Found A Way To Safely Trick The Brain To Make Working Out Seem Easier

Why does a short run seem exhausting to some, while others run easily and naturally? Of course, part of the matter is training and muscle strength. But the brain also plays a significant role, especially in how we perceive stress.

Performing tasks such as running, cycling or lifting weights requires some effort. However, this is not just objectively measured physical energy, but also a purely subjective sensation that differs from person to person. These sensations directly influence participation in physical activity and athletic performance.

If an exercise seems too hard, we tend to avoid it. But if it is perceived as easier, we get pleasure and motivation to continue.

What if we could reduce the subjective perception of effort and help people overcome the feeling of “it’s too hard”? It seems that this problem was solved, and in an absolutely safe way.

Pedaling just got easier

Scientists have used a device thatsoftens subjective sensations from physical activity by vibrating the tendons. The results of its tests on volunteers were published in Journal of Sport and Health Science.

During the experiment, participants pedaled a bicycle ergometer with and without vibration before the exercise. In the first case, vibration stimulators were attached to the patellar ligaments and Achilles tendons and turned on for 10 minutes. Subjects then pedaled for three minutes at a level of effort they perceived as moderate to strong, self-adjusting the effort to match the target intensity.

The results were clear: after vibrating the tendons, participants showed 20% higher power and heart rate than without vibration. They put in physical effort, although they subjectively perceived the load as the same.

Neurophysiological mechanisms

The neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the effect are not completely clear. Researchers have come up with several hypotheses that may explain this brain trick.

“Depending on the amplitude and frequency of the vibration, we can either excite or inhibit the activity of neurons in the spinal cord. In addition, prolonged vibration changes the reactivity of neuromuscular spindles and changes the signal received by the brain,” says one of the study authors, Benjamin Pageau from the School of Kinesiology and Exercise Sciences. University of Montreal.

In other words, by changing the information sent to the brain, vibration changes the participants’ perception of movement and effort. They begin to feel like the exercise requires less strength, although their muscles actually work harder.

Promoting physical activity

Although the results are encouraging, tendon vibration research is still in its early stages.

“We did not test this method in a marathon, only during a short three-minute exercise on a bicycle ergometer,” admits the researcher. “However, this is the first time the method has been shown to work under this type of load.”

The next step is to study deeply the processes occurring in the brain. This involves using techniques such as electroencephalography and magnetic resonance imaging to observe how tendon vibration affects brain activity during exercise.

Scientists are also exploring the opposite effect: how pain and fatigue can heighten the perception of effort and make physical activity subjectively harder.

Ultimately, these studies aim to develop techniques that reduce the perception of effort to motivate sedentary people to be active.

“By better understanding how the brain evaluates the relationship between effort and subjective reward during exercise, we hope to encourage regular physical activity. And we all know how important this is for our health and well-being,” Pageau concluded.