Visualization and Exercise

Blog Entry #2

When you take a couple extra seconds to get "comfortable", get in the zone, or imagining yourself doing something before executing a task, do you notice how much of a preformance booster this is?

Public speaking? A job interview? Picking up a heavy object?

Visualizing a task immediately before execution is a cognitive strategy known in psychology as motor imagery or mental rehearsal. As humans, we rely on this naturally whenever the stakes are high, the movement is highly technical, or we need to prime our nervous system for maximum effort.

When we do this, our brains activate the exact same neural pathways (the motor cortex) that fire when we actually perform the physical movement. It's essentially a dry run for the brain.

Internally visualizing yourself preforming (just moments before execution) is a cornerstone of highly successful peoples characteristics and the world needs to know how impactful and helpful this almost no-effort task can be!

To be specific: before or after getting into position on bench press, close your eyes and create an image in your head of: your hands gripping the bar, you breathing steadily, and preforming rep after rep with high intensity, and finally re racking the weight.

This moment (or up to 1 minute or more) is the key to success if you want to get better at a specific task or behavior. An increase of practice, confidence, and self motivation are the primary psychological pillars that pre task visualization strengthens. Even though you aren't physically moving, your brain treats intense mental imagery as actual physical practice.

Dill's Takeaway:

By manufacturing "tunnel vision" you turn off the brain noise, get quickly familiarized with your previous technique or form, and primes you to bring the best version of yourself!