
The Science of Exercising with Your Eyes Closed: Does It Enhance Muscle Activation?
Can closing your eyes during exercise improve your workout efficiency? Explore the intriguing science behind proprioception, muscle activation, and how sensory deprivation affects your performance.

đź’Ş Fitness Guru
57 min read · 16, Mar 2025

Introduction: The Curious Link Between Vision and Muscle Activation
We all know how essential it is to focus during a workout, but have you ever wondered how the simple act of closing your eyes could potentially enhance your performance? There’s more to exercise than just physical exertion — the body’s sensory systems play a pivotal role in optimizing muscle engagement, balance, and movement efficiency. The idea of closing your eyes during a workout might sound unconventional, but it has a basis in scientific research.
This article delves into the fascinating science behind exercising with your eyes closed, examining the connection between vision, proprioception, and muscle activation. Is there more to this than just a gimmick? Can sensory deprivation during exercise lead to improved results?
Understanding Proprioception: The Body’s Sixth Sense
Before diving into how closing your eyes affects muscle activation, it’s important to understand proprioception — a sense that allows you to perceive the position and movement of your body without relying on sight. Proprioception is often referred to as the body’s "sixth sense," and it plays a crucial role in maintaining balance, posture, and muscle coordination during physical activity.
Proprioceptors, specialized sensors located in muscles, joints, and tendons, relay information to the brain about the body’s position in space. These signals are vital for performing complex exercises and even basic movements. When you close your eyes during exercise, your brain becomes more reliant on proprioception, thereby increasing the demand for this system to guide your movements.
The Role of Vision in Exercise
While proprioception is a powerful sense, vision also plays an important role in physical activities. For many people, visual input provides essential feedback during exercise. For instance, when performing strength training exercises like squats or deadlifts, visual feedback helps individuals maintain proper form and adjust posture in real-time.
However, research has suggested that over-reliance on visual cues may sometimes hinder performance by reducing the activation of proprioceptive systems. This raises an interesting question: if vision is taken away, does the body adapt and rely more on proprioception, leading to greater muscle activation?
The Science Behind Closing Your Eyes During Exercise
When you close your eyes, you deprive your body of one major sensory input, forcing it to adapt by enhancing the efficiency of other senses. This sensory deprivation is known as “sensory reweighting” — the body shifts its reliance from vision to other sensory systems such as proprioception, vestibular (balance-related), and auditory senses.
Increasing Muscle Activation
A number of studies have explored how sensory deprivation can impact muscle activation. One of the main findings is that when vision is removed, the brain is forced to use proprioceptive feedback to a greater extent. This heightened reliance on proprioception can enhance neuromuscular coordination and result in better muscle engagement during certain exercises.
For example, research conducted by the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research revealed that participants who performed squats with their eyes closed exhibited increased activation of the quadriceps and glutes compared to those who performed the same exercise with their eyes open. The absence of visual input required the body to rely more on its proprioceptive feedback, which in turn engaged the muscles more effectively.
Improving Balance and Stability
Balance exercises, such as single-leg stands, are another area where closing your eyes can have a profound impact. In a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers found that closing the eyes during a balance test led to improved stability in participants who had previously struggled with maintaining equilibrium. The lack of visual cues forced their bodies to engage more muscle groups to maintain balance, leading to a greater overall muscle activation.
This concept is closely linked to the idea that proprioception can enhance both static and dynamic balance. With eyes closed, the body’s sense of spatial awareness and positioning is heightened, allowing for better motor control. This results in more efficient muscle recruitment and can lead to stronger, more stable movements.
Training the Brain for Better Coordination
The brain’s ability to adapt to changing conditions is known as neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity allows the body to improve its movement patterns, coordination, and overall performance over time. Closing your eyes during exercise can help train your brain to improve proprioception and motor control.
When vision is removed, the brain is forced to recalibrate how it processes spatial information. Over time, this adaptation can improve overall muscle coordination and increase strength in specific muscle groups. This is particularly beneficial in exercises that require fine motor control, such as kettlebell training, yoga, or Pilates.
The Impact on Core Muscles
A particularly notable area of muscle activation when exercising with closed eyes is the core. The core muscles, including the abdominals, obliques, and lower back muscles, play a fundamental role in stabilizing the body during almost all physical activities. When you close your eyes, the body must rely on its internal proprioceptive system to maintain posture and balance, leading to increased core muscle engagement.
Core Activation During Bodyweight Exercises
In exercises like planks, push-ups, and leg raises, closing your eyes forces the brain to rely on the proprioceptive feedback from the core to maintain position. This can result in a more intense and effective workout, as the body’s stabilizer muscles are called into action. Studies have shown that when performing such exercises with closed eyes, participants exhibit greater core activation compared to when they keep their eyes open.
