Contracting the muscle v.s. Just Moving the weights

[Narkissos]

About 6 minutes in: "Contraction." This is a point I try to get across to my athletes... especially those who are prepping for competition. Actively connecting with musculature, as opposed to just trying to move weights, is essential IMHO.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIa2deqTBA0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIa2deqTBA0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIa2deqTBA0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIa2deqTBA0

[CBGB]

bump for later.

[drdankenstein]

most important thing when it comes to 'weight lifting' if you want size IMO

why do you think arnold meant by the mind muscle connection

[Narkissos]

Originally Posted by drdankenstein

most important thing when it comes to 'weight lifting' if you want size IMO

why do you think arnold meant by the mind muscle connection

Agreed.

A lot of people don't think about it at all however though... and it shows in their development.

[Johan]

Its funny how individual the mind muscle connection is. I can scratch my nose and feel my lats engage but no matter what I try I can't zoom in on my hamstrings and have a hell of a hard time focusing on my chest when pressing. Some muscles I was instantly connected to, some took a couple of years and some I never seem able to connect to.

[drdankenstein]

Originally Posted by Johan

Its funny how individual the mind muscle connection is. I can scratch my nose and feel my lats engage but no matter what I try I can't zoom in on my hamstrings and have a hell of a hard time focusing on my chest when pressing. Some muscles I was instantly connected to, some took a couple of years and some I never seem able to connect to.

same problem i have and continue to struggle with. i feel liek time under tension and preexhausts work for this. but this is also the reason i have stopped trying to press unless i have done some type of movement to get blood specifically in pecs. also not extending and locking out, focusing on keeping tension in that particular muscle

it must be with how our bodys are shaped. i can crush my back with easy but struggle with pecs especially inner pecs. would be great to see some suggestions but dont want to distract the main point of this thread!

[Narkissos]

Originally Posted by drdankenstein

same problem i have and continue to struggle with. i feel liek time under tension and preexhausts work for this. but this is also the reason i have stopped trying to press unless i have done some type of movement to get blood specifically in pecs. also not extending and locking out, focusing on keeping tension in that particular muscle

it must be with how our bodys are shaped. i can crush my back with easy but struggle with pecs especially inner pecs. would be great to see some suggestions but dont want to distract the main point of this thread!

Distracting is fine my friend.

re: mind/muscle connection... I find a lot of things work, but they work in combination as opposed to one thing or another.

For me it's this: slow negatives, visualization, exaggerated posture, form, and max stretch, training with moderate poundages instead of super heavy ones.

Slow negatives mean more time under tension, and a greater opportunity to fire more fibers of the desired/target musculature (assuming that proper form and posture are used).

Exaggerated posture (e.g. REALLY lifting the chest out, and retracting the scapulae, pretending to pull on the bar with the antagonists while the agonists are resisting its descent) means placing the levers in the most efficient places to engage the target musculature. Exaggerated form (ie perfect form, even when muscular failure has been reached) works in the same vein.

Max stretch with a pause (or, rather, an isometric contraction in the max stretch position) combines two facets. The isometric contraction means more muscle fiber activation, more motor units firing than any other manner of contraction... and utilising a max stretch (i.e. the full range-of-motion [ROM]) means achieving a harder, fuller peak contraction when the movement is reversed.

Training with moderate poundages, as a part of this ensemble, just makes good sense. Weight that allows you 12 reps, you'll probably only get 6 reps from using this protocol.

But they may 6 of the most intense reps of your life.

btw: re: isometric contractions... That's why I really like Iso-contrast training. This is including an isometric contraction during a part of the ROM on every rep.

Example: When I leg curl, 1 rep = [Curl to peak contraction] + [Lower to 90 degrees flexion] + [Hold isometric contraction there for 5-10 seconds] + [Lower to max stretch]

In my humble opinion, there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY, you won't make a connection with the muscle while using that protocol.

Best of all, it isn't hard on the joints like other proctols.

Win-win

[Narkissos]

More on isometrics: http://www.getnarked.net/forum/showthread.php?t=16661

[mairj23]

I like to contract my muscles when training. If you're just moving weight, try being in a weight lifting competition. Bodybuilding is working the muscle through it's entire movement for a certain result.