You might be tired of going to the gym to do the same old routine, without getting the required results. Sometimes you might be that individual who reached the next plateau and is now frustrated in not being able to take your training up to the next level. Here you need to realize that you are or must be overlooking the major component of your training regime which is as important as dieting and exercising.
Here we are going to discuss about mental effort which can make you get the desired physique and help you to work harder, dream big and get to the level where your mind can do possibly anything. For a lot of years, athletes and some of most of the successful individuals from various walks of life are utilizing a mental technique which is nothing but visualization that brings superior results.
Visualization
The primary aim of visualization is focused on the brain-body connection, and this can easily be utilized without working out. The method is simple and easy. You need to target a muscle group or muscle. The most important thing is to envision the muscles getting trained. Get all kinds of distraction blocked out of your brain.
Whenever you are doing the rep, the targeted muscles must be kept under continuous tension, so that it is made the primary mover all through the movement. Each contraction must be felt, and you need to make sure that you are maintaining perfect form. Always pay a great amount of attention to the stretches you do. Get your body and mind to repeat the process after each of the repetition, especially after doing each set of exercises.
Visualization of The Workout
It is important that you have a visualization of the workout you do. For example, you can visualize that you are trying to improve your flat-bench barbell press while doing chest workouts. Following are the steps you need to do –
- Pre-Workout: Try to get a picture or photos of the kind of physique you want or the body part that you want to develop. Make sure that you have an array of pictures and photos of it posted on your phone, bathroom mirror or fridge to make you remind of the kind of physique you want. Now when you are going to the gym, keep in mind of what you want to achieve.For example, just think that you are going to have a great chest workout session while exercising. And then while you are warming up, try to end all kinds of distractions like annoying chatter, work fatigue, household stress, etc.
- Workout: Now since you are doing chest workout, you must start doing three to four major exercises. Now you just need to simply concentrate on the first rep of the first set of flat-bench barbell press. Once you have loaded the required weight on the bar, you need to recline on the flat bench, keep the feet flat right on the floor and make sure that your view is intently on the barbell above you.Continue with breathing deeply in and out. Side-by-side you need to grasp the bar and get your weight pressed into the position right above your chest. You need to then breathe slowly, by lowering your bar (here it is eccentric, negative, phase) and make sure you don’t drop it down, especially your elbows which mustn’t be low.Once that is done, you must contract your triceps and the pectorals in a powerful manner, getting the weight to push up. Now as you are doing each rep, make sure that you are visualizing the pecs that are currently working out. Get to your mind the photo or the picture of the ideal chest you want and concentrate on that picture.
- Post-Workout: It can be tiring to master the visualization skill, but you mustn’t be discouraged. Most of the time, the body-brain link can be easily achieved by the usage of the muscle groups that you like working with. Of course, the photo that you see in the magazines or on the internet are the ideal ones, but you need to achieve something which is personal as well as real. So, over time, you can develop these mental processes, by doing some amount of hard work and this will give the required results that you wanted.
Why You Need A Desired Physique?
Do you know that legendary bodybuilders like Frank Zane and Arnold Schwarzenegger used the concept of visualization to become the best and achieve greatness? It is easy and not that much difficult and your daydream method of getting amazing physique is simply the best way to become fit.
Arnold and Frank are aware of the significance positive and strong mind has or even plays in the quest to be fit and achieve their goals of making their body strong. As per them, it is all about mental health and fitness, where one needs to gain a mental edge for satisfying the goals. And this is easily achievable through the weapon of visualization.
These elite bodybuilders define visualization or imagery as the ability for one to create vivid images on the mind for getting the required outcome. Through visualization, one can reprogram the subconscious mind and even the basic part of the mind that processes the thoughts, triggers decisions, emotions and the major responses or actions of the body. Through visualization, you can get positive outcome, especially in your quest to create and have the best physique, thereby embracing the journey which can make your daydreams into hardcore reality.
What Are the Steps to Follow Or Get Your Mind To Visualize Exercising?
Step – 1: Have A Script
It isn’t necessary that you need to be like James Cameron for creating clear-cut and vivid image of the motion picture that you want to create. Here it is all about doing things mentally, however, you must make sure that the image is well defined just like how hard your body is.
