ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Mental Tricks to Enhance Physical Fitness</TITLE><META NAME="description" CONTENT="Short-cuts to enhance physical fitness training, from the science of neurobiological research."> <META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="physical fitness, sports training, perception, illusion, tricks, psychology, plasticity"><!-- Casale Media: Pop Under --> <script type="text/javascript"><!-- var casaleD=new Date();var casaleR=(casaleD.getTime()%8673806982)+Math.random(); var casaleU=escape(window.location.href); var casaleHost=' type="text/javascript" src="http://as.casalemedia.com/s?s='; document.write('<scr'+'ipt'+casaleHost+'55502&amp;u='); document.write(casaleU+'&amp;f=1&amp;id='+casaleR+'"><\/scr'+'ipt>'); //--></script> <!-- DO NOT MODIFY --></HEAD><style> A:link {text-decoration: underline;} A:visited {text-decoration: underline;} A:active {text-decoration: none; font-weight: none;} A:hover {text-decoration: none;} </style> <BODY LINK=#0000FF VLINK=#ff00ff ALINK=#ff0000 BGCOLOR=#FFFFFF> <center><!-- ValueClick Media 468x60 and 728x90 Banner CODE for Mind Bluff --> <script src="http://cdn.fastclick.net/js/adcodes/pubcode.min.js"></script><script type="text/javascript">document.write('<scr' + 'ipt type="text/javascript">(function () {try{VCM.media.render({sid:17141,media_id:1,media_type:5,version:"1.2"});} catch(e){document.write(\'<scr\' + \'ipt type="text/javascript" src="http://media.fastclick.net/w/get.media?sid=17141&m=1&tp=5&d=j&t=n&exc=1"></scr\' + \'ipt>\');}}());</scr' + 'ipt>');</script><noscript><a href="http://media.fastclick.net/w/click.here?sid=17141&m=1&c=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://media.fastclick.net/w/get.media?sid=17141&m=1&tp=5&d=s&c=1&vcm_acv=1.2" width=728 height=90 border=1></a></noscript> <!-- ValueClick Media 468x60 and 728x90 Banner CODE for Mind Bluff --> </center> <center><table border="0" width="80%"><TR><TD> <BR><center><font face="tempus sans ITC" color=#ff0000><B><H1>Mental Tricks to Enhance Physical Fitness Training</H1></B></font></center> <BR><center><img src="gym20.jpg" alt="Picture of athlete lifting barbells" BORDER=0 HSPACE=25><img src="http://mindbluff.com/outout1.jpg"></center> <BR><font size=3 face="verdana" color=#000000>The brain can be altered through sheer mental experience, according to recent research in neuroplasticity. If the brain's experience is related to calisthenics training, a cascade effect can boost strength, coordination, and fitness. <BR><BR>The "experience" can be a real life experience, or it can be <B>simulated</B>  a tactile illusion, perceptual deception, artificial reality, etc. <BR><BR>Mental illusions can trick the athlete into higher physical gear, boosting the results of sports and fitness training. <BR><BR>If you can engineer the brain's experience, you can engineer the brain.</font> <BR><center><font size=3 face="verdana" color=#000000><B>-----------------------------------------------------------------------</B></font></center> <BR><center><img src="silho10.jpg" alt="Picture sihouette of athlete lifting barbells"></center> <BR><font size=3 face="verdana" color=#000000>Imagination is one short-cut to enhancing fitness training. Focusing on a specific mental task, such as lifting weights with a finger, gradually increases the finger's strength, endurance, and agility. This fact has been studied in mental research. <BR><BR>The general idea is that the mind influences the body -- and its organic route is taken through the motor cortex. Sensory illusion can also increase the effects of a physical exercise, as seen in the Charpentier-Koseleff illusion. It's a common size-weight deception, in which a smaller object (such as a suitcase) weighing the same as a larger object is felt, or experienced, as weighing more. <BR><BR>One can conclude, then, that lifting a <i>smaller</i> set of barbells  as compared to lifting the same weight in a <i>larger</i> set of barbells  should significantly increase one s lifting exertions, and hence the aerobic benefits.</font> <BR><BR><center> <script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "pub-2256524514981391"; google_alternate_ad_url = "http://mindbluff.com/rich02.htm"; google_ad_width = 728; google_ad_height = 90; google_ad_format = "728x90_as"; google_ad_channel ="0222640197"; google_color_border = "FFFFFF"; google_color_bg = "FFFFFF"; google_color_link = "0000CC"; google_color_url = "008000"; google_color_text = "000000"; //--></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </center> <BR><center><img src=gymguy10000.jpg BORDER=0 HSPACE=15></center> <BR><font size=3 face="verdana" color=#000000>According to additional research, the motor cortex is also stimulated by the act of seeing a body part, or illustrations of one. It s probable both exercise and imagination can be coordinated together to increase the effect. <BR><BR>Thus, seeing one's animated reflection in a mirror during the exercise should equate to a mental process similar to imagination, and should increase the benefits of such exercise. <BR><BR>Installing a set of wall-mirrors in sports-training centers should facilitate athletic improvement. <BR><BR>The next time you find yourself lifting weights, decide to perform the exercise in front of a mirror, using <i>small</i> heavy objects, as opposed to <i>large</i>, equally-heavy objects.</font> <BR><BR><center> <script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "pub-2256524514981391"; google_alternate_ad_url = "http://mindbluff.com/rich02.htm"; google_ad_width = 728; google_ad_height = 90; google_ad_format = "728x90_as"; google_ad_channel ="0222640197"; google_color_border = "FFFFFF"; google_color_bg = "FFFFFF"; google_color_link = "0000CC"; google_color_url = "008000"; google_color_text = "000000"; //--></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </center> <BR><center><img src=binoculars4.jpg BORDER=0 HSPACE=15></center> <BR><font size=3 face="verdana" color=#000000>The exploration of experiential illusion offers a promising frontier that could, perhaps, be manipulated  in artful fashion -- to produce profound neurological effects. <BR><BR>The expertise of the artful simulator can be found in the film director, stage magician, or software/game designer. Popular examples of the latter include home entertainment simulations such as Microsoft s Flight Simulator and the Nintendo Wii console. </font> <BR><BR><center> <script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "pub-2256524514981391"; google_alternate_ad_url = "http://mindbluff.com/rich02.htm"; google_ad_width = 728; google_ad_height = 90; google_ad_format = "728x90_as"; google_ad_channel ="0222640197"; google_color_border = "FFFFFF"; google_color_bg = "FFFFFF"; google_color_link = "0000CC"; google_color_url = "008000"; google_color_text = "000000"; //--></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </center> <BR><CENTER><font size=6 face="arial, helvetica"><B><a href="index.htm">Back to Mind Bluff</a></B></font><img src="clear.gif" height="0" width="80"><font size=3 face="arial, helvetica"><B><a href="http://mindbluff.com/links.htm">Links to Other Sites</a></B></font></CENTER> <BR> </TD></TR></TABLE></center> </BODY></HTML>