Guess what folks, we can all give up training… this, from the morning daily. My guess, another example of where the lab and the real world don’t quite meet:
THINK YOUR WAY TO A BETTER BODY. The days of hard work-outs in the gym could soon be a thing of the past as scientist say just imagining yourself exercising can increase the strength of your muscles.
US scientists say they have conducted tests which prove that visualising physical exercise can stimulate muscle growth.
It is hoped that the research could one day help people too weak to exercise to start recuperating from strokes or other injury.
Volunteers aged 20-35 were put through strict “mental gymanstics” tests abd after afew weeks showed up toa 13.5% increase in strength which they maintained for three months after training stopped
Guang Yue, an exercise physiologist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in OHio told New Scientiat magazine that musc les moved in response to impulses from neaby motor neurons and that the firing of these neurons depended on the strength of electrical impulses sent by the brain
“That suggests that you can increase muscles strength soley by sending a larger signal to to motor neurons from the brain,” he said.
Mr Yue and his colleagues have found that visualising exercise increased strength in a muscle in the little finger. They have now turned their attention to the bicep.
They asked 10 volunteers [20-35], to imagine flexing one of their biceps as hard as possible in training 5 times a week.
The researchers rcorded the electrical brain activity during the sessions.
The volunteers who thought about exercise showed a 13.5% increase in stregth after a few weeks. Controls who missed out on the mental workout showed no improvement in stregth
Hmmmmm - OK, the subjects, were they stamp collectors? Previous training expereince etc etc. We are aware of the mind-muscle link but is this perhaps taking it a bit far? Would love to see this testing done on a serious hardcore lifter with 10years experience.