Yoga and Pilates: Enhancing Mind-Body Connection
Both yoga and Pilates emphasize mind-body connection, which is essential for achieving optimal performance and muscle activation. In these practices, closing the eyes is often used as a technique to enhance focus and improve proprioceptive awareness. The removal of visual stimuli forces the practitioner to be more aware of their body’s alignment and movements, resulting in greater engagement of the muscles being worked.
In a study on yoga, participants who closed their eyes during poses reported feeling more connected to their bodies and experienced improved balance and posture. This heightened awareness leads to better muscle activation, especially in the core, lower body, and stabilizing muscles.
Cognitive and Psychological Benefits of Sensory Deprivation
While the physical benefits of closing your eyes during exercise are compelling, there are also cognitive and psychological advantages to sensory deprivation. Many athletes and fitness enthusiasts report that closing their eyes during workouts helps them achieve a heightened state of focus and mental clarity.
Mental Focus and Performance
By reducing external visual distractions, closing the eyes allows individuals to direct more of their attention inward. This creates an opportunity to enhance concentration and improve overall performance. The psychological aspect of exercise cannot be understated — mental focus often translates into better muscle engagement and more effective workouts.
Additionally, exercises with closed eyes may lead to a more meditative state, helping to reduce stress and anxiety. This can be especially beneficial in practices such as yoga and mindfulness-based training, where mental relaxation and physical exertion go hand in hand.
Reducing Visual Distractions
In some cases, visual distractions can interfere with optimal performance. Whether it's a busy gym environment or the temptation to check your form in the mirror, external visual stimuli can disrupt focus and hinder muscle activation. By closing your eyes, you eliminate these distractions, allowing for a more immersive and effective workout experience.
Potential Drawbacks and Considerations
While there are several benefits to exercising with your eyes closed, it’s important to approach this practice with caution. For some exercises, particularly those that involve heavy lifting or dynamic movements, closing your eyes could pose a safety risk.
Safety Risks and Injuries
Without visual input, there may be an increased risk of losing balance or misjudging distances, especially during exercises that involve complex movements or heavy weights. This is particularly true for exercises such as deadlifts, overhead presses, or barbell squats, where maintaining form and alignment is crucial for preventing injury.
It's also important to note that not all exercises benefit from having your eyes closed. Exercises that require a high degree of coordination and spatial awareness may be more challenging and potentially dangerous if performed without visual feedback.
Gradual Adaptation
If you’re new to the practice of exercising with your eyes closed, it’s essential to start slowly and gradually increase the difficulty level. Begin with exercises that are less risky and can be performed in a controlled environment. Focus on bodyweight exercises or stability training before incorporating closed-eye techniques into more complex lifts.
The Science of Sensory Reweighting: How Your Brain Adapts to Sensory Deprivation
As mentioned earlier, sensory reweighting occurs when the brain adjusts its reliance on different sensory inputs. When vision is removed, the body compensates by enhancing other sensory systems, such as proprioception, the vestibular system, and auditory inputs. This process isn’t instant; it involves the brain adapting over time to the new environment.
Proprioception and Sensory Reweighting
In the absence of visual information, proprioception becomes more crucial. For example, proprioceptors in the joints, muscles, and tendons work harder to help maintain balance, position, and movement control. The brain recalibrates to rely more on these signals, and as a result, muscle activation increases to stabilize and move the body.
Research by the Journal of Neurophysiology suggests that proprioception is a critical component in maintaining postural stability. In experiments, participants with their eyes closed were able to maintain a stable posture for longer periods than those with visual input. This suggests that the brain reweights the proprioceptive input to enhance muscle activation during exercises.
The Vestibular System’s Role
The vestibular system, responsible for detecting motion and spatial orientation, is another crucial sensory component that kicks in when vision is removed. This system helps control balance and spatial awareness, making it another critical piece of the puzzle when eyes are closed during exercise.
The vestibular system works closely with proprioception to ensure that we stay balanced while moving. When you're performing an exercise like a squat or lunge with your eyes closed, the vestibular system helps you maintain balance by coordinating muscle contractions in real-time. While this may not lead to a noticeable difference in balance immediately, regular use of sensory deprivation can significantly improve balance over time.
Enhancing Cognitive Function Through Sensory Deprivation
Interestingly, there are cognitive benefits associated with practicing exercises with your eyes closed. Studies have shown that the brain benefits from engaging in activities that challenge its ability to adapt to a new sensory landscape. By regularly engaging in sensory deprivation activities, like closing your eyes during certain exercises, your brain’s cognitive functions improve, particularly in the areas of focus, decision-making, and motor control.
