The Mind Muscle Connection, Supplements with the Placebo Effect The Placebo Effect has dated back for years, it really became popular in World War II. Supplies ran short due to the lack of supply and the demand on them. They would often run out of medicine, especially painkillers, and had to give the individual peace of mind, they gave the placebo effect.
Soldiers would be shot in the butt with what they thought was morphine. What they weren't told was that their morphine was just a good dose of saltwater. The amazing this is that when injected with this saltwater, the soldier's pain would fade, at least for a short time.
Why Does It Work? The medics weren't being deceiving, they were doing what they had to do, and it worked. They were taking advantage of the Placebo Effect. The Placebo Effect works because it activates the brain, changing it's psychological or physiological functioning. The soldiers thought they were receiving a pain killer, which they knew killed pain on contact, but they were actually shot with saltwater. The effect was the same, it killed the pain, at least on a short term basis. The basic reason this works is because your brain controls your body, and your mind and thoughts can control your brain.
Supplements and the Placebo Effect The placebo effect is relied upon by the supplement industry. The fact is, most of the supplements lining the shelves today are just highly marketed, flashy tubs of non working placebo effect in a can. Most don't have any active ingredients, or have very few that would actually help you gain muscle. Most supplements work because of the supplement placebo effect.
Most guys don't actually walk into a supplement store and just purchase anything that catches their eye. They usually make "educated" choices based on what their friends experiences or what they saw in a magazine. When someone gets on a supplement for the first time, they really hope and expect it to work. They only buy the stuff for one reason, they think it will work.
The main ingredient in most supplements is belief. When you believe something completely, and you back it with emotion and action, amazing things can happen. Even physiological changes to your body can happen because of your belief or your thoughts. Simply by believing wholeheartedly that your supplement will do what it says, your brain takes it as instructions and will get to work and activate the muscle building mechanisms. It does this because it was instructed to, by your thoughts and belief.
Now, usually when a trainee starts a new supplement, they believe it will help build muscle. With everything else staying the same, this belief is strong enough to spark growth. The thing is, how many people start a new supplement and keep doing what they are doing? Not many. Most people will get on the "new miracle" and will kick their training up a notch. Not only will they improve their training, they usually improve their nutrition and recovery.
Give Yourself Some Credit If you were to make those improvements to your muscle gaining strategy: training more intensely, eating better, and resting properly, wouldn't you gain muscle anyway, even without the supplement? The answer is a resounding Yes! Too many people get on a supplement and give all credit for improvement to the supplement. Give yourself more credit! You did the work, not the supplement! Chances are, the supplement didn't even do anything, and it was just a placebo. Some supplements are worth taking and do the body some good, but if you don't build the foundation with solid training, nutrition, recovery... the supplements won't do you any good. Now if supplements can't help build muscle with poor training and nutrition, do you think they help with proper training and nutrition? Maybe a little, but it's you getting the results, not the supplement.
These are a few examples of what you can do to start easing off of the supplements:
1. Reduce your dosage slowly and finally quit the supplement. Stay positive that your results will improve and not fall off.
2. Remember that you are lifting the weight and doing the work, not the supplement. You need to take the credit.
3. Start believing in yourself and your ability to gain muscle. Just as a belief in a supplement can cause growth, believe in yourself and see what happens.
Its your turn to keep your money away from the supplement giants and turn the table by using the mind muscle connection, the placebo effect, to your advantage.
Soldiers would be shot in the butt with what they thought was morphine. What they weren't told was that their morphine was just a good dose of saltwater. The amazing this is that when injected with this saltwater, the soldier's pain would fade, at least for a short time.
Why Does It Work? The medics weren't being deceiving, they were doing what they had to do, and it worked. They were taking advantage of the Placebo Effect. The Placebo Effect works because it activates the brain, changing it's psychological or physiological functioning. The soldiers thought they were receiving a pain killer, which they knew killed pain on contact, but they were actually shot with saltwater. The effect was the same, it killed the pain, at least on a short term basis. The basic reason this works is because your brain controls your body, and your mind and thoughts can control your brain.
Supplements and the Placebo Effect The placebo effect is relied upon by the supplement industry. The fact is, most of the supplements lining the shelves today are just highly marketed, flashy tubs of non working placebo effect in a can. Most don't have any active ingredients, or have very few that would actually help you gain muscle. Most supplements work because of the supplement placebo effect.
Most guys don't actually walk into a supplement store and just purchase anything that catches their eye. They usually make "educated" choices based on what their friends experiences or what they saw in a magazine. When someone gets on a supplement for the first time, they really hope and expect it to work. They only buy the stuff for one reason, they think it will work.
The main ingredient in most supplements is belief. When you believe something completely, and you back it with emotion and action, amazing things can happen. Even physiological changes to your body can happen because of your belief or your thoughts. Simply by believing wholeheartedly that your supplement will do what it says, your brain takes it as instructions and will get to work and activate the muscle building mechanisms. It does this because it was instructed to, by your thoughts and belief.
Now, usually when a trainee starts a new supplement, they believe it will help build muscle. With everything else staying the same, this belief is strong enough to spark growth. The thing is, how many people start a new supplement and keep doing what they are doing? Not many. Most people will get on the "new miracle" and will kick their training up a notch. Not only will they improve their training, they usually improve their nutrition and recovery.
Give Yourself Some Credit If you were to make those improvements to your muscle gaining strategy: training more intensely, eating better, and resting properly, wouldn't you gain muscle anyway, even without the supplement? The answer is a resounding Yes! Too many people get on a supplement and give all credit for improvement to the supplement. Give yourself more credit! You did the work, not the supplement! Chances are, the supplement didn't even do anything, and it was just a placebo. Some supplements are worth taking and do the body some good, but if you don't build the foundation with solid training, nutrition, recovery... the supplements won't do you any good. Now if supplements can't help build muscle with poor training and nutrition, do you think they help with proper training and nutrition? Maybe a little, but it's you getting the results, not the supplement.
These are a few examples of what you can do to start easing off of the supplements:
1. Reduce your dosage slowly and finally quit the supplement. Stay positive that your results will improve and not fall off.
2. Remember that you are lifting the weight and doing the work, not the supplement. You need to take the credit.
3. Start believing in yourself and your ability to gain muscle. Just as a belief in a supplement can cause growth, believe in yourself and see what happens.
Its your turn to keep your money away from the supplement giants and turn the table by using the mind muscle connection, the placebo effect, to your advantage.
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You really need to get the Mental Edge in Muscle Building, check out http://www.MentalEdgeMuscleBuilding.com right now to learn how to build muscle with your mind.
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