How to Use Progressive Muscle Relaxation as a Performance Skill
While stress and anxiety are often thought of as happening in our mind, it can also affect our bodies. Muscle tension from stress and anxiety can become so habitual that we might not even realize it’s happening. Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a technique used to reduce stress and anxiety by sequentially tensing and relaxing muscles throughout the body. This can help athletes become more aware of the tension they hold in their bodies while actively releasing that tension.
How to Do Progressive Muscle Relaxation
To start PMR, sit down and settle into a chair with your feet planted firmly on the ground. Either close your eyes or soften your gaze. Take a few deep breaths and feel yourself begin to relax.
First, bring your awareness down to your feet and wiggle your toes. Notice if they feel numb, tingly, ticklish, sore, warm or cold. Whatever sensation you find is okay. Now, squeeze your toes and make them into a giant toe fist, putting as much energy and tension into this as you can. As you squeeze harder, notice what it feels like to bring tension into your body. Squeeze more and then relax. Allow the blood to flow free as you release the tension. Observe any sensations. Repeat this again, tensing and relaxing your toes for a second time.
Continue moving up your body and alternating between tension and relaxation for each of the remaining muscle groups. Remember to keep breathing as you complete two rounds of tension and relaxation on each muscle group. Below is a possible PMR muscle sequence. However, PMR can be adapted to create a script that is most comfortable and appropriate for you.
PMR Sequence
Calves: Imagine you are doing a calf raise and squeeze and relax your calf muscles.
Quads: Imagine you are doing a wall squat and squeeze and relax your quad muscles.
Glutes and hamstrings: Imagine you are doing a wall squat and squeeze and relax your glutes and hamstrings.
Hands: Make a fist and put as much tension in your fist as you can before releasing.
Biceps and triceps: Imagine you are doing a pull-up and feel and release the tension in your biceps and triceps.
Shoulders: Imagine you are doing a row and feel and release the tension in your shoulder muscles.
Face: Imagine you are biting into a sour lemon and squeeze and relax your eyes, forehead, cheeks, and jaw.
Body Scan
Once you have finished tensing and relaxing each muscle group, sit quietly and complete a body scan. A body scan involves focusing your attention on different parts of your body and simply observing any sensation without judgment. To do this, imagine that you have a scanning wand that allows you to observe the sensations in your body. Use your imaginary wand to scan the following parts of your body without judgement.
Possible Body Scan Sequence
Head, neck, and shoulder: Is there tension? Soreness? Fatigue?
Biceps, triceps, elbow, forearm, hands, and fingers: Is there warmth? Coolness? Tickling?
Chest and abdomen: Take a deep breath and notice any sensations.
Neck and spine: Take another deep breath and notice any sensations.
Glutes and hamstrings: Simply notice any sensations.
Quads: Simply notice any sensations.
Shins, calves, ankles, and toes: Notice any warmth, coolness, and numbness.
As you go through the body scan, remember that any sensation you feel is okay. Simply notice and observe each sensation without judgment. As you finish your body scan at your toes, begin to wiggle them and notice how your sensations change. Then, start to focus outside of yourself, listening to what is happening around you. When you are ready, open your eyes.
When used regularly and effectively, PMR has been found to improve athletic performance by improving cognitive abilities and sleep quality and reducing muscle stiffness and anxiety. PMR has also been proven helpful at reducing aggressive tendencies, which may be helpful for athletes who struggle to control their emotions. Additionally, PMR has proven effective at supporting injury recovery by regulating physiological stress responses and managing pain.
PMR has also been found to be helpful for female athletes experiencing hormonal fluctuations. Research has shown that an eight-week PMR intervention significantly reduced premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms. Similarly, PMR has been proven effective at reducing anxiety and mood disturbances during menstruation.
With these benefits in mind, it is recommended that PMR is integrated into an athlete’s routines. Athletes can use PMR and the body scan before sleep or competition to help both the body and mind relax. PMR should also be used during injury recovery to manage pain and stress. Athletes should ultimately strive to practice PMR with a body scan once per day to build its effectiveness.
At Athlete Insight, we offer individual counseling to help athletes conceptualize PMR and the body scan as it relates to performance. We help them figure out how to break PMR and the body scan into smaller, effective action that they can use before and during performance.
With the right support, athletes can utilize PMR and the body scan to boost their performance and recovery.