A 2017 study published in the NeuroImage journal found that practicing tasks with sensory deprivation increased cognitive flexibility. Participants who performed movements with their eyes closed exhibited greater improvement in tasks requiring rapid decision-making, likely due to the brain's adaptation to managing more complex sensory inputs. This suggests that training with eyes closed could have broader benefits for mental agility and coordination beyond just physical muscle activation.
Sensory Deprivation and Coordination: Improving Motor Skills Over Time
Motor skills and coordination play a significant role in athletic performance. Whether you're training for a sport, trying to enhance overall fitness, or looking to refine movement techniques, practicing exercises with your eyes closed can lead to long-term improvements in motor coordination.
Enhancing Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor skills — those that require precise, small movements — can be improved by closing your eyes during specific exercises. Take, for instance, exercises like single-leg Romanian deadlifts or tricep kickbacks. When you close your eyes, the absence of visual feedback forces you to be more aware of subtle body movements and muscle engagement. This increased attention to movement patterns can enhance neuromuscular control, which translates to better fine motor skills during other tasks.
A study published in the Journal of Neurobiology demonstrated that exercises with visual deprivation, like closing your eyes during weight training, can improve fine motor skills by forcing the brain to rely on proprioception and kinesthetic feedback. These findings are particularly relevant for athletes, dancers, and individuals seeking to enhance their muscle control.
Improved Sports Performance Through Eyes-Closed Drills
Sports like tennis, basketball, and soccer often require quick adjustments in movement and strategy. The ability to shift focus from visual cues to proprioceptive feedback can enhance reaction time, agility, and coordination on the field. By closing the eyes during exercises such as lateral jumps, box jumps, or cone drills, athletes can enhance muscle activation and coordination.
For example, tennis players often close their eyes during footwork drills to sharpen their body’s ability to respond quickly to positional changes, relying more on their proprioceptive system. Similarly, basketball players can practice layups with their eyes closed to enhance core muscle engagement and leg power.
This concept is referred to as "sensory training," where athletes intentionally practice exercises that remove one or more senses to better adapt to their sport's dynamic nature. Over time, sensory training leads to better overall performance because it trains the brain and body to respond quickly and accurately to different stimuli, without relying solely on vision.
Which Exercises Are Best for Practicing with Eyes Closed?
Not all exercises will yield the same benefits when performed with eyes closed. Certain movements are better suited for sensory deprivation due to the nature of muscle engagement, balance, and coordination required.
Core-Engaging Exercises
As noted earlier, core exercises benefit significantly from closing your eyes. The plank, for example, is an exercise that engages many core muscles. By closing your eyes, you deprive the brain of visual feedback and force it to rely on proprioceptive cues to maintain the body’s alignment. As a result, the deep stabilizing muscles of the core are activated more intensely, leading to better engagement and strengthening over time.
Other great core exercises to perform with eyes closed include the Russian twist, leg raises, and bird-dog. These exercises require a solid balance between muscle control and stability, making them ideal for sensory deprivation training.
Balance and Stability Exercises
Exercises like the single-leg deadlift, standing leg raises, and balance board exercises are perfect candidates for closing your eyes. These exercises already demand a lot of balance and proprioception, and closing the eyes enhances the challenge. The brain must work harder to stabilize the body without the aid of vision, leading to better muscle engagement and coordination.
For example, in the single-leg deadlift, closing your eyes forces the brain to rely more heavily on proprioception to balance and coordinate the movement of the leg, core, and back muscles. The result is a more comprehensive workout that strengthens muscles and improves overall stability.
Dynamic Movements
Dynamic movements such as jump squats, lateral lunges, and burpees benefit from closing your eyes as they require a combination of strength, power, and coordination. By removing visual cues, the body has to rely more on proprioception and balance, enhancing muscle activation throughout the body.
In dynamic exercises that require changes in position or direction, the vestibular and proprioceptive systems take over when vision is not available. This improves the body’s ability to adjust quickly and perform more controlled, powerful movements.
Yoga and Pilates for Enhanced Mind-Body Connection
Both yoga and Pilates encourage mindful movement, and closing the eyes can take this practice even further. It allows individuals to tune into their body, improving alignment and muscle engagement. Many yoga poses, such as the tree pose or warrior III, require significant balance and stability. By closing the eyes, you heighten proprioceptive awareness, which leads to improved muscle engagement and better overall performance.
For Pilates enthusiasts, closing the eyes during exercises such as the teaser or scissor kicks challenges the core muscles to engage more deeply and maintain stability. The greater proprioceptive feedback forces the body to use its stabilizing muscles more effectively, increasing the intensity of the workout.
