Mental Warmups: Visualizing Workouts and Tasks

As stated in a previous article, many of us skip a warmup before a workout or shorten it because of a lack of time. But it can be easily accomplished if you give yourself an extra 5-10 minutes.

Another great benefit to the warmup is that you actually can warm up the mind as well. This is important, especially if what you are doing requires skilled techniques that you have practiced many times or you know what you are going to be doing will require mental toughness. Getting the mind ready for these type of events is critical.

Few athletes give much thought to the idea of getting mentally ready before their workout. But getting mentally focused during your physical warmup is a great use of time. It gives you a chance to start thinking about what you are going to do and how you are going to do it. It's time to strategize.

Scientific studies prove that the “mental warmup” works. Sports psychologists actually teach visualization techniques. In the military, these visualizations are detailed in mission planning, dry runs or what we called “dirt dives." These are moments where you go through the details in your head regarding every phase of the mission.

Another favorite study involves basketball free throws with three randomly selected groups:

1. Mental practice: This group only imagined shooting free throws before shooting them.

2. Physical practice: This group practiced free throws.

3. Control: This group did nothing before shooting them.

The results demonstrate the power of the mind. The group that just thought about free throws were 23% better at shooting free throws. The group that practiced had a 24% improvement in shooting free throws. And the group that did nothing saw no improvement.

If you need more proof of the power of the brain eliciting a physiological response, try imagining someone bursting into your home and placing a loved one at gunpoint. The brain causes a chemical reaction and tells the adrenal glands to dispense adrenaline to cause our heart to beat faster and put us in a fight-or-flight response. This can be done just by thinking about it. This same thinking process can get your mind and body ready for whatever task they are facing.

Prior to your workout, think about the lifts, runs and swims you are going to do. Go over whatever technique issue you may have in your head several times. These technique-thinking drills can be even more effective if you add in as many senses as you can. Think about the smells, sounds, feeling and even the taste of what you are going to do.

If you are preparing for a max set of pull-ups to pass a fitness test, think about the taste of the sip of water you had right before you jump on the bar. Feel the floor against your feet and hear the sound it makes pushing off the floor. Then imagine jumping and grabbing the bar. Think about how the bar and tape feel while you are hanging.

Listen to the weight plates clanging together and people talking as music plays in the background. Start doing pull-ups in your head. Feel your biceps and lats flexing as you pull your chin over the bar. Feel your shoulders and arms stretching as you go into the down position. Notice your breathing increasing as you count 18, 19, 20 pull-ups.

See yourself hitting your goal number of pull-ups for the test. Finally, in your head, shake it off and high-five your buddy. Remember how achieving your goal feels. This is now your performance state.

You are ready to test. Get after it. Call up a performance cue and go do it.

Highly successful athletes do this, and many professional teams have full-time sports psychologists on their payroll for this very reason -- teaching athletes how to think, plan, dirt dive, whatever you want to call it -- before an important event.

Related Study on Increasing Strength by 35% with Visualization Only

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Visit his Fitness eBook store if you’re looking to start a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle. Send your fitness questions to stew@stewsmith.com.

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