Study: Imagination Can Increase Muscle Strength
Dr. Vinoth Ranganathan and researchers at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation have discovered that you can strengthen your muscles just by thinking about exercise. They divided 30 participants into three groups. For five minutes a day, five days a week, for twelve weeks, Group A imagined imagined using the muscle of their little finger, while Group B imagined moving their elbow flexor. They were instructed to think as strongly as they could about moving the muscle being tested. Group C did no imaginary exercises. While Group C showed no increase in muscle strength, Group A increased the muscle strength of their pinky finger by 35%, and Group B group increased their elbow strength by 13.4%. Brain scans taken after the study showed greater and more focused activity in the prefrontal cortex than before. It’s likely that the strength gains were due to improvements in the brain’s ability to signal muscle. (This study was published in Neuropsychologia in January, 2004, as “From Mental Power to Muscle Power—Gaining Strength by Using the Mind.”)
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