Step – 2: Go for Or Look for Role Models
No doubt, some of the greatest bodybuilders learn from other experienced bodybuilders. In his book, Arnold say that he got interested and decided to be a body builder after seeing the photo of Reg Park. He feels that Reg was just like an animal. Arnold wanted to be like him big-everywhere, rustic and rough.
He feels Reg Park was the epitome of his dream in being the best man having good built and physique. You can have the same kind of dream or role model like Arnold. Try to check out what exercises Jay Cutler does or even worship the kind of physique David Beckham has. If you are a woman, then you can easily admire and worship the figure of Sonia Gonzales or Monica Brant.
Here you need to check out the photos of the girl or guy posing in the magazine cover. It is all about seeing whether that person is appealing to you. Simply to put in simple words, you need to have a doubt or a kind of anxiety to know what this person has which you aren’t having. Sometimes, it might be striated shoulders, great calves, mass or even if it is a woman, her midsection or tight glutes. These visuals must encourage you to have the required mental image.
Once you have the role model carved in your mind, next thing you need to do is check out yourself in the mirror. Try to look at your reflection and analyze it. Then you must envision the body that you want by checking if there are any striated legs, ripped abs, and even muscles which might start to pop out from your back. Here it is all about being realistic about your vision. Keep in mind that it takes a lot of hard work and perseverance to have and develop a good physique. However, there is a huge part played by genetics too.
Step -3: Meditation
One of the best ways to enhance your visualization is meditation. To utilize the visualization’s feature, one needs concentration, focus, and mindfulness. Frankly, these are the skills you must have in your arsenal. Famous bodybuilders like Frank Zane is the huge advocate of the power of mental practice and who used and even follows the technique of mind training for exercising.
He has stated in various interview that his technique is quite simple. He would sit in a quiet area, most probably in a dark room, then close his eyes and try to focus all his attention in his head. He would imagine a huge movie or somewhat a TV screen and the image that is present would be of what he looked like. Gradually, the image will get transformed to the way he wanted after exercising.
In addition, Zane even advocates the necessity of deep prolonged concentration referred to as meditation. Here the foundation of meditation is being mindfulness. Doctors and physicians say that mindfulness is all about paying attention in a certain way, and that too on purpose, in the current moment and even non-judgmental.
As per Zane, mindfulness is nothing but trying to slow down and going inwards to assess what feelings or thoughts you are having. The meditation exercise can encourage individuals who are engaging to be non-judgmental and being aware of the internal experiences that they are having each moment like cognition, bodily sensations, environmental stimuli and emotions including physical ones like sounds, and sights.
Keep in mind that it is all about making your mind quiet and allowing the thoughts to pass by and even being in the moment. In addition, when you are simply practicing being mindful, you can easily regulate your emotions, reduce the amount of negative thoughts, improvise your thinking pattern, improve the relationship with others and improve the bodily functions.
As per sports psychology, it was found that mindfulness can easily enhance one’s flow state, which means the intrinsically rewarding state which is nothing but the experience that you are having and it is characterized by the total immersion and involvement in the activity. Here you need to keep in mind that the total immersion of the workout is the mental edge that one might need for reaching the next level. Frankly, mindfulness can easily assist you in touching your muscles, thereby forcing them to work for you.
Step – 4: Hitting the Gym
It is important that you take about at least ten minutes before you work out and make sure to sit in a dark room without having any distraction. You first need to close your eyes and allow your body to slowly relax, where all the thoughts you have must flow from your mind besides the long-term goal that you have. In this case, it is to get the required physique and that must be the mental image you want to create.
Once that is done, you need to focus on the short-term goals you have, especially when it concerns about what you are going to do in your workout. It is all about imaging yourself performing the lifts in a perfect manner and in the correct form. Here it is all about visualization on how you can simply move one piece of the equipment to another place through sheer determination. Plus, it is all about the attitude you have while you are attacking it.
You must make sure to feel your muscles contracting and that kind of satisfaction and confidence is what you really need to feel while your muscles are contracting. It is the same kind of satisfaction and confidence you have when you are flexing your muscles in front of the mirror. After that you need to have the mental image of your muscles growing and shaping into the ideal one.
Conclusion
No doubt, visualization is the best way to enhance your performance, willingness and overall attitude for the dream of having the best physique you want. In short, you need to have a positive mind and have the confidence of reaching your goals at all cost.
