Who Are You Talking To?

We’ve all seen him: the guy at the gym who goes there more for a social gathering than a workout. And we’ve all seen his physique, the one that looks the same year after year – the same size, the same conditioning. While he does a lot of talking, he doesn’t do much working, so he doesn’t grow. No surprise there.

But if you go to the gym, research shows that you should be talking ­– to yourself.

A study has examined the effects of “self-talk” on exercise performance and found that although talking to yourself during exercise doesn’t produce overly dramatic effects, the results are pretty impressive. By talking to yourself, the scientists say, you give yourself time to take stock of your workout and how you feel, and to better concentrate and direct your efforts for that next gut-busting set. In short, talking to yourself and getting yourself “in the zone” really does improve your exercise performance.

So here’s your FUSION FACTOID: Avoid Mr. or Mrs. Loose Lips and talk to yourself instead. Although talking to others can be fun, you’re most interested in building muscle, and by talking to yourself, you can build more of it.

- FUSION Research Team
www.fusionbodybuilding.com


Source: Gibson ASC, et al. The role of self-talk in the awareness of physiological state and physical performance. Sports Med. 2007;37(12):1029-1044.