Fitness

Exercise Boosts Brain ‘Ripples’ Tied to Learning and Memory

Published

2 months ago

March 10, 2026

Exercise Boosts Brain ‘Ripples’ Tied to Learning and Memory

Each time you go for a jog, ride your bike, or get active in other ways, you’re giving your brain a boost. A small new study has for the first time directly documented this phenomenon, which the researchers call “ripples” — brief bursts of electrical activity in a part of the brain called the hippocampus.

While exercise is known to improve memory, scientists have mostly studied this effect by using behavioral tests or brain imaging methods like MRIs, says Michelle Voss, PhD, one of the study’s authors, a professor, and the director of the Health, Brain, and Cognitive Lab at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

But she says these approaches can’t precisely identify where “ripples” originate, particularly in the deep brain structures like the hippocampus, a part of the brain strongly connected to memory and learning, she says.

The current study, published in Brain Communications, recorded electrical activity directly, using surgically implanted (intracranial) electrodes. “This allowed us to observe how exercise changes the brain’s memory circuits in real time,” Dr. Voss says.

20-Minute Bursts of Exercise Increase Brain Ripples

To conduct the study, the researchers recruited 14 participants between ages 17 and 50 with drug-resistant epilepsy. The subjects had already been fitted with intracranial electrodes as part of their preparation for surgical epilepsy treatment.

The participants performed a 5-minute warm-up and then rode a stationary bike for 20 minutes at a pace they could maintain. Researchers recorded their brain activity before and after the biking session.

The electrodes showed an increased rate of so-called sharp-wave ripples from the hippocampus and connections with cortical regions of the brain, which are involved in learning and memory.

“Sharp-wave ripples have long been known from animal studies to play a central role in memory,” Voss says, adding that recent studies using intracranial recordings in humans also support the importance of ripples for human memory.

“Our findings are the first to show that exercise can modulate these ripple signals in the human brain,” she says.

Researchers also observed that larger increases in heart rate during exercise were associated with larger changes in ripple activity in cortical networks, Voss adds.

What’s Already Known About Exercise, Memory, and Learning

“We know that exercise is the number-one thing we can do to enhance our memory and learning,” says Catherine Franssen, PhD, an assistant professor in the School of Life Sciences and Sustainability at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. “Exercise will enhance both our ability to learn new things and our ability to remember previously learned things.”

Movement helps pump oxygenated, nutrient-rich blood to the brain, says Dr. Franssen, who was not involved with the new study: “We’re able to activate those brain cells more effectively and energize them.”

The increased blood flow stimulates the growth of new neurons and enhances the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a molecule that strengthens connections between brain cells and supports learning, says the neurologist David Perlmutter, MD, who was not involved with the latest study.

Exercise helps build connections between neurons, which deepens and strengthens brain networks, Franssen says.

Physical activity also improves metabolism, which improves insulin sensitivity, helping blood sugar regulation and giving the brain a “more stable and reliable supply of fuel,” Dr. Perlmutter says.

“This is critically important because the brain is an energy-intensive organ, consuming roughly 20 percent of the body’s energy despite representing only a small fraction of body weight,” he adds.

The Research Has Limitations

Voss says researchers were careful to “exclude signals that contained epileptic activity. However, of course, we can’t statistically control for the accumulated effects of having epilepsy on the brain.”

The exercise-brain ripple patterns observed in the current study also closely match those observed in healthy adults using noninvasive brain imaging, such as MRI, she added.

“That convergence across very different methods is one of the strongest indicators that the effects are not specific to epilepsy, but reflect a more general human brain response to exercise,” Voss said.

Researchers also didn’t directly test memory performance, Voss notes. “While hippocampal ripples are strongly linked to memory processing in decades of neuroscience research, the next step will be to measure how exercise-related changes in ripples relate to memory performance in the same individuals.”

Future studies should also compare exercise with other everyday activities, such as sitting quietly or light movement, to determine how specific these effects are to aerobic exercise at the intensity that was studied, she says.

Satisfy Your Brain’s Exercise Craving

It’s never too early or too late to start exercising for brain health, Franssen says.

