This is what visualization in training looks like from the outside. I can’t show you what it’s like inside my head.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about how I learn best by doing. Short of that, seeing someone else actually doing sets that in motion (and likely triggers mirror neurons according to neuroscience).
Mental training is a tough topic in that in doing it you have to bring awareness to things in you mind that you tend not to be aware of.
So I thought this would help.
In this video, I set an all-time intensity PR for the barbell getup on my left hand. My previous best was 115 lbs. Here I managed 120 lbs, in part thanks to visualization.
Observe. I stand ready near the barbell. I close my eyes. I spend a few seconds visualizing.
I make a step forward and then spend a few more seconds visualizing.
The specific form of my visualization here is the Advanced Instant Exercise Enhancer (where the step forward is a step forward in time). Although this visualization takes in total less than half a minute, it can be immensely powerful.
Does visualization work? Absolutely…and it can be made more powerful than most people recognize with the right techniques far beyond just realistically imagining things.
More free resources:
- Visualization 101 article
- Basics of How Internal Visualization Works
- The History and Science of Visualization
Deeper dives: