Mental Training and Endurance Performance
New research suggests that mental training of as little as 3 weeks is effective.
Fit pros may want to consider incorporating mental training among their coaching tools. Three weeks of mental training among untrained exercisers improved endurance exercise performance by 10% over those that did not receive mental training, as reported in the European Journal of Applied Physiology (2023; doi: 10.1007/s00421-023-05206-3). Westmont College researchers in Santa Barbara, California, studied 33 young, healthy male and female adults randomly assigned to either a mental training of control group on an indoor cycle ergometer in a series of 4 time trial tests to exhaustionโone before mental training; one weekly for the next 3 weeks. The mental training group received 4 videos to watch 2 times over a 3-week period, except for the intro video, that was to be watched 3 times. Mental training focused on strategies to endure fatigue and to enhance endurance.
Video lessons featured the following:
- Mental skills and breathing techniques introduction: how to reduce stress and anxiety with breathing exercises and increase feelings of confidence and well-being;
- ย Control the controllables: how to reduce stress by focusing on what is controllable;
- Self-talk and self-confidence: how to use self-talk against negative thinking and doubt;
- Imagery: how to use imagery to prepare mentally for exercise and challenging moments.
Total mental training time was 173 minutes and 39 seconds.
Mental training participants significantly improved time to exhaustion, while control subjects significantly declined in performance by the final test. Researchers suggest boredom may have stimulated the decline.
Performance improvement came from reduced quadriceps muscle activation and a slower breathing rate that led to less oxygen consumption and a decreased fatigue rate. Notably, mental training members did not experience lower perceived exertion rates than the control group but did achieve physiologically better results with a 10% increase in cycling time to exhaustion. More research is recommended.
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