Integrating Eyes-Closed Exercises into Your Routine
So, how can you incorporate eyes-closed exercises into your workout routine for maximum benefit? It’s important to gradually introduce this concept and focus on exercises that are safe and effective when performed without visual input.
Start Slowly with Simple Movements
For beginners, it's best to start with bodyweight exercises that don’t involve heavy lifting or complex movements. Simple movements such as planks, glute bridges, or wall sits can be a great way to introduce sensory deprivation into your routine. As you become more comfortable, you can incorporate more challenging exercises that engage multiple muscle groups.
Progress to Compound Movements
Once you’ve mastered basic exercises with eyes closed, you can progress to more complex movements, such as squats, lunges, or even kettlebell swings. Start with lighter weights to ensure that you maintain form and stability while gradually increasing the challenge.
Use Sensory Deprivation Strategically
Integrating eyes-closed exercises doesn’t mean every workout should be done without vision. Instead, use this technique strategically during specific parts of your workout. For instance, you could close your eyes during the warm-up or the core-strengthening segment of your routine. Alternatively, close your eyes during the balance portion of your workout to increase engagement and muscle activation.
Conclusion: Embracing the Power of Sensory Deprivation for Enhanced Performance
Incorporating the practice of closing your eyes during exercise may seem like a simple change, but it offers significant potential to improve muscle activation, coordination, and overall performance. The science behind sensory deprivation, specifically the enhancement of proprioception and balance, highlights the brain's remarkable ability to adapt and optimize motor control when deprived of visual input. By forcing the brain to rely more on proprioceptive and vestibular feedback, individuals can develop greater neuromuscular coordination and improve their overall physical performance.
Closing your eyes during exercises such as squats, planks, or balance drills can lead to increased muscle engagement, particularly in the core and stabilizing muscles. These exercises benefit from sensory reweighting, where the body compensates for the lack of visual cues by heightening other senses. This increased reliance on proprioception allows the body to engage muscles more effectively, improving strength, stability, and coordination over time.
While the practice can offer numerous advantages, it's crucial to approach it with caution. Some exercises, especially those involving heavy lifting or complex movements, may carry a risk of injury if performed with eyes closed. Therefore, it’s important to start slowly, incorporating the technique into exercises that are safe and manageable before progressing to more advanced routines.
Overall, exercising with your eyes closed can be a valuable tool in any fitness regimen. It can provide a new challenge for both beginners and experienced athletes, helping them break through plateaus and gain a deeper connection with their body. So, the next time you work out, consider closing your eyes for a more intense and focused experience — your muscles might thank you for it.
Q&A
Q: Can closing my eyes during exercise improve my workout performance?
A: Yes, closing your eyes can help improve muscle activation, balance, and coordination by encouraging your body to rely more on proprioception and other sensory feedback systems, leading to better performance.
Q: Are there specific exercises that benefit most from closing my eyes?
A: Exercises that require balance, stability, and core engagement, such as planks, single-leg deadlifts, squats, and yoga poses, benefit greatly from sensory deprivation.
Q: Is it safe to perform exercises with eyes closed?
A: While it can be safe when performed properly, exercises that involve heavy weights or high-intensity movements should be approached with caution. Start with low-risk exercises and progress gradually.
Q: Can closing my eyes help me build core strength?
A: Yes, closing your eyes increases the reliance on proprioception, which in turn activates the stabilizing muscles of the core more effectively, helping to build strength over time.
Q: How does proprioception contribute to better muscle activation when eyes are closed?
A: Proprioception, the sense of body position and movement, becomes more dominant when you close your eyes. The brain adapts by relying on this sensory feedback to maintain balance and coordination, which activates muscles more deeply.
Q: Is closing my eyes during yoga or Pilates beneficial?
A: Absolutely. Both yoga and Pilates emphasize mind-body connection. Closing your eyes can heighten proprioception, helping you focus more on your posture, alignment, and muscle engagement.
Q: What are the cognitive benefits of exercising with my eyes closed?
A: Closing your eyes during exercise can improve focus, mental clarity, and cognitive flexibility. It challenges the brain to rely more on internal feedback, enhancing decision-making and motor control.
Q: How long should I practice closing my eyes during exercise?
A: Start with short intervals (5-10 minutes) and progressively increase the duration as you become more comfortable. It’s important to listen to your body and focus on form to avoid injury.
Q: Will I see immediate results by exercising with my eyes closed?
A: You may notice improved balance and muscle activation in the short term, but the full benefits will likely become evident with consistent practice over weeks or months.
Q: Can athletes benefit from exercising with their eyes closed?
A: Yes, athletes can greatly benefit. Sensory deprivation helps improve coordination, reaction time, and spatial awareness, all of which are crucial in sports requiring quick adjustments and precise movement.
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