People of any age, from grade-school children to people in their nineties, can benefit from increased physical activity, Perlmutter says. “My recommendation is to consider taking advantage of the connection between physical activity and brain health across the entire range of human aging.”

Any type of exercise is great, Franssen says, but especially “repetitive behaviors,” like swimming, jogging, and walking.

“Sometimes we let the hugeness of putting in a huge fitness routine get in our way,” she says. “Having a little exercise snack every so often is also very important to improving cognition.”

Fitness

Did you know you can start building strong glutes without any equipment? An expert trainer explains how

Published

6 hours ago

May 4, 2026

Press Room

Did you know you can start building strong glutes without any equipment? An expert trainer explains how

No offense to all the hearts out there, but the glutes are the body’s engine.

They propel you forward when you walk or run, and come into play during the majority of your daily movements.

Since these butt muscles are so active, it is important to keep them strong and functional to age well.

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You may not be worried about glute strength in your 30s or 40s, but it may be a contributing factor to whether you can maintain your independence in your 70s and 80s.

So, how do you start to build a stronger butt?

William Dotson, a NASM-certified personal trainer at The Edge Fitness Clubs, says you can do it from the comfort of your home and without picking up a single weight—at least to start with.

He shared the following three glute-strengthening exercises.

If you perform each movement slowly and with control, you’re likely to feel the burn by the final set.

Once you have perfected your form, or if you find the exercises too easy, you can try adding more reps, sets or some weight to level up.

1. Bodyweight squat

Sets: 4 Reps: 10-20 Rest: 60sec

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes angled out slightly.
Bend your knees and push your hips back to lower. Keep your center of gravity over your heels and your knees in line with your toes.
Lower until your hips are at the same height as your knees, or as close as your mobility allows.
Press your feet into the floor to stand upright.

Form tips:

As you stand back up, do not let your knees collapse in.
Focus on squeezing your glutes as you stand up.

“Squats are a foundational movement pattern and should be part of most people’s workout routines in some form,” says Dotson.

“They are one of the most functional movements in day-to-day life. Whether you’re picking something up off the floor or standing up off the toilet, you’re essentially doing a squat. Squats work the quadriceps as well as the gluteus maximus.

“There are numerous variations and ways to add weight and difficulty to squats, but bodyweight squats are a simple, equipment-free version.”

2. Single-leg glute bridge

Single-Leg Glute Bridge – YouTube

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Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each side Rest: 60sec

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Make sure that your lower back is flat against the floor and your tailbone is tucked.
Lift one leg so your knee is over your hip.
Press into the floor with your other foot, squeezing your glutes to raise your hips until your knee, hips and shoulders are in a straight line.
Pause, then lower your hips back to the floor with control.
Complete all reps on one side, then swap.

Form tip:

Focus on keeping your core engaged and your back straight.
Your torso should move in a solid unit, rather than rolling off the floor one vertebrae at a time.

“These exercises allow you to really target the glute muscles,” says Dotson, who adds that this exercise is particularly helpful for people who have trouble feeling gluteal engagement when squatting.

“These single-leg bridges allow you to really focus on the muscle and build your mind-muscle connection,” he says. “They also help with daily activities like walking and climbing stairs.

“This exercise primarily works the gluteus maximus, as well as the hamstrings. It also engages the core and can help with stabilization.”

3. Leg arc

Sets: 3 Reps: 7-10 each side Rest: 60sec

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
Keeping your weight on your right foot, move your left foot forward as far as you can while keeping your toes on the floor.
Sweep your left foot in a wide arc around and behind you, keeping your toe lightly on the floor throughout.
Reverse the movement.
Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides.

Form tips:

Keep your hips facing forward and your weight in the heel of your standing foot.
Keep your back flat, avoiding arching it as you bring your foot around and back.
If balance is an issue, place one hand on a wall or chair.

“This exercise is great for building both stability and mobility,” says Dotson. “It helps with balance and also builds core stability. It primarily works the gluteus medius, which runs along the outside of the pelvis.”

About our expert

William Dotson

William Dotson is a NASM-certified personal trainer (CPT) working at The Edge Fitness Clubs, where he helps clients build strength, confidence, and lasting lifestyle habits through personalized fitness programming. He has a background in philosophy and theology, and brings a thoughtful, holistic approach to training, emphasizing both physical transformation and overall wellbeing.

