The truth is that it is the complete opposite. Now this is might really piss off all the bodybuilders and pump class enthusiasts out there. Actually when I think about it, this will piss off the majority of gym goers and personal trainers too (especially here on the Gold Coast.)
Form on all exercises and movements is a combination of strength, efficiency and safety of the performance. Most importantly, eye-hand, eye-foot and body-appartus coordination is paramount when learning and performing any kind of movements. One of the best ways of improving these types of coordination is to actually diminish or block input from other sensory systems like the eyes1. Training with weights or even performing Olympic lift movements blindfolded is a valuable way of enhancing technical skills and producing more strength and power. Now contrary to what you may imagine, research has shown that exercises are performed with greater precision and stability when the eyes are closed or in darkness2. The performer remembers joint angles, how much muscle tension to use, range of movement and movement pattern best with eyes closed and can reproduce them more easily. Plus when they perform the movement with eyes open (after perfecting it with eyes closed), the performer’s technical skill improves3.
Blindfolding of athletes performing technique in their chosen sport (not just lifting weights) is even recommended. With some common sense and a little ingenuity to ensure the safety of athletes, many coaches have devised ways so athletes can perform movements in their sport blindfolded to great benefit4.
Because much of this research was completed on Russian Olympic lifters, this is the reason why you will never find a weightlifting club with mirrors in their facility. Having trained out a weightlifting hall myself, the training focus is massively higher when there are no mirrors to distract the trainees. Also from a practicing exercise physiologist’s or strength coach’s point of view, you do not need them. In the CCPC here on the Gold Coast, we actually utilize a lot of video analysis to demonstrate where trainees may be going wrong. This enables our Gold Coast athletes to concentrate inwardly on the making the correct muscles perform the movement. And not worrying about how they look...
Just to finish, I thought I would leave you with Brooks Kubrik’s (author of Dinosaur Training) unique take on the use of mirrors while training:
“Does an Olympic Lifter use a mirror to check form on the snatch or clean and jerk? Heck, no! Then why would you need to “check your form” on a relatively simple and undemanding exercise such as a barbell curl?”
“If mirrors were necessary, how could any of us do bench presses without having mirrors on the ceiling?”
“Mirrors actually make injuries happen. How? By distracting the lifter. When you look in a mirror, you focus on something outside of your body… and if any self proclaimed expert tells you to “always train in front of a mirror”, drop a big dumbbell on his head, grab your wallet and run like hell”
Great points and who am I to argue?
References
1. Siff, M.C. "Supertraining", Supertraining Institute: Denver USA (2003)
2. Roman, R. (1986) "Trenirovka Tyazheloatleta (Training of the Weightlifter)", Fizkultura i Sport, Moscow
3. Siff, M.C. "Supertraining", Supertraining Institute: Denver USA (2003)
4. Siff, M.C. "Supertraining", Supertraining Institute: Denver USA (2003)