Mental training & visualisation

// What the research shows

Paravlic et al. (2018) found in their meta-analysisMeta-analysis A study of studies: the results of many individual studies are pooled statistically. More in the glossary → that motor imagery increases maximal strength1RM (maximal strength) The weight you can lift with good form exactly once in an exercise. More in the glossary → compared with no training, but less than physical training. Combining both was not better than regular strength training alone. A later meta-analysis (Liu et al., 2023) reaches the same conclusion and finds that older adults and small muscles (e.g. fingers) benefit most.

// In practice

• Useful when you can't train, e.g. during an injury, to hold on to more strength.
• Running through the movement in your head before heavy sets doesn't hurt.
• Not a replacement for training, more a tool for breaks and rehab.

// Limitations & open questions

Small studies with few participants. The effect is mainly neural; it doesn't build muscle.

// Sources

• Meta-Analyse 2018Paravlic et al. – Motor imagery practice and strength development in healthy adults (Sports Medicine) ↗
• Meta-Analyse 2023Liu et al. – Elderly may benefit more from motor imagery training in gaining muscle strength (PubMed) ↗

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