Originally Posted by
taai gihk yahn
North American Journal of Psychology, 2007, Vol. 9, No. 1 189-200
Mind Over Matter: Mental Training Increases Physical Strength
Erin M. Shackell and Lionel G. Standing
Bishop's University
This study tested whether mental training alone can produce a gain in muscular strength. Thirty male university athletes, including football, basketball and rugby players, were randomly assigned to perform mental training of their hip flexor muscles, to use weight machines to physically exercise their hip flexors, or to form a control group which received neither mental nor physical training. The hip strength of each group was
measured before and after training. Physical strength was increased by 24% through mental practice (p = .008). Strength was also increased through physical training, by 28%, but did not change significantly in the control condition. The strength gain was greatest among the football players given mental training. Mental and physical training produced similar decreases in heart rate, and both yielded a marginal reduction in systolic blood pressure. The results support the related findings of Ranganathan, Siemionow, Liu, Sahgal, and Yue (2004).
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PHYS THER
Vol. 85, No. 10, October 2005, pp. 1053-1060
Can Mental Practice Increase Ankle Dorsiflexor Torque?
Ben Sidaway and Amy (Robinson) Trzaska
B Sidaway, PT, PhD, is Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Husson College, One College Cir, Bangor, ME 04401 (USA)
A Trzaska, PT, MPT, is Physical Therapist, Family Practice Center, Portland, Me. She was a student in the Department of Physical Therapy, Husson College, during data collection
Submitted September 27, 2004; Accepted March 22, 2005
Background and Purpose. Mental practice has been shown to beeffective in increasing the force production of the abductordigiti minimi muscle in the hand. The aim of this study wasto determine whether mental practice could produce strengthgains in the larger ankle dorsiflexor muscles, which are importantduring walking. Subjects. Twenty-four subjects were randomlyassigned to a physical practice group, a mental practice group,or a control group (8 subjects per group). Methods. In the practicegroups, subjects either physically or mentally practiced producingmaximal isometric contractions for 3 sets of 10 repetitions,3 times per week for 4 weeks. Changes in mean peak isometrictorque normalized to body weight and the resulting percentageof improvement were analyzed across the 3 groups. Results. Differencesin raw torque production after training in the 2 practice groupsresulted in significant percentages of improvement for the physicalpractice group (25.28%) and the mental practice group (17.13%),but not for the control group (–1.77%). The 2 practicegroups were not statistically different in their maximal torque-generatingcapacity after training. Discussion and Conclusion. These findingsshow that mental practice in people without impairments canlead to an increase in torque production similar to that producedby physical practice. Such a technique may prove to be a usefuladjunct to traditional treatment options aimed at increasingmuscle strength.
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Res Q Exerc Sport. 2008 Sep;79(3):385-91.
Beating the bunker: the effect of PETTLEP imagery on golf bunker shot performance.
Smith D, Wright CJ, Cantwell C.
Department of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK.
The aim of this study was to compare the effects of physical practice with PETTLEP-based (Physical, Environment, Task, Timing, Learning, Emotion and Perspective; Holmes & Collins, 2001) imagery and PETTLEP + physical practice interventions on golf bunker shot performance. Thirty-two male county- or international-level golfers were assigned to one of four groups; PETTLEP imagery, physical practice, PETTLEP + physical practice, or control. The PETTLEP imagery group imaged 15 bunker shots, their interventions incorporating PETTLEP components, such as physical, environment, and emotion, twice a week. The physical practice group physically performed their 15 bunker shots twice per week; the PETTLEP + physical practice group performed PETTLEP imagery once per week and physical practice once per week. Each group performed their respective tasks for 6 weeks. Pre- and posttests consisted of 15 bunker shots, with points awarded according to the ball proximity to the pin. All groups improved significantly (p < .01) from pre- to posttest, and the PETTLEP + physical practice group improved more (p < .05) than the PETTLEP and physical practice groups. However, there was no significant difference between the physical practice and PETTLEP groups (p > .05). Findings, therefore, support the effectiveness of PETTLEP in enhancing golf performance, especially when combined with physical practice.
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