Visualization, Imagery and Enhancing Strength During a One-rep Max Attempt
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One Rep Max & PETTLEP Imagery
Many people have the misconception that a one rep max only requires brute strength. Experience has taught me that successfully completing a one rep max is a process that involves precision and focus. Your mind and body have to be perfectly synchronized in order to lift as much weight as possible. Any veteran lifter will tell you that if you show up with anything less than perfect harmony of mind and body, you will fall dramatically short of what you hoped to accomplish. One technique within the field of sport psychology that I believe can enhance this mind/body connection is imagery.
Experts within the field of sport psychology define imagery, as the process of creating an experience in your mind. When athletes properly use imagery, research suggests that their performance outcomes will be significantly better as opposed to not using imagery. Before we discuss how you can actually apply imagery into your lifting routine it is important to understand what is actually happening in the brain during an imagery routine and why the research supports the efficacy of imagery use.
Justifying Imagery Use
In Applied Sport Psychology, Personal Growth to Peak Performance (Williams & Krane, 2015) researchers Vealey & Forlenza synthesize important sport psychology research that explores how imagery works effectively during sport performance through the following theories: Bioinformational theory; Functional Equivalence theory; and the Mental Readiness Explanation. First, Bioinformational Theory (Lang, 1977, 1979) proposes that psychological images are a collection of characteristics that are stored in areas of the brain such as the hippocampus (which is responsible for long-term memory). Athletes that use imagery will set in motion both the stimulus traits that represent aspects of the specific idea, and what their response approach would be to the specific image. Researchers have found that athletic performance is significantly improved when athletes engage in imagery using both stimulus and response oriented imagery.
Next, research on Functional Equivalence theory suggests that when athletes use imagery, this psychological experience causes the same areas of the brain that are active during actual movement, to be active during the imagery routine (Holmes & Collins, 2001; Jeannerod, 1994). This could potentially explain how athletes that incorporate imagery as part of a pre-performance routine are more effective at successfully executing sport performance movements as compared to their counterparts. The Functional Equivalence theory also seems to imply that athletes can practice ‘mental reps’ while they are in active recovery.
Finally, the Mental Readiness explanation suggests that imagery can help athletes increase their confidence, sharpen their focus, and heighten their arousal response (Calmels et al., 2004; Cumming et al,. 2007; Hale & Whitehouse, 1998). As a consultant within the field of sport psychology, I have found that athletes that use imagery frequently report on the positive outcomes they’ve experienced as it pertains to using imagery as a tool to enhance the traits of confidence, focus and arousal control. Now that we have explored a plethora of high quality research supporting the use of imagery during sport performance, we need to explore how someone can use this skill during a one rep max attempt.
How to use Imagery
Every sport is different in terms of how an athlete can use imagery in their environment. The athlete or coach will have to evaluate when the best time will be to implement this skill. For now, I’m going to provide you with an example of how to use imagery during an Olympic-style weightlifting competition.
First, the lifter should to keep in mind that the imagery routine needs to include the following four traits: the imagery routine should focus on what the athlete wants to happen rather than what they don’t want to happen; the imagery routine for an Olympic-style lifter should use a third person perspective rather than a first person perspective; the imagery routine should be a polysensory experience incorporating the senses of visual, olfactory, gustatory, auditory, tactile and especially kinesthetic; finally, the imagery routine should be as vivid as possible. Lifters should take the time to identify what their specific routine looks like, and write down or record this routine into a script that they can either memorize or listen to right before the lift.
Here is an example of an Olympic-style weightlifting imagery script: Close your eyes and see yourself on the platform. You’ve just chalked up your hands and you're on your third attempt on the Clean & Jerk. If you make this lift, you will qualify for the American Open, if you miss then you go home empty handed. You’re watching yourself from a coach's perspective but you can feel all the sensations of adrenaline, muscles tension, and excitement. You walk up to the bar and engage your hook grip, maintain a neutral spine position, and your weight is centered over the balls of your feet. This is more weight than you could have ever imagined lifting, but when you grip the bar you feel as though the weight is 100 pounds lighter, and you’re going to throw this weight through the ceiling. You start the lift and your lifting mechanics are very smooth. You have successfully completed the clean.
Once the lifter has crafted their imagery routine, they need to incorporate this into a pre-performance routine that they can use right before they step onto the platform to begin the lift. This routine should not only be done during competition, but especially during practice and even on rest days. When I have coached lifters on using imagery, I usually have them chalk up first, step onto the platform, and then start the imagery routine right before they begin the lift.
Being on the platform in this capacity will help increase the vividness and the Functional Equivalence of the imagery. Commitment to practicing imagery will help the athlete synchronize the mind body connection and increase the precision necessary to dominate the lift and set a new PR!
After you finish reading this article, my challenge to coaches and athletes is to start practicing imagery today and see how it helps you improve your performance!
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Sources:
Calmels, C., Berthoumieux, C., & d’Arripe-Longueville, F. (2004). Effects of an imagery training program on selective attention of national softball players. The Sport Psychologist, 18, 272-296
Cumming, J., Dolphin, T., & Law, M. (2007). Self-reported psychological states and physiological responses to different types of motivational general imagery. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 29, 629-644
Hale, B. D., & Whitehouse, A. (1998). The Effects of Imagery-Manipulated Appraisal on Intensity and Direction of Competitive Anxiety, The Sport Psychologist, 12(1), 40-51.
Holmes, P. S., & Collins, D. J. (2001). The PETTLEP approach to motor imagery: A functional equivalence model for sport psychologists. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 13, 60-83
Jeannerod, M. (1994). The representing brain: Neural correlates of motor intention and imagery. Behavioral and BRain Sciences, 17, 187-202.
Lang, P. J. (1977). Imagery in therapy: An information processing analysis of fear. Behavior Therapy, 8, 862-886
Lang, P. J. (1979). A bio-informational theory of emotional imagery. Psychophysiology, 16, 495-512
Vealey, R. S., & Forlenza, S. T., (2015) Understanding and Using Imagery in Sport. Applied Sport Psychology, Personal Growth to Peak Performance, 247-248
Williams, J. M., & Krane, V. (2015). Applied Sport Psychology, Personal Growth to Peak Performance, 7, 247-248
