8 Insanely Quick Mental Tricks For Dominating Every Workout

Sometimes your mind is a better fitness tool than any piece of gym equipment.

The evidence: these eight quick and easy mental tricks will help you push through every workout.

Rehearse Your Lift

Before you attempt a big lift, picture yourself completing it – and mime the steps in the movement.

Visualising your goal can boost your actual performance by 45 per cent, according to a study in Behavioural and Brain Functions.

Prepare For Tomorrow’s Workout

Pack your gym bag for tomorrow’s workout before you go to bed tonight.

Georgia University researchers say sorting out your gear in advance makes you 40 per cent more likely to hit the gym.

Click here for 5 simple strategies for bigger muscles

Change Your Phone’s Home Screen

Keep a mantra or motivational picture as your phone’s screen shot.

Fitness-based imagery is a proven factor in the success of competitive athletes, according to the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Indulge Yourself

Men’s Health has long championed cheat days, and now science agrees.

Researchers at the USC Marshall School of Business say food that stimulates your brain’s reward centre forges a connection between meeting targets and pleasure.

See? Cheaters can prosper.

Set Small Goals

Forget setting a grand goal. Instead of vowing to lose 15 kilos by Christmas, just make it two – and build from there.

Short-term goals result in a great chance of physical improvement, says a University of Alabama study.

Click here or the 5-move workout that tightens your core and fends off back pain

Pick an Opponent In the Gym

See that guy on the next treadmill? Pretend you’re racing him.

A healthy competition can push you to work extra hard, says research from New York University.

Finish the Hard Part First

Start your workout with the exercise you dread the most.

By leaving it until later in your sweat session, you’ll unwittingly skip reps on easier moves in order to save energy for your nemesis, finds a study from Indiana University.

Focus On Your Muscles

Don’t just go through the motions during a lift. Focus on the muscle you want to target as you work it.

This fosters a mind-muscle connection and helps you recruit more fibres.

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