OnFitness Magazine - March/April 2022 - 55

55 WWW.ONFITNESSMAG.COM | VOL 22 NO 5 | 2022
straightforward - or crooked, depending on how you
view it, eyes closed, of course (all puns intended).
Visual imagery spatial referencing elimination
training consists of simply turning your body slightly
in one direction or another, just enough so that it's
positioned at a slight angle relative to the various
straight lines in your surroundings (walls, squat rack,
platform, benches, other equipment, etc.), then
performing the movement with eyes closed. Yes, it's
that simple.
Essentially, this slight body adjustment creates a
situation in which your body and field of vision are
no longer aligned relative to the grid-like arrangement
of your surroundings, making it difficult, if not
impossible, to use your surroundings as a visual, or
mental, reference map to gauge your alignment and
body positioning. This is particularly true under eyesclosed
conditions yet also applicable under eyes-open
conditions.
Note about symmetrical misalignment
Most individuals have a preference for turning in one
direction over the other based on their ocular
dominance. For instance, disrupting your spatial
referencing by turning to, say, your left feels more
natural and comfortable in terms of positioning your
body and tuning into your nervous system than
turning to your right. Therefore, it's important to mix
it up every set, if possible, to ensure that you don't
become adapted to one particular setup.
Seven levels of visual elimination training
Level one: your eyes open, your body aligned with the
surroundings, and using a mirror while performing
the movement. This should rarely be used other than
for an occasional glance and periodic checkup.
Level two: your eyes open, your body aligned with
the surroundings, no mirror.
Level three: your eyes open, your body not
aligned with the surroundings.
Level four: your eyes closed, your body aligned
with the surroundings, periodic opening of your eyes
between repetitions to regain spatial orientation.
Level five: your eyes closed, your body aligned
with the surroundings, your eyes kept closed for the
duration of the set.
Level six: your eyes closed after your body is
turned and no longer aligned with the surroundings
(that is, step out of the rack, turn slightly to one
direction, then close your eyes and start your set).
This is the form of visual imagery spatial referencing
elimination training recommended to be used in most
cases.
Level seven: your eyes closed before your body is
turned and no longer aligned with the surroundings
(that is, step out of the rack, close your eyes, then
turn slightly in one direction and start your set).
This is a more advanced form of visual imagery
spatial referencing elimination training and should
only be performed if you have complete confidence
in your ability to control the load and turn your
body while keeping your eyes closed. With that said,
movements that start from the ground, such as
deadlifts, or even Olympic lifts, can be performed by
keeping your eyes closed while turning the load and
positioning yourself out of alignment with your
surroundings before lifting the weight. Ultimately,
this allows for the highest level of visual imagery
spatial referencing elimination training to occur
without the safety issues associated with turning
your body while keeping your eyes closed and
holding heavy loads.
If visual imagery spatial referencing
elimination training is so effective,
why not use it exclusively?
Although visual imagery spatial referencing
elimination training is extremely effective, it should
make up more than roughly fifty percent of your
training. In reality, all of the seven levels of visual
elimination training should be implemented to some
degree in your training. This includes the rare use of
the mirror for occasional visual checkups.
Additionally, while the visual imagery spatial
referencing elimination training system may be one
of the most effective ways to optimize movement
mastery and enhance proprioceptive feedback,
periodically including eyes-open protocols that
involve positions that are perfectly centered or
square with your environment is still very
important.
That's because your visual system needs to be
periodically recalibrated in the context of both
external and internal sensory inputs to adapt to the
neurophysiological re-wiring produced by visual
imagery spatial referencing elimination training.
Simply, visual imagery spatial referencing elimination
training may help address imbalances and
asymmetries, including those associated with ocular
dominance by, in essence, re-setting your
neuromuscular system. Once this occurs, however, it's
important to recalibrate and integrate external visual
system signals with the enhanced somatosensory and
neuromuscular system signals and motor functions of
the brain.
The best of both worlds for
strength and size
Although the eyes-closed protocols such as visual
imagery spatial referencing elimination training likely
help maximize movement mastery and proprioceptive
feedback, most folks will have to use slightly lighter
loads. However, over time the load you can handle
with your eyes closed should approximate that
handled with your eyes open. With that said, keeping
your eyes open while your body is out of alignment
with your surroundings (level three) may represent
the best of both worlds by maximizing overload while
at the same time improving muscle function and
proprioception.
That's because misalignment with your
surroundings removes the usual focal points used as a
spatial reference to maintaining alignment and body
position, forcing you to rely more on your sense of
feel. However, keeping your eyes open minimizes the
elements of instability introduced when your eyes are
closed, therefore balance is minimally disrupted.
So while it's not exactly visual imagery spatial
referencing elimination training because your still
relying on your sense of sight for the duration of the
set, it could be considered spatial referencing
elimination. Simply, spatial referencing elimination
may allow you to simultaneously maximize overload
and sense of feel by providing enough visual
feedback to maintain a high degree of balance and
stability while at the same time eliminating your
ability to rely on spatial referencing for body
alignment. Z
Birddog
push-up
This advanced
exercise is great for
core stability and fatloss
goals. First, start
from a standard pushup
position. Then,
perform a regular
push-up, except at the
top of the push-up, lift
your right arm and left
leg like a Birddog. This
is one repetition.
It's important to note
that the Birddog
needs to be
performed at the end
of the lift, not at the
beginning or middle of
the movement.
The timing of the
Birddog optimizes
safety and
effectiveness. For
optimal results,
perform three sets of
ten to twenty
repetitions, with each
side counting as one
repetition.
This exercise is a lot
harder than it sounds
and is great for those
in a time crunch and
in need of putting
together a quick
workout circuit.
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OnFitness Magazine - March/April 2022

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