polishmob sparked an idea for me to create of post detailing what i know about mind/muscle connection and what techniques i guess you could say i use to apply it, but even more important so i can get everyone else's opinions and feedback on it.

through learning to use this connection i've been able to develop much fuller, rounder, and denser muscles while emphasizing seperation and definition. almost all of this i learned to explain and put into words through watching kai greene's youtube videos (really like that dude, super humble and even softspoken in a way), and up until then it was something i couldn't really adequately explain, it was just something you had to feel before you understood.

now, i developed this connection first by learning how to flex each muscle individually as best as i could in the mirror believe it or not. i'd spend a good amount of time everyday in front of the mirror just practicing - for the longest time i couldn't even flex/bounce my pecs and they were almost as big as they are now!! (i got big QUICK natty thanks to the penitentiary giving me plenty of time to concentrate on nothing other than lifting).

once i got better and better at flexing my muscles, i began with fairly light weight in each exercise, and at the top of each rep i'd SQUEEEEZe aka flex the shit out of whatever muscle being worked. first and best way i've ever achieved those skin splitting pumps we all chase and fiend for! as i got better i learned to concentrate and THINK about each muscle, nothing else, focusing on the eccentric (negative) portion of the rep and taking it down nice and slow, feeling the stretch, and back up again feeling and concentrating on the contraction, the concentric (positive) of the rep, and just that muscle group the whole way through.

little tricks i've picked up to help make this easier for me and not just some abstract unattainable voodoo like i once thought are simple - when doing bicep curls i pin my elbows to my sides, and think about nothing but pulling up with my bicep, my forearm muscles don't exist in that moment. nothing moves on my body but my elbow joint and bicep extending and contracting into the top squeeze.

another example would be on dumbbell flys - sounds obvious to pull with just your pecs, but it's easier said than done, for me anyways. i just mentally think of nothing but my pecs through both portions of the rep, and flex the shit outta my chest at the top, almost squeezing them together as if i'm preparing for a bro to give me the chili dog (no homo). same goes for bent over rows with my back, only i squeeze my shoulder blades together and think about pulling with nothing but my back, cancelling out biceps as much as possible. squats and leg presses, i concentrate on driving strictly through my heels on the way up and start the motion almost as if i'm going to sit in a chair rather than starting the motion at my knees if that makes sense.

i try not to rock, sway, or throw the weight (cheat reps) until the very end of my sets when i'm a few deep already and starting to fatigue bad. cheat reps completely eliminate any mind/muscle connection for me, but they allow me to get those extra reps and an even more intense pump. my goal is to never have to cheat on more than 3 reps though, and for me when form gets sacraficed, so does the mind/muscle connection.

i'm very curious to see what helps all you homies when it comes to this invaluable technique to bodybuilding, and really hope to see a lotta guys hookin it up with some solid input and advice to help me/us develop even further