Ditch the Pre-Workout Scroll: How Your Phone Might Be Sabotaging Your Gym Gains

We all know the struggle: you hit the gym, pumped and ready to conquer your workout, then...bam! Your phone beckons. A quick scroll through Instagram, a reply to a text, and suddenly your pre-workout focus is MIA. But hold on a sec, holistic hotties – that mindless pre-workout phone fiddling might be hurting your gains more than you think.

A recent Brazilian study throws some shade on our pre-workout phone habits. It found that just 30 minutes of social media scrolling before a sweat session can leave you feeling way more wiped out than you should. The study participants who scrolled felt significantly more exertion and estimated they could lift fewer reps compared to those who watched a documentary before their workout. Whoa!

Now, this study was on the smaller side, and more research is needed. But it's a wake-up call to consider how your phone use might be impacting your gym time. Ever feel mentally drained before you even start lifting? Ditch the phone! A pre-workout phone break might be exactly what you need to bring your A-game to your training.

Listen, staying connected is important, but so are your fitness goals. Next time you hit the gym, consider leaving your phone locked away in your locker. Focus on your workout, give it your all, and you might just surprise yourself with the results (and newfound motivation) you unlock.

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References:

Sun H, Soh KG, Roslan S, Wazir MRWN, Soh KL. Does mental fatigue affect skilled performance in athletes? A systematic review. PLoS One. 2021 Oct 14;16(10):e0258307.

Stroop, JR. Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 18, 643-662.

Lima-Junior D de, Fortes LS, Ferreira MEC, Gantois P, Barbosa BT, Albuquerque MR, et al. Effects of smartphone use before resistance exercise on inhibitory control, heart rate variability, and countermovement jump. Appl Neuropsychol Adult. 2021 Nov 8;1–8.

Gantois P, Lima-Júnior D de, Fortes L de S, Batista GR, Nakamura FY, Fonseca F de S. Mental Fatigue From Smartphone Use Reduces Volume-Load in Resistance Training: A Randomized, Single-Blinded Cross-Over Study. Percept Mot Skills. 2021 Aug;128(4):1640–59.