Mentality Moment

As athletes, we think the only way to improve our movements is to physically practice them by getting under a heavy barbell or getting our grips out to practice various gymnastic skills until we have perfected them. However, did you know you can practice those movements anywhere and any time of the day? We can achieve this practice through visualization. A study found that the primary motor cortex can also be involved through visualization, meaning the effects of visualizing specific movements can benefit actual movement patterns.

Take a moment and think about a lift that you want to work on, then visualize this: you’re taking a deep exhale as you get chalk onto your hands. You then see yourself stepping to the barbell and grasping the bar with a hook grip, dropping your hips down with a flat back, and keeping your shoulders over the bar. You inhale deeply, brace your core, and push through the ground. Feel your feet pressing down as you pull the slack from the bar and off the ground. The barbell passes your knees, and you keep it close to you as you accelerate and reach extension at the hip, pulling up while keeping the bar tight and catching it in the front rack position with your torso upright and elbows high. 

Visualization is just one tool that you can use to Raise the Standard in your own training.

See you in the gym!

-Coach Amanda