Michael Phelps just broke the record for most decorated Olympic athlete in sport’s history! You might be surprised to learn that it’s not just his physical strength, but his brain that actually might be the most important tool that helped him in his world record performances at the 2012 London Olympic Games. Every four years the world’s best athletes from every corner of the globe come together to the Summer Olympics for the love of sport and to GO FOR THE GOLD! In 1896, the first Modern Olympic Games were founded by Pierre de Coubertin on the ideals that "respect, fair balance, pursuit of excellence, joy in effort, and balance between mind, body and will as the most essential Olympic values!" Coubertin’s intention was to take an entirely holistic approach to sports for all athletes to cultivate the body, mind, and soul. I wonder how pleasantly surprised he'd be knowing just how true his vision exists in sports today, as more athletes actively train their mind and brain equally as their body. As a big fan of the Olympic games and as someone who studies the brain and human cognition, what equally fascinates me is understanding what happens between the ears of an Olympic athlete, like Phelps, that makes him an Olympic legend! It's the reason why Dr. John Milton, a neuroscientist at Claremont Colleges in California says, “Brawn plays a part, but there’s a whole lot more to it than that.” Let's explore exactly why that is by looking at what's happening inside Michael Phelps' brain just before he dives off the block and wins gold.
“If You Can Envision It, You Can Achieve It!”
Seconds before the starting buzzer and Phelps' body hits the surface of the water, an area in his brain known as the pre-motor cortex actually begins to fire before the muscles in his body begin to engage for the race. Neuroscientists have only very recently learned that the premotor cortex actually has nothing to do with any actual motor coordination or physical signal for your body. It turns out, this fascinating area of your brain merely helps your body envision and prepare for something it is about to accomplish, like swimming, preparing to give a big speech, tackling an important issue in life, taking an exam, or perhaps merely sticking to your exercise and diet goals.
In a recent article published in the journal Science, research into the premotor cortex reveals that this area of the brain is what accounts for us planning and strategizing in order to accomplish a goal. The reason why Olympic athletes and other highly motivated people appear to be more capable of winning a race or accomplishing a long-sought after goal is that they've trained their premotor cortex to visualize themselves performing the task in their brain well before any actual physical action occurs. It is as if their brain is already doing the action well before the body even moves a muscle! It is perhaps this cognitive visualization that gives athletes, CEOs, presidents, and other highly motivated people a considerable advantage when it comes to facing a challenge.
So even if you're not planning to be the next Michael Phelps, there is one thing that you share with him and everyone else in your ability to achieve your personal best in life—BRANPOWER! All the studies in neuroscience now indicate that the brain, like the body, is a muscle that you can strengthen and harness to your advantage in order to accomplish your goals in life. So how exactly can you use the premotor cortex to work for you? The answer is in a phrase that I often say to clients and to my students: “If you can envision it, you can achieve it!” Whether you want to call it “creative imagery,” “cognitive visualization, ” or “muscle memory,” neuroscience now validates the long-held believe that in order to accomplish a task, your chances of success are much greater if you can visualize it first in your mind!
How The Russians Did It
In their book Peak Performance, Mental Training Techniques of the World's Greatest Athletes, authors Garfield and Bennett cite a remarkable study. Back in the days of the old Soviet Union when athletes trained for the 1980 Olympics, sports coaches and medical researchers banded together to conduct an experiment to quantify just how cognitive visualization and mental training enhance physical performance. The Soviet study divided athletes into four groups:
Group 1 doing 100% physical training.
Group 2 doing 75% physical training and 25% mental training (visualization).
Group 3 doing equal amounts of 50% physical and mental training.
Group 4 doing 75% mental and 25% physical training.
The results may surprise you! It turns out the fourth group that only did 25% physical training and 75% mental training outperformed and showed the greatest athletic improvement among all groups. Furthermore, the Soviet coaches and doctors concluded that engaging the brain in mental training and creative visualization techniques in conjunction with physical training enhanced:
• Overall confidence of the athletes due to visualizing themselves winning their events prior to competition.
• Ability to remain focused and alert by eliminating mental distractions during training sessions.
How to Build a Better Brain
The great news is that if you have a healthy brain you can practice cognitive visualization, activate your premotor cortex, and drastically improve your ability to achieve peak performance in your daily life. Whether breaking the record in the 400m freestyle, preparing for an important business meeting, or merely manifesting your intention for greater health and happiness, the same principles apply. What to do:
1) Breathe and Relax. Sitting in a comfortable position and closing your eyes, begin to focus and observe your breathing. Taking slow deep breaths in and out through the nose and through the diaphragm (deep-belly breathing) will help your brain go into a relaxed brain-wave state.
2) Once your body, mind, and thoughts become relaxed, begin to visualize an upcoming event that you wish to go in your favor. Perhaps, it might be a big exam at school, a stressful meeting with your boss, or a challenging conversation you need to have with a friend. Whatever the situation, visualize yourself accomplishing the task with genuine determination and motivation.
3) Now as you continue to visualize the scene in your mind, feel the emotional quality of joy, accomplishment, or gratitude that accompanies the successful achievement of your performance.
4) Hold that thought in your mind and experience as if it is already happening in your body.
Please don’t get discouraged if you find the exercise difficult to do the first time around. Remember, like with any muscle in the body trained during physical performance, the brain equally requires discipline and perseverance. The good news is that the neurons in your brain wire together much more quickly than it does for the muscles to develop in your body! So even if you’re not planning to be the next Michael Phelps, you can achieve your personal best and GO FOR GOLD knowing that the first and most important step toward accomplishing your goals in life begin in your brain! (Full article on premotor cortex and Michael Phelps here)
Dr. Jay Kumar
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