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It isn't just physical exercise that gets those brain cells jumping. Just like those head-pumped cabbies and piano jockeys, you can build up various areas of your brain by putting them to work.

Unfortunately, as soon as you get beyond that "moderate" amount, your memory, reaction time and ability to kick butt at PlayStation are all likely to decline

what are "head-pumped" and "kick butt"? thanx!

In his usage of "head-pumped", the writer is clearly making reference to the way that well-trained and exercised muscle groups grow and swell when used or flexed, becoming both larger in terms of tissue mass and also engorged with blood. "Pumped" is a well-known term in the world of keep-fit and body-building to describe such a state. Therefore, since the writer's claim is that, much like a muscle, the brain can also be made to perform better through mental exercise, he uses the term "head-pumped".

To "kick butt" (or kick ass) means to win with extreme ease, so much so that one's opponent is almost humiliated in the process.