to share it with as many people as possible.
What does a neuro-based assessment reveal that traditional fitness evaluations usually miss?
The neurological systems will fire before the muscles and tissues will, so it’s imperative to assess those systems. The nervous system and brain govern the body, so I assess those first by taking everyone through visual, vestibular, proprioceptive, and cerebellum drills, as well as movement and pain assessments. By doing these neuro-based assessments, I’m able to get a better understanding of a person’s unique nervous system and movement issues like balance, posture, mobility, pain, and more. Neuro assessments help me understand my client’s needs quicker and allow me to come up with a more complete game plan. Neuro assessments are also repeatable and a great way to track progress when it comes to the nervous system, movement and pain.
You often say “movement is brain development”, how does that idea change the way you approach training?
More of the brain is dedicated to movement than it is to language. Many areas of the brain are involved in movement and when you stimulate these areas, they grow and get stronger. There are so many positive things that happen when you train your brain and nervous system through movement. You release endorphins, stimulate hormones, and boost neurotransmitters. Exercise has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression. Strength training your lower body and leg muscles stimulates BDNF, Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, which promotes the survival, growth, and maintenance of neurons and is heavily responsible for neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to learn, adapt, and form new memories.
By doing complex and unilateral movements, you strengthen the cerebellum, which is only 10% of the brain’s mass but holds 50% of its neurons. The cerebellum regulates many things, such as coordination, balance, rhythm, motor learning, and emotions. Also, by stacking neuro drills with movement drills, you get more neurons in the brain to fire, establish a much stronger brain-body connection, and build a more robust nervous system.
Why do you think the fitness industry still separates rehabilitation from performance training?
I am sort of anti-fitness, fitness. I think the fitness industry is still in the idea that hard workouts are the best or only way to get progress and I think it’s generally too much for most people. That’s often why people don’t stick with a new program or get injured at some point. Working out should be challenging but safe. We need to build the nervous system and the body slowly and properly in order to create sustainability and longevity. Stimulate, not annihilate. Rehabilitation and performance should be blended together and I think many coaches either don’t know how or don’t want to. The goal should be teaching people how to strengthen their bodies and nervous systems so they can better handle the unpredictable environment of life.
What are people misunderstanding most about chronic pain and nervous system health right now?
I think people are misunderstanding that chronic pain and nervous system health are intrinsically linked. The stronger the nervous system the less pain and vice versa. I think people often feel stuck and they don’t believe that chronic pain can be helped or will go away. However, I believe the brain and body are miraculous at healing when given the right stimulus. Pain lives in the brain and when you're able to tap into the brain and nervous system, you can get out of pain, get stronger, improve posture and regulate your nervous system. When the nervous system feels safe, it shuts down pain receptors, regulates pain, hormones, movement, and more. There are three components to pain: physical, psychological, and emotional.
The nervous system doesn’t differentiate between the three and all three can manifest into the other. Physical pain can turn into psychological/emotional pain because of the ability to live life normally, it can also affect mood, energy, sleep and more. We also know that psychological/emotional pain can result in physical pain. Our tissues hold our issues. Or you may have heard of “the body keeps the score.” Unresolved psychological/emotional trauma can lead to all kinds of physical issues, from chronic pain, inflammation, gut problems, sleep issues, hormonal imbalances, and more. All of these can be helped with proper nervous system training, movement training, and holistic therapies like meditation, infrared light, massage, breathwork, acupuncture, physical therapy, and nutrition therapy.
What are some simple ways people can improve nervous system regulation through movement during a normal workday?
There are many simple ways people can improve nervous system regulation through movement during their day. They can do breathwork or vision and vestibular drills sitting at their desks. Doing some box breathing or hypoxia breath holds can help regulate the nervous system and improve focus. I'd have my clients do eye drills like saccades, VOR, or smooth pursuits. These can help with screen fatigue and improve concentration. People can also do what I call movement snacks throughout the day.
Set a timer for every 90 minutes or so and then do basic stretches in your chair, stretches standing next to your desks, do a few squats or pushups, or go for a walk around the office or the block. It’s always good to walk after eating, so parking farther away if going to a restaurant can help or making sure to walk after lunch can help energy, digestion, and avoid the afternoon crash. People should also be scheduling workout sessions for themselves or with a trainer, either before, during or after work. I always tell people if you want to get good at something or make progress, you need to hire a coach. You need to hire someone who has the knowledge and expertise that you're seeking and have them teach you how to create new habits and how to sustain a better lifestyle.
How do visual and vestibular drills influence strength, balance, and confidence in everyday life?
