Mind Muscle Connection

Although weight lifting is widely perceived as being a strictly physical task, there are many other factors that combine together to make the whole thing worthwhile. You probably already have the word in your mind - "mental". And while that's exactly right, it doesn't just mean having the key mental attributes, such as the dedication, the motivation, or the ability to wake up each day and hit the gym even if you have a headache, or are exhausted from a tough week. I'm talking about putting your entire focus into your lifts.

Staying focused in the gym isn't always easy; there are plenty of things which are fighting for your attention, like the girl who is doing the sexiest deadlift you've ever seen, or the podcast you're listening to discussing the wonders of the universe. Ask yourself this, "are my workouts on autopilot?". If your answer yes, or if any of the above examples ring a bell, then you are quite possibly missing out on a useful part of weight lifting - having a strong mind muscle connection.

What is it?

The mind muscle connection is like it sounds - a strong synergy between your mind, and the muscle you're contracting. It's putting your entire focus into getting the absolute most out of each movement. It's fading out all the background noise and disruptions so there's nothing to take away from your attention.

Let's take the leg extension as an example. A pretty standard movement, right? Well, yes and no. It's easy enough to extend your leg, but it's another thing to extend your leg while putting the most emphasis on contracting your quads, rather than having your ankle or shin do all the work.

The simple fact is, if you combine progressive overload with maximizing the force placed on your muscles (the contraction), then you're moving in the right direction.

How to get a build a connection?

One of the greatest explanations of the mind muscle connection was from the one and only Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"I never set limits or created mental barriers. You may have read that I imagined my biceps as big as mountain peaks when I did my curling exercises. This visualization process was essential if I was to gain the kind of mass and size I needed to win the Mr. Olympia contest... " - Arnold Schwarzenegger

Now obviously most of you aren't aiming to win the biggest bodybuilding competition in the world, but you should be able to see the benefits nevertheless.

The following are some practical tips which you can start right away, or at your next weight lifting session:

• Check your ego at the door! You're not there to impress everyone. Most people are far too busy focusing on their own workouts, anyway
• Warm up sets
• Perform the exercise slowly. This gives your brain a better understanding of what you're trying to contract
• Flex your target muscle(s) in between sets. This is purely to get your muscles ready for the next set. Although some gym goers may assume you're just trying to impress
• It's alright to go light. If you feel like you're not getting the most out of an exercise, strip down to the basics and sort out the movement with a lighter weight
• Focus on the tension. Working barbell rows? Then squeeze your back as hard as you can
• Flow and tempo. It's incredibly easy to maintain the connection when you're doing the movements at the exact same speed each time
• Pose every once in a while

I'll admit, it takes a while to get your head around the whole thing, and to master the connection, but once you do, you will physically and mentally feel like each workout was more productive than the ones where you weren't fully focused.

As always, gaining weight and building muscle is about a range of factors, so don't only rely on your strong points to get you to where you want to be.

To check out other articles on gaining weight, building muscle, and nutrition advice, check out How to gain weight.

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