S CO U S 63TIME
15
MINUTES TO BOOST
YOUR STRENGTH BY
WATCHING YOUTUBE
I
n the age of marginal gains,
athletes try everything to eke
out a meagre percentile of
improvement. They change
their pillows, sanitise their hands
and wear ever-tighter clothing to
steal a second on their rivals. For
the layman, it’s a lot of effort for
limited reward, when what you
really want is maximal return from
minimal outlay – which is why
a new study should prove more
than marginally interesting.
Researchers publishing in the
journal Hormones and Behaviour
measured subjects’ testosterone
after watching video clips. Theyhad men perform squat tests on
six occasions, 15 minutes after
watching either a supposedly-
funny scene from The Big Bang
Theory, a sad news story, an erotic
dance, athletes training or rugby
players acting aggressively.
While the testosterone surge
triggered by the training clips and
erotica had a positive impact on
strength, the aggressive video
significantly improved subjects’
three-rep max. All of which makes
a ‘big hit’ compilation before you
smash legs day an amateur hack
with elite benefits. Just hope there
isn’t a queue for the squat rack.SCREEN OUT YOUR
WEAKNESSES TO TAKE
YOUR PB OFF ‘PAUSE’