What are your thoughts on mind to muscle connection and increase in growth due to this?
I have read stuidies over the years that suggest concentrating and focusing mentally on the ares/s you are working out whilst in the gym will combine to help muscle growth, sounds like common sence and I use this focus technique and get more from my workouts and thus no doubt more growth as a consequence... but its often an overlooked factor and dismissed point blank by a few people I have discussed this with like ha ha don't be silly then they go on with terrible form and groan and grunt quantiy over quality and often go too heavey with and with little if no attention to detail style.
Do you use this as a factor in your workouts or do you also think its a waste of time?
Obvoiusly some routines arnt ideal for this such as heavey compound movements where form is v important also but one tends to focus on the generation of power more than visualisation and mind muscle connection but there is a place in my routines for this when applicable.... works for me.
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Well if you use your GI Bill and get to a university gym the scenery in the Cardio Area is pretty motivating.
I just started lifting again a few months ago after taking around 2 years off and being a bigger guy around like 6ft 230lbs and a former Marine working out at a university gym I'm having to check my ego at the door. I watched these Kai Greene vids on youtube where he focuses on full range stretch and contractions and thats what I'm working on now. It's just annoying when I'll be doing db curls with 40's doing 10-12 full slow reps then have some little frat boy with a sleeveless shirt and backwards hat come up next to me and throw up 2-3 reps with 75's looking like he's going to throw his back out. I just feel I get a bigger pump when I feel the targeted muscle working especially when it comes to traps and back.
Most of the replies are bang on, i thought itd be a good post because many will....especially when individuals are
inexperiennce or people just not appreciating science and attention to detail ...details to help oneself to become the best you can be, for every comment on this topic there will be many more viewings of this post and the reply posts yet to come and some will learn from what is written and that's the aim here and to confirm its not just non-sence like some would have me believe.
ABSOLUTELY I concentrate on my reps and a quality lift, push, pull, etc. thinking of the muscles working all the way. Example:I have found that when doing DB rows, and really mind-focusing on your lats works really well...that an I found that if I rowed more towards my hip and squeeze my lat(right or left depending obviously) I get a much better stimulation.
Screw all that heavy as possible shit all the time...it's not going to get you anywhere fast except on the road to overreaching/overtraining...sore and wrecked joints and lil' growth. It really is all about cycling routines, rep schemes, and liftng techniques, etc. I learned the hard way a couple times and suffered injuries because I was foolish and lifted heavy all the time every workout, every week.
I'm on the same page as you here mate and obviously with my back problem good form and just as important posture of the body whilst working out is something that I always focus on,when I first started lifting weights I did not focus on this so much as how much I could lift and obviously this is something you learn in time.
Once I've had my op in 3 and a half weeks I'll be just walking for exercise as to gradually increase walking distance.
Once the wound has healed (skin deep that is) I will be able to go swimming my favorite exercise...not I'm not the best swimmer but itw will help me get bkd to the gym better than anything else on the menu.
Just been to the gym today and its just as well the ops nearly upon me as my workouths are suffering so bring it on then the road to recovery and then the gym can expect me to be back with a vengeance lol these weeks do fly by.
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No1I dont worry about it I just lift as heavy as possible for 8-12 reps per set
Everyone to their own mate your not wrong if it works for you but it is an additional tool for the box if you have space in the box.
Peace out
Works for heavy compound movements too. Ever see a powerlifter going for a world record. Tell me that's not mind muscle connection!
watching the womans powerlifting as I type this and there mental focus is intense and they could put many in my gym to shame lol yeah definatly a big factor in powerlifting.
Love the olympics!
In order to build muscle one must gain a mind muscle connection, therefore more experienced bodybuilders have adapted a stronger neurological connection between their mind and the muscle group they have chosen to work out.
Thus, by doing a chest/tri split your mind muscle connection is 'active' during the chest phase of the workout, since you're getting the muscle pumped before breaking it down. However, regarding the tris part, the muscle is already pumped subliminally through it being a secondary muscle group when working out chest.
Therefore a more effective split, for example, would be chest/bis since you are initiating mental focus twice as opposed to once. if that makes any sence?
In order to substanciate my aforementioned point regarding a mind-muscle connection I put forward the idea of the disabled.
Taken out of context in order to further develop a wholistic view, we analyse a blind man. Since this person has lost one of his sences he is much more dependant on other sences such as touch. Therefore the mind muscle connection has created strong links between the brain/nervous system and nerves in his fingers (braille) to ensure the human flys (recalling upon both the fight or flight theory and Darwin's natural selection).
Now, if we put this back into context, a bodybuilder would aim to develop/enhance their mind-muscle connection to further the efficiency of their muscle growth, as it has proven to be beneficial through the simple analytical awareness of the target muscle group and the overall objective, thus creating a synergistic harmonious benefit.
Also, neurological changes – ultimately the nervous system is responsible for ‘recruiting’ muscle fibers. In simple terms the nervous system stimulates a muscle to contract by sending down electrical impulses towards the muscle. Scientists can measure the ability of the nervous system to stimulate muscle by measuring its electrical activity.
Good post mate there's the science explained in a way that is easily digested think I'll try working chest and then bicep afterwards as i have the habbit of thinking now chest is done i should hit the tri's afterwards and give them a focused workout but it sounds more beneficial to hit as you suggested the biceps and re-engage the mind muscle connection nice one.... when someonebmentions darwin you know they have a head on their shoulders I am very interested in the theory of evolution, survival of the fittest and evolution.... I believe in science and not fiction or in the case of darwins theorys over religion every day of the week id rather worship the gym than a church anyday.