by Matt Weik, BS, CSCS, CPT, CSN
If you have read my content in the past talking about the best ways to build muscle, you’ve definitely heard me talk about the mind-muscle connection. Your ability to connect both the mind and the muscle can drastically improve muscle activation and provide you with better results.
The mind-muscle connection is a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of bodybuilding and strength training. The concept refers to the conscious and deliberate focus on a specific muscle or muscle group being worked during an exercise and training session.
In this article, we will dive deeper and look at the science behind the mind-muscle connection and provide techniques on how you can improve your ability to engage target muscles during training.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to treat or diagnose any condition. It is recommended that you speak with your doctor before starting any exercise program, making changes to your nutrition plan, or adding any new supplements into your current routine.
Understanding the Mind-Muscle Connection
The mind-muscle connection can be thought of as having neuromuscular control. When you perform an exercise, your brain sends signals through your nervous system to activate the muscles being targeted and hit during a training session.
The stronger this neural pathway is, the more efficient your muscle activation can become. This connection isn’t just about physical movement; it’s about developing a heightened awareness of how your muscles feel as they contract and elongate with each repetition and exercise.
Research has shown that focusing on the target muscle during exercise can increase its activation.
A study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found that participants who focused on their muscles during a workout showed higher levels of muscle activity compared to those who didn’t.
5 Benefits of Improving Mind-Muscle Connection
Enhancing your mind-muscle connection can lead to these five benefits below:
- Increased muscle activation: By focusing on the target muscle(s), you can recruit more muscle fibers, potentially leading to greater strength and hypertrophy gains.
- Improved form and technique: A strong mind-muscle connection helps you maintain proper form, possibly reducing the risk of injury.
- Better isolation of the target muscles: This is essential in bodybuilding, where isolating specific muscles is necessary.
- Enhanced muscular endurance: Improved neuromuscular efficiency can lead to better performance in higher-rep sets.
- Greater overall body awareness: This skill can translate to improved performance in various physical activities beyond just lifting weights in the gym.
12 Techniques to Improve Mind-Muscle Connection
Below are 12 techniques you can implement to improve your mind-muscle connection.
1. Visualization
Before and during each exercise, visualize the muscle(s) you’re targeting. Imagine it contracting and elongating with each rep. This mental imagery can help strengthen the neural pathways between your brain and the target muscle(s).
Technique: Close your eyes before a set and picture the muscle you’ll be working. Visualize it from different angles, contracting and elongating. Leverage this image and technique with you as you perform each exercise.
2. Slow, Controlled Movements
Performing exercises with a slower, more controlled tempo allows you to focus on feeling the target muscle working throughout the entire range of motion.
Technique: Try a 2-1-2 tempo where you do two seconds for the eccentric phase, a one-second pause, and two seconds for the concentric phase. This slower pace helps you concentrate on the muscle working through the entire movement. You can even slow it down further if you wish.
3. Lighter Weights and Higher Reps
Sometimes, reducing the weight and increasing the rep range can help you focus more on the muscle contraction and really feel those deep muscle fibers firing rather than just moving the weight and throwing it around.
Technique: Choose a weight that allows you to perform 15-20 reps with good form. Focus intensely on feeling the target muscle throughout each rep.
4. Isometric Contractions
Isometric holds can help you develop a stronger mind-muscle connection by allowing you to focus solely on the contraction without movement.
Technique: At the peak contraction of an exercise, hold the position for 3-5 seconds while consciously squeezing the target muscle as hard as possible.
5. Touch the Working Muscle
Physically touching or having a training partner touch the muscle you’re working can increase your awareness of that muscle’s engagement. If you’ve ever watched Hany Rambod work with his athletes, he’s constantly touching the muscle during a set to help his athletes focus on the working muscle and improve their mind-muscle connection.
Technique: During bicep curls, for example, lightly touch your bicep with your free hand or have your workout partner do it. Feel it contract and relax with each rep.
6. Eliminate Momentum
Using momentum will typically take tension off the target muscle. Focus on starting each rep from a dead stop to maximize muscle activation and engagement.
Technique: Pause briefly at the bottom of each rep to eliminate momentum and ensure you’re using the target muscle to initiate the movement.
7. Practice Muscle Activation Exercises
Incorporate exercises specifically designed to activate certain muscle groups, especially before compound movements.
Technique: Before bench pressing, perform some light chest flyes or push-ups to activate your chest muscles. This primes the mind-muscle connection for the main exercise.
8. Use Mirrors Strategically
While constant mirror-gazing can be distracting (and make you seem conceited), strategic use of mirrors can help you visualize and focus on the working muscle.
Technique: Position yourself so you can see the target muscle in the mirror. Watch it contract and elongate as you perform each exercise (or whatever you can do in front of a mirror).
9. Verbal Cues
Using verbal cues, either from a training partner or self-directed, can help you maintain focus on the target muscle(s) you’re working.
Technique: During a squat, for example, use cues like “drive through the heels” or “squeeze the glutes at the top” to maintain focus on the working muscles can be helpful and allow you to get a strong mind-muscle connection.
10. Single-Joint Exercises
Try to incorporate more isolation exercises into your routine. Sure, compound movements should be the bulk of your session, but single-joint exercises are great and allow for a solid mind-muscle connection. These exercises typically involve movement at only one joint, making it easier to focus on a specific muscle.
Technique: Include exercises like leg extensions, tricep pushdowns, or lateral raises in your routine to help develop a stronger mind-muscle connection for specific muscle groups.
11. Mindful Breathing
Coordinating your breathing with your movements can enhance your focus and muscle activation.
Technique: What you’ll want to do is exhale during the concentric (lifting) phase and inhale during the eccentric (lowering) phase. Focus on how this breathing pattern affects your muscle contraction.
12. Progressive Muscle Relaxation
This technique involves tensing and relaxing different muscle groups to increase body awareness. Unfortunately, not many people use this technique. It’s a great way to prepare your mind and body to get and stay connected prior to every picking up a weight.
Technique: Before your workout, lie down and systematically tense and relax each muscle group in your body, starting from your feet and moving up to your head.
Implementing Mind-Muscle Connection in Your Workouts
Developing a strong mind-muscle connection takes time and practice. Start by incorporating some of these techniques into your warm-up routine.
As you become more comfortable, apply them to your main exercises. Remember, the goal is not just to move weights around (the old “pick things up and put them down”) but rather to feel your muscles working throughout each exercise.
It’s important to note that while focusing on the mind-muscle connection can improve muscle activation, it shouldn’t come at the expense of proper form or appropriate weight selection. Always prioritize safety and proper technique in your training.