Music can do it, and so can the support of a gung-ho gym buddy. But those aren’t the only ways to pump yourself up for a workout: Just saying the right words can actually enhance the effort of your muscles during exercise. That’s the new finding from a team of French researchers at the L2C2 Institute of Cognitive Sciences in Lyon. In a study on 25 people, each participant was asked to grip a sensor after hearing a series of different sentences. Some of those sentences featured affirmative action verbs related to the gripping task (such as “Fiona lifts the dumbbell”) while others featured negative action verbs (Fiona doesn’t lift the dumbbell”) or were entirely unrelated to the task. Grip strength increased significantly after the study participants heard affirmative action sentences, but not after they heard negative talk. Here’s why: Your brain stores “representations” of actions that can be triggered ahead of time simply by thinking about executing those movements, explains study author Pia Aravena, a doctoral candidate in neuroscience at the L2C2. By hearing (or thinking about) action words in positive terms, you’re essentially powering up the part of your brain that controls muscle movement, Aravena says. More from Prevention: The Secret Weapon For A Better Workout If you’re going to be using hand or arm muscles, say during a weight lifting session, it’s most effective to think about movements using those body parts, Aravena explains. But if you’re using your calves or upper legs, like during a run, think about sentences like “Fiona sprints,” or others that feature lower-body muscles, she adds. The power of language to strengthen a workout doesn’t stop there. If you’re looking to make fitness gains, but are tired of relying on the same old playlist, consider the findings of these recent studies to craft mantras that’ll be the ultimate motivators: Stay positive Peppy “self-talk” not only improves fine motor skills, it also increases strength and endurance output, according to a review of 32 sports performance studies conducted by Antonis Hatzigeorgiadi, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences at the University of Thessaly in Greece. Like the L2C2 study, Hatzigeorgiadi’s team found that motivational self-talk primes the muscles for action. His review explains that specific, technical phrases such as “elbows up” or “keep your head down” work best for fine motor skills like those required for swimming freestyle or hitting a golf ball. Inspirational sayings like “give it your all” are better for endurance activities. Breathe through stress Believe it or not, even low levels of stress or distraction can lower the amount of work your muscles are able to perform, according to a study from Michigan Technological University. Fortunately, there’s a simple solution: Take deep breaths and count from 1 to 10, which will focus the mind and reduce stress, explains a recent review from the University of Maryland. More from Prevention: 9 Reasons To Lift Weights Questions? Comments? Contact Prevention’s News Team!
