The Hidden Brain Trick That Can Make Exercise Feel Easier

An international team of researchers is studying how vibration applied to tendons influences how people experience physical effort during exercise.

Why does a brief jog leave some people feeling worn out while others appear to run with ease?

Training level and muscle strength explain part of the difference, but the brain also has an important influence, especially in how hard an activity feels.

Effort refers to the energy we use to perform actions like running, pedalling, or lifting weights. Yet effort is not only a physical quantity that can be measured. It is also a personal sensation that differs from one individual to another.

How we perceive effort strongly shapes whether we choose to be active and how well we perform. When exercise feels overwhelming, people are more likely to stop or avoid it. When it feels manageable, activity becomes more enjoyable and motivation increases.

This raises an intriguing possibility. What if perceived effort could be reduced, making it easier for people to push past the feeling that “it’s too difficult”?

Benjamin Pageaux, a professor in the School of Kinesiology and Physical Activity Sciences at Université de Montréal, is investigating this idea alongside three researchers from the University Savoie Mont Blanc in France as part of an international research project.

Pedalling made easier

In a recent study, the research team examined whether applying vibration to tendons with a wearable vibrating device could lower how hard cycling feels.

During the experiment, volunteers rode a stationary bicycle in a laboratory setting. Each participant completed two conditions, one with tendon vibration applied before cycling and one without it.

In the vibration test condition, the device strapped to their Achilles and knee tendons was activated for 10 minutes before they began cycling.

The participants then had to pedal for three minutes at a level of effort perceived as moderate or intense, adjusting their pedalling to match the prescribed intensity.

The results were clear: participants exhibited higher power output and heart rate after tendon vibration than without vibration. They exerted more effort, even though their perceived effort was the same.

Altered neuronal signals

The researchers are also interested in understanding the neurophysiological mechanisms behind the effect of tendon vibration on perceived effort. Although the exact mechanisms are still unknown, Pageaux has a few hypotheses.

“Depending on the amplitude and frequency of the vibration, we can either excite or inhibit neurons in the spinal cord,” he said. “Also, prolonged vibration changes the reactivity of the neuromuscular spindles and alters the signal sent to the brain.”

In other words, by modifying the information sent to the brain, the participants’ perception of movement and effort was altered, making them feel the exercise was less demanding, even though their muscles were actually working harder.

Promoting exercise

Although the results are promising, research on tendon vibration is still in its preliminary stages.

“It hasn’t been tested in a marathon, only during a short, three-minute cycling exercise,” Pageaux cautioned. “Still, this is the first time it’s been shown to work with this type of exercise.”

The next step is to delve deeper into what’s happening in the brain. The team plans to use techniques such as electroencephalography and magnetic resonance imaging to observe how tendon vibration affects brain activity during exertion.

They’re also exploring the opposite effect: how pain and fatigue can increase the perception of effort and make physical activity more challenging.

Ultimately, these studies aim to develop techniques that reduce the perception of effort in order to encourage sedentary individuals to exercise more.

“By gaining a better understanding of how the brain evaluates the link between effort and perceived reward during exercise, we hope to promote more regular physical activity,” Pageaux said. “And we all know how essential staying active is for our health and well-being!”

Reference: “Prolonged passive vibration of Achilles and patellar tendons decreases effort perception during subsequent cycling tasks” by Florian Marchand, Benjamin Pageaux, Nicolas Forestier and Florian Monjo, 24 May 2025, Journal of Sport and Health Science.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jshs.2025.101061

This work was supported by the French National Research Agency (Agence Nationale de la Recherche, ANR, Grant No. ANR-23-CE37-0014) for the EffortLESS Project.

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