D
Deleted member 106824
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What are everyone's thoughts on visualization / the power of the mind in terms of how it related to bodybuilding / lifting?
My thoughts on it are that the more inexperienced one is, and the more technical the skill, the more it will help. For example someone new to olympic weightlifting I would think would benefit from mental practice far more than an advanced bodybuilder (who's lifts require much less technical skill). Having said that, I have seen 2 studies showing advanced powerlifters being tricked into thinking they were taking steroids making tremendous gains in strength in the weeks they were "on" (placebo pills) and then when they were told they were just placebo pills they ended up losing most of that strength even though they knew the progress was made regardless of not being on steroids...so clearly even with these elite athletes the mind's influence can be very powerful.
I also think it would probably influence strength more than size unfortunately.
I have done visualization in the past, though the only time I have given it a truly dedicated effort was 2-3 summers ago where I spent a full month envisioning every single workout from start to finish going perfectly. However, I was dieting during this period so it is very hard to judge how well I worked. I certainly had bad workouts, but maybe I still held onto more than I would have otherwise. I would say it slightly improved motivation as well, though for most of us being consistent is not a problem.
Thoughts?
Here are studies indicating that mental practice, alone or in conjunction with training, lead to improvements (or more improvements than training alone) in strength, coordination, etc. Some of these studies are of course better than others. Unfortunately, none of the ones involving mental training are in well trained athletes.
**broken link removed**
Mental preparation, mental practice and strength tasks: a need for clarification. - PubMed - NCBI
Effects of mental practice on rate of skill acquisition. - PubMed - NCBI
Effects of mental practice on balance in elderly women. - PubMed - NCBI
Effect of mental practice on isometric muscular strength. - PubMed - NCBI
Can mental practice increase ankle dorsiflexor torque? - PubMed - NCBI
[Mental practice has influence on limitation of motion and muscle atrophy following immobilisation of the radiocarpal joint - a prospective randomi... - PubMed - NCBI
Strength gains by motor imagery with different ratios of physical to mental practice. - PubMed - NCBI
Anabolic steroids: the physiological effects of placebos - This study is one of three in an investigation of the short and long term effects of an anabolic steroid (Dianabol) upon human performance - Ariel Dynamics
My thoughts on it are that the more inexperienced one is, and the more technical the skill, the more it will help. For example someone new to olympic weightlifting I would think would benefit from mental practice far more than an advanced bodybuilder (who's lifts require much less technical skill). Having said that, I have seen 2 studies showing advanced powerlifters being tricked into thinking they were taking steroids making tremendous gains in strength in the weeks they were "on" (placebo pills) and then when they were told they were just placebo pills they ended up losing most of that strength even though they knew the progress was made regardless of not being on steroids...so clearly even with these elite athletes the mind's influence can be very powerful.
I also think it would probably influence strength more than size unfortunately.
I have done visualization in the past, though the only time I have given it a truly dedicated effort was 2-3 summers ago where I spent a full month envisioning every single workout from start to finish going perfectly. However, I was dieting during this period so it is very hard to judge how well I worked. I certainly had bad workouts, but maybe I still held onto more than I would have otherwise. I would say it slightly improved motivation as well, though for most of us being consistent is not a problem.
Thoughts?
Here are studies indicating that mental practice, alone or in conjunction with training, lead to improvements (or more improvements than training alone) in strength, coordination, etc. Some of these studies are of course better than others. Unfortunately, none of the ones involving mental training are in well trained athletes.
**broken link removed**
Mental preparation, mental practice and strength tasks: a need for clarification. - PubMed - NCBI
Effects of mental practice on rate of skill acquisition. - PubMed - NCBI
Effects of mental practice on balance in elderly women. - PubMed - NCBI
Effect of mental practice on isometric muscular strength. - PubMed - NCBI
Can mental practice increase ankle dorsiflexor torque? - PubMed - NCBI
[Mental practice has influence on limitation of motion and muscle atrophy following immobilisation of the radiocarpal joint - a prospective randomi... - PubMed - NCBI
Strength gains by motor imagery with different ratios of physical to mental practice. - PubMed - NCBI
Anabolic steroids: the physiological effects of placebos - This study is one of three in an investigation of the short and long term effects of an anabolic steroid (Dianabol) upon human performance - Ariel Dynamics