I can attest to the power of mental training on increasing physical strength. At the end of January, my personal trainer at the gym suggested I start doing a new exercise. When I went over to the equipment to give it a shot, I struggled to do ONE rep. So I decided to try mental training in addition to the physical training.

Every other day, I sat down in my office chair, closed my eyes, and imagined myself going to the gym and using the equipment. I mentally did three sets of 15 reps for each mental training session. The first time I tried this exercise again at the gym after beginning mental training, I was able to do three sets of five reps. By the fifth session after beginning mental training, I was able to do a full three sets of 15 reps.

The trick to the visualization part of this is that you can’t imagine watching yourself, as if you were looking into a mirror. You have to imagine yourself using the equipment and contracting your muscles just as you would if you were actually doing it.

The next time I start a new exercise, I’ll definitely augment the physical training with mental training.