Saying leg day is a well-liked, joyous occasion for most is like saying that Adam Sandler is still funny — it’s debateable. Even fitness junkies need some extra encouragement when it comes to working their wheels. Well, look no further.
A study published in the Hormones and Behavior Journal hints that action-packed movie clips could give you a mental edge during your workout routine. Pornagraphy spurred similar effects, not that you’d ever watch the stuff.
Get Hardcore
In the study, a group of highly-trained male athletes both improved and hurt their squat performance by watching several types of brief video clips. Saliva samples were taken from each athlete on six occasions, before and 15 minutes after watching a short, four minute video. The contents of the videos shown transcended wide ranges of categories: sad, erotic, aggressive, training-motivation, humorous, and neutral. Athletes then performed a squat workout, in which they targeted a three-repetition maximum lift. Results varied, but as you could imagine, boys will always be boys.
The Results
Significant increases in testosterone concentrations were noted when athletes viewed erotic and aggressive videos. Aggressive clips were actually doubly effective at raising men’s cortisol levels. So if your trying to break your record in the squat rack, Arnold Schwarzenegger movie clips and the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show are your friend. Whatever you do, keep Titanic and Old Yeller out of eyesight. Testosterone decreased significantly after sad clips were introduced to participants.
