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How to Use Visualization to Crush Weights and Life

How to Use Visualization to Crush Weights and Life

 

I know what you may be thinking. “Visualization? Does Anthony really expect me to believe this hippie bullshit?” Yeah, I do. I expect you to believe it because visualization is used by some of the most powerful and successful people on the planet. It is not just a bunch of spiritual yogi eyewash. Visualization and manifestation are some of the most powerful mental tools we can use to help us reach the next level of success in our lives. By creating vivid “movies” in our mind, we can prime our bodies to dominate the task at hand.

 

What is Visualization? 

 

Visualization, or mental imagery, is the practice of creating mental scenarios in preparation for future endeavors. By imagining a scenario in its most vivid form, specific areas of the brain are stimulated which allows for increased motor output. Mental imagery has been studied in psychology and philosophy for centuries, with philosophers as early as Aristotle and Plato making references to the practice. However, the effectiveness of the practice was debated upon for years with many believing that there was no correlation between subconscious thought and conscious performance. Then came the 1960s and 70s. Soviet Olympic coaches were able to use visualization in great effect with their athletes. Of course, the USSRs athletic history is tainted with illegal performance enhancing drug use. But there is no doubt that the communist party was years ahead of the West in both athletic and mental preparation. In fact, the Soviets were so effective in using visualization that their methods were kept secret for years. Now their methods are used worldwide (as are their sports performance methods). Charles Garfield speaks about the effectiveness of soviet “mental training” in his book Peak Performance: Mental Training Techniques of the World’s Greatest Athletes. Garfield details:

“One study evaluating these intensive programs suggests their potential. Four matched groups of world-class Soviet athletes diligently trained for many hours each week. The training regimens were as follows:

Group I – 100% physical training

Group II – 75% physical training, 25% mental training

Group III – 50% physical training, 50% mental training

Group IV – 25% physical training, 75% mental training

When the four groups were compared shortly before the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, Group IV had shown significantly greater improvement than Group III, with Groups II and I following, in that order.”

How to Use Visualization

 

You have most likely found yourself using visualization unintentionally before a big event. These thoughts and scenarios may have inadvertently been negative if you were filled with feelings of anxiety in expectation for the event. However, if we practice visualization just as we use repetition to build muscle and strength, we can train our mind to work for us rather than against us.

 

Step 1: Clear your mind of distractions.

In order to set the stage for visualization, we must first clear our mind of any lingering thoughts. This is a state that many would consider to be meditative. Close your eyes and focus on taking deep, consistent breaths. I enjoy using box breathing. This is a four second inhale, 4 second hold, 4 second exhale, and a 4 second hold. If thoughts pass into your head, allow them to pass through. Focus on your breathing and stay in the present. Do this for roughly 10 deep breaths. If you are in the gym, you may use music to assist in this meditative state. In fact, music can be extremely conducive to helping us enter this state.

 

Step 2: Create your image.

Now we may begin creating our “movie”. Begin to insert yourself into the scenario you are preparing for. See yourself from an external point of view. Be extremely specific. Make sure to include every bodily sense within the visualization. If you are preparing for a big PR squat, picture the plates stacked on each side of the bar. What color are they? What clothes are you wearing? How many people are in the gym? What music is playing? How hot or cold is the gym? Can you taste the leftover residue of pre-workout on your tongue? Be as specific as possible. See every detail, as small and insignificant as it may be.

 

Step 3: See yourself destroying the task at hand.

Let’s continue using the squat imagery. Imagine yourself going through your pre-lift routine. Include everything down to the most minute detail. Picture yourself wedging under the bar, feeling the knurling dig into your traps. Imagine unracking the weight and it feeling like 70%. Picture yourself screwing your feet into the ground and creating your brace. Then, imagine the descent, hitting ass-to-grass, with an exploding speed out of the bottom. Imagine this weight feeling like the lightest PR you have ever hit. In order for this to be effective, we must picture ourselves conquering this moment. In turn, this will prime our mind and nervous system for the task, allowing a higher output when we execute it in real life.

 

This technique can be used for quite literally any facet of life. There is a reason why the Soviets kept it a secret for so long. Using this technique, their athletes were able to dominate the West in competition for decades. It may seem like mambo-jumbo. However, there is no downside to trying this technique. If you seek to explore this practice at a deeper level, I encourage you to read Peak Performance by Garfield. Let me know how it goes.

 

Stay Tough.

 

Sources:

1. Garfield, Charles A., Peak Performance: Mental Training Techniques of the World’s Greatest Athletes (California: Warner Books, 1984), 16