Aloha my friends!
Those mirror-flexors at the gym can get a lot of flack… but maybe they just know something the rest don’t.
Recent research has shown that simply looking at yourself / the muscles you’re working in a mirror while lifting actually INCREASES the resulting strength and size gains to a statistically significant level!
And using a mirror with magnification may increase those gains even more than a normal mirror!
It also DOUBLES the cross-education effect of unilateral training. To clarify, when you work one side at a time… the same muscle(s) on the opposite side of your body receive a portion of the benefit, even though they weren’t directly worked. (I went over this phenomenon in detail in Week 103 of Fitness-Tip Friday.)
Well, if you watch yourself in a mirror while doing unilateral training, those contralateral / opposite side gains are DOUBLED!
Scientists believe that all of these effects have to do with the activation of so-called “mirror neurons” in our brain, but further research needs to be done to confirm exactly how looking in mirrors achieve this seemingly magical effect.
For now, we just know that it does work.
Application: Lifting in front of a mirror is a simple & effective way to enhance your results without changing anything else!!
Relevant Previous FTF Tips (for All-Access Members):
1) Week 103 | How to Build a Muscle WITHOUT Working It! (The Cross-Education Phenomenon)
2) Week 4 | The Amazing Benefits of UNILATERAL (One-Sided) Training!
Relevant Research Article(s):
2) Mirror Training Augments the Cross-education of Strength and Affects Inhibitory Paths
Dr. Gains 
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