Fitness

MASTER CLASS: Family-friendly exercise fosters laughs, well-being | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Published

18 hours ago

May 3, 2026

Press Room

MASTER CLASS: Family-friendly exercise fosters laughs, well-being | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Recently, my 13-year-old daughter introduced me to a new term that her friend group uses to refer to a diet soda. “Dad, that’s a fridge cigarette,” she flatly stated. After laughing for a good 60 seconds, I started to wonder where and how the term came about. General wellness advice has apparently entered junior high school, and I was curious. This week, I’ll share some learnings from my “research” and introduce a cool exercise to help reduce the pain of another “6-7” reference.

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Fitness

I’m a Pilates instructor – planks are great, but this roll-up exercise improves core strength and control more efficiently

Published

2 days ago

May 2, 2026

Press Room

I’m a Pilates instructor – planks are great, but this roll-up exercise improves core strength and control more efficiently

Pilates can be a game-changer for core strength, and the plank exercise is a popular exercise that many instructors include in their training. It has all the benefits for strength and stability, but if you’re anything like me, you’ll have a love/hate relationship with the move. So, imagine my delight when an instructor told me about how effective roll-ups can be in a bodyweight Pilates workout.

Pilates roll-ups involve lying on your back, slowly raising your back off the ground, and coming up to a seated position, explains Helen O’Leary, a certified Pilates instructor at Complete Pilates. She’s a big fan of the exercise as it stretches the intercostal muscles in your back while engaging your upper and lower abdominal muscles and your obliques.

As well as improving core strength, it helps improve spine flexibility and stretches your hamstrings. Even after a 10-minute Pilates workout, when I do roll-ups, I often feel like I sit and stand taller afterwards, so I know it’s also helping with my posture and back mobility.

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How to do Pilates roll-ups

Physio led Pilates Roll up with Complete Pilates – YouTube

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Lie on your back with your legs straight and reach your arms over your head. Lay on a thick yoga mat if you feel pressure on your lower back or hip joints.
Take a deep breath through your nose and as you exhale, start to lift your arms off the floor.
As your arms pass your ears, start to curl your head forward and look towards your thighs as your upper back peels off the mat.
Keep your legs heavy as you continue to roll forward and reach your arms forward to pull the rest of your back off the floor.
As you come up into sitting, roll your pelvis right up on top of your sitting bones, and sit up tall, with your head floating over the ribcage and your ribcage over the hips.
If you struggle to sit up tall in this position, you may need to bend your knees to get there. If you experience neck pain during this exercise, you may need to have your hands behind your head to support the weight of your head.
Roll back down again, slowly, to start the move all over again.

Are Pilates roll ups difficult?

Like the plank, this exercise can take some practice and is not something everyone can do straight away, says the instructor. “People struggle with Pilates roll-ups, partly because it is a novel movement that we don’t perform every day, and partly because it is quite technical,” says Helen.

“You need to understand the movement to be able to do it. The roll-up is a combination of abdominals and hip flexors working, the abdominals more through the early part of the roll-up, and the hip flexors during the latter part of the roll-up.”

Tips for doing the Pilates roll up

Stay in control: Helen says the biggest mistake people make is “trying to use momentum to do this movement, similar to the way that most people do sit-ups” and other core exercises. The movement is all about control and going slow because this makes your stomach and hip flexor muscles work harder.
Focus on your breath: Helen says, “If you hold your breath whilst you’re rolling up or down, you will create rigidity through your torso, and this interferes with the controlled spinal mobility that you need for the movement, and even prevents you from even getting up off the floor.” Breath control is key in all Pilates exercises, so the more you practice, the easier you will find it to.
Watch out for your neck: It’s important not to crane your neck or overuse your neck muscles, says Helen. “During a roll up or curl up, you want to have a sense of lengthening through the back of the neck. To help with this, think of slightly nodding the head on top of the neck, as if to give yourself a slight double chin. As you start to curl up, direct your gaze towards the mid thigh, rather than up towards the ceiling. The rest of your body travels where your gaze goes, so this will make it easier,” she explains.