Kinesthetic Awareness

[mhansbrough]

Just out of curiosity, does anyone on the forum ever perform the classical lifts with their eyes closed? I dn't see this mentioned much in the American literature, but have read a lot about it in some of the Russian texts. The ideal method is to close your eyes and have the lights out, but I'm not sure how practical (or safe) that is and it would depend on your particular training environment. I do this on some of my warm up sets with an empty bar and very light weights. I definitely get a better sense of what my body and the bar is doing.

[glennpendlay]

I have never really tried this, but one of my lifters, Jared Enderton, did do it before he came to train with me... I will tell him this thread is here and see if he will comment on it.

[crackyflipside]

Originally Posted by mhansbrough

Just out of curiosity, does anyone on the forum ever perform the classical lifts with their eyes closed? I dn't see this mentioned much in the American literature, but have read a lot about it in some of the Russian texts. The ideal method is to close your eyes and have the lights out, but I'm not sure how practical (or safe) that is and it would depend on your particular training environment. I do this on some of my warm up sets with an empty bar and very light weights. I definitely get a better sense of what my body and the bar is doing.

Actually the ideal method is to just have someone near a light switch before you lift. Next best thing is a soft cloth blindfold and closing the eyes is the easiest but it affects lifting slightly. Lights off is difficult to coach so next best thing is the blindfold. I've tried it out for shits and giggles and it really intensifies your awareness of body positions. It would be pretty good if you want a workout with an extremely high level of mental exhaustion with the lightest weights. I never tried doing it beyond warm-up weights, though, too scary.

[mhansbrough]

You're right. The idea is to not have to concentrate on actually closing your eyes so your full concentration is on body awareness. I too have never tried it with anything other than very light weights. Although I would give it a shot if I had the opportunity as I think it can be benficial.