Whenever
I’m asked the question, “Do you lifts weights?” I will usually answer with “Well, sort of.” While it is true that weights are the primary tools used in my workout program, I don’t just “Lift things up and put them down!” Rather I am interested in using resistance for the purpose of stimulating my muscles.
Unfortunately, it seems that too often people go to the gym with the goal of improving their physique but what they really end up doing is carelessly pushing weights around. They seem to have no connection at all to the muscle contractions involved in the exercises they are performing. However, for me, training is all about the mind-muscle connection.
Having a strong mind-muscle connection allows one to focus on the ‘quality’ of each repetition rather than just the act of moving a given resistance from ‘Point A’ to ‘Point B’. It is about having an intimate awareness of the sensations throughout the full range of motion of each repetition. There is a deep connection to one’s breathing as it relates to each movement, mindfully exhaling during the concentric phase and inhaling throughout the eccentric phase. Additionally, when one trains with this mindset, there is laser-focused attention on performing each repetition with proper biomechanics.
I was first exposed to the idea of the ‘mind-muscle connection’ through various bodybuilding publications when I started training seriously back in the mid 1980’s. This approach was further enhanced when I started practicing yoga and learned about a concept called ‘Playing the edge’.
When you are ‘playing the edge’, you move with extreme awareness, pushing into the edge of sensation without ever crossing over into the danger zone. You are working hard enough to create a positive adaptation while minimizing the potential for injury.
Having a strong mind-muscle connection can also help one have a deep awareness of the ‘internal feedback’ their body is sending them. This valuable information helps one really ‘tune-in’ to what is most appropriate during a given exercise session. While I certainly believe in the importance of following a training plan designed to realize one’s specific physique goals, sometimes it may need to be tempered and modified according to the internal feedback your body is sending you.
For example, a low energy day may mean actually reducing one’s loads, sets, and reps rather than attempting to ‘out-do’ what you did during the previous training session. Sometimes it may mean completely abandoning the planned workout for the day in favor of taking a day of active or even passive recovery.
On other days your energy may be higher than usual so you may find you can actually push harder than you initially thought. In this situation you would be doing a disservice to yourself to set a pre-determined limitation on yourself. Renowned College Strength and Conditioning Coach Robert Dos Remedios said it best when he said, “You’ll never get that day back!” So the key is to learn to listen to the signals your body is sending you and make the necessary adjustments.
I have found that it is much easier to push harder on a high energy day than to back down on a lower energy day. One might feel guilty backing down and concerned that they are missing out on an opportunity to continue to improve. However, knowing when to back down can actually lead to better long-term results (and less risk of injury) because you are listening to the messages your body is sending you which in the long-run will actually help you make greater gains.
I have no doubt that when one trains with this mind-muscle connection they will experience their training in a whole new way, both in terms of enhancing one’s enjoyment of the training process as well as optimizing their results!
A final side-note: In my work as a fitness professional, I have found that a great tool for helping folks learn to really feel the different muscle contractions is to use elastic resistance tubing. This is because you really have to focus on each contraction since it eliminates the use of momentum. This really helps one develop more kinesthetic awareness which can then be transferred to other modalities of resistance training.
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