Picture it: you’re at the gym, doing your thing, but you’re not just going through the motions. You’re fully engaged, focused and tuned into your body and really feeling the burn as you work through your set.
What’s happening here is you’re experiencing the power of ‘mind-muscle connection’, the fitness trend TikTokkers are loving and that will help you see results like never before.
The mind-muscle connection, also known as neuromuscular activation, refers to the conscious effort to engage and activate specific muscles during exercise. It’s a way to mentally focus on the specific muscle group you’re targeting while you work out. And achieve massive gains, of course.
Why is the mind-muscle connection important?
Focusing your mind on the specific area you want to target – say your biceps when doing bicep curls - means you can be much more mindful with your movements, making sure you’re not using momentum to swing the weight up and engaging other muscle groups like shoulders and back, but instead, slowly lifting and curling by engaging the bicep only.
Working out like this might make you realise you’ve advanced too quickly up your weights and should maybe be using a lighter weight that lets you complete your set in a focused way like this. Keep things slow, easy and controlled and you’re on to a winner.
This mind-muscle connection can really help your gains in the gym. Science backs this up; In a study of 30 untrained participants who did resistance training three times a week for eight weeks, they found that the individuals who used their minds to focus on contracting the target muscle while lifting had greater improvements in muscle thickness within the elbow flexors and quadriceps than the people who focused on simply pulling the weight up during barbell curls and machine leg extensions.
How to develop your mind-muscle connection in five easy steps
- Be present and mindful: Clear your mind of distractions and focus solely on the exercise and the muscle you’re working.
- Visualise the muscle working: Close your eyes if necessary and mentally visualise the muscle contracting and releasing with each repetition.
- Use your hands: Place your hand on the muscle you’re working to increase your awareness of its contraction and tension.
- Slow down: Avoid rushing through your exercises and focus on the quality of your movements and form to better engage the muscles.
- Practice, practice, practice: Developing a strong mind-muscle connection takes time and practice. Be patient and persistent!