Mirror magnification as sensory stimulus for increasing sports fitness training results

Summary 

Based on related prior research, it is suggested that seeing one’s animated reflection, in a mirror, should be considered to be an act of imagining; also, that seeing oneself in a mirror during physical exercise should increase the muscular effects of that exercise. Further argued, on the basis of this idea, is that seeing an enlarged representation of one’s physical exertion, framed in a magnifying mirror should increase the benefits to a greater extent. The reason for this proposal is based on recent studies exploring the interrelationships of imagination, physical exercise, and neural plasticity. It is reasoned that an increase in the magnitude of reflection of an exercise, as experienced in the spectator, increases its neurological effects. The heightened self-perception leads to increased physical strength, a phenomenon mediated by the motor cortex.