November Newsletter pt. 2
For a long time it was thought that progress could only be created through physical work, however, as more research has come out, we have realized that the brain is a very powerful tool to not only support physical performance on a cognitive level, but it can also create growth similar traditional to physical training.
Research has found that imagery is an incredibly powerful tool to not only support athletes mentally (build confidence, work through problems, develop focus, etc.) but it can also significantly increase physical performance capabilities. A recent study showed that athletes who partook in regular imagery saw a statistically significant increase technical physical abilities compared to their counter parts who did not utilize imagery.
These findings are a really big deal! This shows that not only athletes who are training hard already can increase their rate of growth even further, but athletes dealing with an injury can experience significant physical growth without physically practicing.
So, what is imagery? It is essentially the cognitive rehearsal of a physical task that includes as many of the senses as possible (sight, touch, movement, sound, smell, and even taste). These elements help imagery feel as real as possible to the brain and support physical growth. We basically are trying to trick our brains into thinking were actually doing the thing we are imagining.
Attached is the research article that shows the findings described above: