Cognitive Time Under Tension: What Weightlifting Can Teach Us About Learning in the Age of AI
- Brew Baritugo
- Aug 9
- 3 min read
In the gym, time under tension is how long a muscle stays under load before you rack the weight. In the office, there’s a similar concept that I’m calling cognitive time under tension, which is the amount of time your brain stays “under load” before you let a machine, an app, or ChatGPT take over. Just like in the gym, if you skip the hard work, you might get the end result, but you will not get any stronger. You will just get better at skipping the hard work.
Picture two junior developers. One stares at their screen, fights through error messages that feel personal, Googles, experiments, and finally solves the problem somewhere between their third cup of coffee and a small existential crisis. The other opens ChatGPT, types “Write me a login page,” copies, pastes, and calls it a win. Both ship the feature. Only one actually grew their mental muscles.
This matters for HR and L&D because when people avoid the mental grind, their skills quietly atrophy. It is sneaky. Outputs look fine for months. Then one day the Wi-Fi dies, the AI subscription lapses, or the tool’s syntax changes, and suddenly the “high performer” is stuck. They have been bench pressing with a spotter doing most of the lift, and nobody noticed. This is not about banning AI. You would lose that fight. It is about using it in a way that still forces people to engage their own brain before outsourcing the work.
For L&D leaders, this means designing learning experiences that build that cognitive muscle before AI steps in. Start by making struggle a feature, not a bug. Instruct employees to wrestle with a problem for a set period before they can tap AI for help. Think of it as a “no spotter” set in the gym. It hurts more, but it builds strength. After they use AI, have them explain in plain language what the solution is, how it works, and what they would do differently next time. If they cannot explain it without reading from the AI output, they have not actually learned it.
Match the “load” to the learner. New hires or people learning a brand new skill will need more time in the problem-solving phase to build foundations. Experienced employees can shorten that grind and lean on AI for efficiency without losing depth. It is the same as adjusting weight and tempo for different athletes. One size does not fit all. Every so often, take the AI crutch away entirely. Run simulations, projects, or drills that require employees to deliver without any AI assistance. It is uncomfortable, but it tells you exactly how strong they are without their digital spotter.
The action item for HR and L&D is to bake cognitive time under tension into training and development. Make it a measurable design element, just like time spent in role-play or number of applied practice hours. Track not only output, but skill retention in no-AI scenarios. Train managers to reinforce this in day-to-day coaching so it becomes cultural, not just something that happens in a workshop. Most importantly, communicate to employees why you are doing this. Tell them it is not about making life harder. It is about future-proofing their skills so they do not get replaced by the very tools they rely on.
Because here is the thing. No one builds strength by having someone else do the reps. You would not pay a personal trainer to do your push-ups for you. Do not let AI do all the heavy lifting for your people. Let them feel the burn. That is how you build a workforce that can use AI as a tool, not a crutch.
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