Weight lifting is much more than moving the weight… It requires the full mental capacity and clarity. But many fail to do this when work outing. Instead of using their “mind” they end up training incorrectly with their body or in this case ego.
You’ve probably seen some people in the gym before loading the bar with way too much weight performing terrible form. Or they lift with too little weight with way too much momentum based reps. This isn’t by choice, but rather by ignorance. Little do they know that the mind is a vital thing to control when working out.
What is a Mind-Muscle Connection?
As you know, all movement initially starts at the brain and then to the muscles. The signals from your brain travel down your spinal cord to your muscles to produce movement. This is known as the Mind-Muscle Connection (MMC). This is where the mind meets the body to perform any task.
How does it work?
Acetylcholine (A neurotransmitter in the brain) acts to communicate with muscles in the body to cause a contraction.
When Acetylcholine is released it crosses the tiny space that separates the nerve from the muscle. After that it binds to receptors on the surface of muscle fibers. As a result, the muscle then miraculously contracts.
Believe it or not, the more you “Think about the muscle working” the more muscle fibers you will recruit. How so? By thinking about the movement you’re actually increasing the firing on the motor units to all the muscle fibers.
Why have more of a Mind-Muscle Connection?
The more you think about the muscle, the better your workout will be, and thus the better your results will be. But also, an important thing to understand is the relationship of primary and secondary muscles. The primary mover is the muscle that is intended to do the most work in moving a weight. Secondary movers are the muscles that support the primary mover.
So for example, the gluteus maximus and the quadriceps are the prime movers for back squats. During the upward phase of the squat, the glutes are responsible for the hip extension and the quads for the knee extension. The hamstrings assist the glutes in hip extension. An adductor magnus on the inner thigh of each leg prevents your legs from flaring outward during the exercise. The abs and erector spinae, support the torso throughout the exercise. All these other muscles are considered the “secondary movers”. During a mind muscle connection your aim is to target and work the primary muscle.
Often times, many neglect this mind muscle connection to certain muscles. They’re leading to imbalances and/or underdevelopment of that muscle. This is when the mind muscle connection becomes important.
At the end of the day, you should be seriously committed to feeling each rep in the primary muscle that you intend to work.
Too many people lift with an ego. Yes, someone might squats 500lbs for reps. But if they’re not maximizing the work done by the quads and glutes, then they’re wasting a whole lot of time and energy. Your muscles don’t grow because of the weight moving up and down. They grow because they’re forced to contract by acting on that weight. If you produce maximal force your primary muscles when working out, then you will maximize your progress.