Visual and vestibular drills influence strength, balance and confidence in everyday life in many different ways. Our eyes and vision process 80% of the information we receive from our environment. The eyes feed input to the brain, allowing for interaction with our environment, recognizing danger, as well as coordinating movement and tasks. We have muscles in and around the eyes, intra and extra-ocular, that need to be mobilized and strengthened just like muscles and joints. Vision drills and training activate three different cranial nerves, a vast, interconnected network extending far beyond the eyes, engaging areas responsible for spatial awareness, eye movement, and focus. This widespread stimulation illustrates why vision acts as a powerful organizer of experience, linking sight with memory and cognitive processing. Different visual skills require activity in many different areas of the brain, such as the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes, as well as the prefrontal and visual cortexes.
The visual system and vestibular system are intrinsically linked and have a big impact on mobility. The vestibular system is one of the most influential neurological systems, it lies within the inner ear and its primary function is to transduce head movement into a signal that the brain can interpret. The vestibular system communicates with the cerebellum 1,000,000 times per second at rest.
Without a properly functioning vestibular system, visual images would swerve wildly whenever you moved your head, and you would have no sense of balance or where your body was in space.
Another very important function of this system is reflexively influencing the extensor muscles, including the postural muscles that keep you upright. Vestibular information is processed near areas that deal with regulating your autonomic nervous system, sympathetic/parasympathetic balance, the intensity and chronicity of pain, emotional responses, immune system regulation, balance and posture. Other reasons to train your vestibular system: your vestibular system function is shown to be strongly correlated to your gut and hormone levels.
If this is something you're struggling with, you need to train your vestibular system. Your vestibular system helps stabilize your spine and activate your posterior muscles, especially with abrupt impact. It does this without you thinking about it, so it's important that it's functioning well. Your vestibular system directly impacts your emotions. If you struggle with inappropriate emotional responses, behavioral disorders, or anything related, you need to train your vestibular system.
What has working with clients recovering from concussions, strokes, or neurological conditions taught you about human resilience?
Working with clients recovering from concussions, strokes, neurological conditions and injuries has taught me so much about human resilience and recovery. The brain and body are miraculous at healing when given the right stimulus. I’ve had many clients recover completely from major injuries and trauma and take their lives back. Often, when people suffer any type of trauma, their lives are greatly affected, and many of the basic things that are taken for granted can be taken away or compromised.
Trauma and pain can be a great catalyst for change, healing and recovery. When people decide they want to heal, get stronger, and recover from pain and injury, nothing can stop them. We are very strong and capable of taking our lives and health back with proper training, education, implementing new habits, and lifestyle changes. I’ve trained clients from all walks of life that have had strokes, concussions, Parkinson’s, vestibular issues, and many other injuries. With proper training and lifestyle changes, they have been able to recover, get out of pain, drive again, go back to work, go back to school, and compete in sports at the highest levels. I’ve witnessed firsthand how the human spirit is strong and resilient and capable of recovering from just about anything.
If someone feels disconnected from their body, energy, or focus, where should they start rebuilding that connection?
If someone feels disconnected from their body, energy or focus, they should start by learning how to regulate and strengthen their nervous system. Often, people’s nervous systems can be dysregulated because of stress, pain, injury, neurological issues, hormonal dysfunction, gut imbalances, and more. The autonomic nervous system is comprised of the sympathetic, fight or flight, parasympathetic, rest and digest, and the enteric nervous system, gut/brain connection. The brain’s number one job is survival and the nervous system can only take so much stress and threat. Many times, people’s nervous systems are stuck in sympathetic overdrive or fight-or-flight and need to be regulated and trained in order to help strengthen their parasympathetic response and enteric nervous system function. There are various ways to do this, and some of the easiest, most accessible ways are through movement programs, strength training, yoga, walking, and other ways of being physically active. Utilizing visual and vestibular drills can help regulate the nervous system, help the brain process information better, and reduce pain.
Breath work can slow the heart rate, reduce stress, and inflammation. Mindset training, reading books about recovery, affirmations, growth mindset, positive thinking, and more. Lifestyle changes like nutrition programs and supplements, focusing on better sleep, taking up meditation, getting out in nature and grounding or earthing, all of which have been proven to have many benefits for strengthening and regulating the nervous system. Training the brain and nervous system has been my passion for many years and I enjoy helping people and educating them on the various and often simple ways to help strengthen and heal their brain and body. If people want more personalized help, they can book a consultation with me or download my app for all of my neuro and movement programs on my website.
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