If you do strength sports, you may have heard of the mind muscle connection . Or a personal training has dropped the term once. Literally translated it means: mind muscle connection. In other words, the connection between your brain and muscles. This mind-muscle connection could lead to more muscle growth . You can read how that works in this article.
Your muscles work because your brain gives signals. When picking up a ball, the brain says "bend your knees, straighten your arm, spread your fingers and wrap them around the ball."
If you want to pick up a suitcase, it seems to go almost automatically in terms of movement. It's such an everyday movement that you don't have to think about it consciously. You grab the handle and know how to generate enough force to pick it up.
You already have an idea of the weight of your own suitcase and the muscle strength you will be using. But what if someone emptied the suitcase without your knowing? Then the suitcase shoots into the air , because your brain has still given the same command .
Movements we don't know can look very easy. Still, we have to practice them a few times before we can. The mind-muscle connection still has to be made with new movements.
The mind muscles connection is all about achieving better muscle development if you focus on the muscle (s) during training . Of course when possible. With full body workouts it is impossible to concentrate on everything.
That focus is possible, for example, when training only biceps through a simple workout with a weight
Tightening and relaxing the way you want with the aim of optimal training and optimal muscle development.
That focus on the movement also ensures more concentration on the proper execution of the movement . In other words, the technique. And technology is not only important to prevent injuries . With the right technique, perform the exercise optimally for muscle development .
Every time you concentrate and perform an exercise properly, it strengthens the mind muscle connection. The brain learns to perform the movement properly . A 'bad' performance quickly feels strange.
In a 2014 study at Ohio University's Heritage Osteopathic School of Medicine, led by lead researcher Brian Clark, 29 volunteers had their wrists wrapped in surgical casts for four weeks. Half of the participants were asked to sit still for five minutes a week for 11 minutes a day and visualize their wrist flexion motionless. The other group did nothing. When all the plaster casts were removed, the researchers found that the wrist muscles in the subjects in the observation group were twice as strong as the wrist muscles in the control group. (Clark et al., 2014).
This study builds on previous research conducted at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in 2002. In this three-month study, the researchers asked subjects in one group to exercise their pinky fingers. The subjects in the second group were asked to concentrate intensely on bending the same finger but not moving it. The scientists took muscle measurements on the fingers before, during, and after each session. While subjects who actually did physical work increased their finger strength by an average of 53% at the end of the study, subjects who focused mentally on the image of flexing their fingers increased their strength by 13.5%, or almost a third more . as a training group (Ranganthan et al., 2002).
While this research sounds intriguing in theory, who goes to the gym to exercise their pinky fingers? Fortunately, a recent study published in the European Journal of Exercise Physiology offers real relevance to the mind-muscle connection theory and an evidence-based explanation of the physical reward for the mental exertion of your exercise.
Research has investigated whether targeting specific muscles (chest and triceps) while benching can actually improve the performance of those muscles. The subjects performed the bench press under three different conditions: (1) without focusing on any particular part of the muscle; (2) while focusing on main chest muscle contraction; and (3) while focusing on flexing the triceps muscles. In each of these three circumstances, subjects bench press at 20%, 40%, 50%, 60%, and 80% of their predetermined maximum of 1 repetition (1-RM). The results showed that muscle activity increased when weightlifters focused their attention on the two target muscles, but only up to 60% of their 1-RM (Calatayud et al., 2016).
Why only up to 60% 1-RM? Making a mental connection with the muscle you are moving takes focus, attention, and focus. And that can only happen using weights that you can manage, like the 20-60% 1 RM range used in the study. If you are lifting a weight at 80% of your 1-RM, it is likely that all of your mental focus is solely on lifting that weight, rather than mentally connecting to the quality and intensity of the movement. However, while still lifting a difficult but manageable weight that is 20-60% of your 1-RM, you can mentally focus on the "quality" of the lift. It's the mind-muscle connection in action.
How do you practically create that mind-muscle connection when you are lifting? Try these two helpful tips to create a deeper connection between your mind and your muscles:
- Move slowly. Raise concentrically for 2 seconds, hold at maximum contraction for 1 second, then return eccentrically to the starting position for 3 seconds. The more tension you have, the more your muscles have to work and the more you have to work. Time. connect mentally. Muscle movement
- Lift with your eyes closed. Not only does this remove visual distractions, but it also deepens the mind-muscle connection by allowing you to visualize the contraction and relaxation of muscle fibers. Note: This should not be done if you have imbalance, lifting heavy loads, or doing an exercise that requires positioning assistance.
Internal and external focused attention
Focused attention is the brain's ability to focus on a particular activity for a period of time. It's a huge part of cognitive development and works well during strength training.
Two types of attention are important during exercise: inner focus and outer focus. Internal focus is when you focus on the details of what your body is doing. For example, during a seizure, your mind focuses on contracting your front abs while flexing your spine.
External attention is how your body relates to the environment during exercise. For example, on a leg press, the external approach is to use your feet to move the platform away from your torso. Although external and internal focus improves performance, the evidence shows that internal focus plays a much more important role in muscle growth and development.
To improve the mind-muscle connection, focus your attention on the muscles that are needed to move the weight. For example, when curling biceps, think about how the muscles at the front of the arm contract to shift the weight towards the shoulder. (This applies to all strength exercises).
Choosing one cue at a time
Cueing is a tool used by coaches and trainers to help clients improve movement and performance. You can use the signals yourself to improve your brain's connection to the right muscle fibers. Pay attention to your form and write down what you want to work on.
When you've found a few clues, work in turn. Take the bench press, for example. You set up the bar, lowered it, and pushed onto the bar.
The first signal that is worked on is the right setup. To do this, you need to lay your body on the bench, press and hold it on your torso, and safely remove the bar from the frame. Focus on these skills before your brain automatically adjusts itself to the correct shape.
Once this skill is learned, lower the bar further with a strong mind-muscle connection. Developing your skills over time will help improve alertness as you will focus on moving in segments rather than trying to master everything at once.
More time under tension
Time under tension during strength training is an essential part of building muscle. The more time you spend under tension during a lift, the more your muscles grow and get stronger. The time under tension can be increased in a number of ways.
One option is to take a break during maximum contraction. For example, you can maintain gluteal pressure on the top of a bridge, pause in a bent position during a bicep curl, or hold it on the bottom of a push-up.
Another option is to slow down the eccentric or lying part of the exercise. Adding a 3 second eccentric movement improves your mind-muscle connection as your mind automatically focuses on controlling the slowest movement.
In addition, isometric contractions are another great way to add time to tension and improve the way your brain contacts muscles. Planks are a great example of isometric contractions. Loaded cars, isometric pull-ups, and iso-hold squats are some other ideas.
Turn off distractions
It's a mistake to believe that people can multitask, and it's not just about petting your head while rubbing your stomach. It may seem easier to quit your workout when you shift your focus from pain to your gains.
However, the opposite is true. By turning off distractions, including the phone and television, your brain can focus on the task at hand. Music is a great way to energize your body and start exercising. However, you should save your audiobooks and podcasts for the treadmill.
Putting it all together
Your mind has many ways to connect with your muscles while you exercise. Pick one thing at a time to focus on and develop that skill as you become more attuned to your body.
If you are new to the sport, the first thing to do is turn off all distractions. Eccentric contractions are the easiest to learn and a great way to build muscle quickly. If you are a gym veteran, focus on concentric and isometric contracts and creating cues in your workout to help you realize your muscle building potential.
0 Comments