Mind Muscle Connection

how long did it take you to activate mind muscle connection in your workouts.

 

I've got about 4 months under my belt and I'm only just fully getting into the concept now. The only body part I really struggle with for mind muscle connection is chest. When I started I did the typical style where you flared your elbows out to the side when bringing the bar down. I believe some people are able to feel this in their chest but not me, I only felt it in my triceps/shoulders.

It's still a journey, I'm trying to work on my form, this is how it is so far: I dig my shoulder blades together and puff my chest out with a slight arch in my back. I use normal grip but when I bring the bar down my elbows are at my side if that makes sense. Also trying to concentrate on my chest somewhat helps and I am starting to feel it in my chest somewhat but I feel it could be better.

Would you have any tips on how to improve the form & improve the mind muscle connection mate?

 

Form just comes with time and experience. When I was starting out, I made buddies with a lot of people at the gym and asked for help watching my form. I have hundreds of clips of myself lifting and I watched it over many times to find errors in my lift and help me lift.

Mind muscle connection on the other hand was more complicated to grasp. The thing that helped me most was visualization. I visualized my muscles contracting and while going on the negative, i focused on the muscle group mentally and kept it tense. If you ever mediated, it is sort of similar, you just really concentrate on the muscle group and feel every part of the lift.

What lifts do you do for chest?

 

A bit of advice for hitting chest and getting a good pump outta your workout! You're right on point with your shoulder blades, you want squeeze as if you want them touching...so thats good!

If I read what you said about when the bar is down your elbows are at your side you're doing that right! Try not to flair your elbows out, try and keep them closer to your side! Its hard to explain but I just did a rough "measurement" of how I press...at the bars/dumbbells lowest point I like to keep my elbows about hand length away from my side.

When barbell pressing, on the way up to the top try and bend the bar so the plates would be out towards your feet...obviously you won't ACTUALLY be able to do that but it'll help you squeeze. And if you CAN do it, congratulations you have mastered the gym and you are done haha.

Something that will help get that sensation I'm talking about with the barbell try pressing with dumbbells. On the way up with the dumbbells gradually start turning your hands so your palms will be facing each other once you've reached the top and give a nice squeeze!



Also as far as mind muscle connection stand in front of the mirror and try to move individual muscles, like each pec...bi/tri, shoulders, quads, etc...it'll help you kinda feel how to move a certain way to actuate specific muscles!

 

Ah okay. I'm clearly not as obsessed as you with your form (good job lol) but I lift with a friend of mine once every week or so and usually check each other's form then and it all seems reasonable.

Generally incline DB/BB bench press and DB Flys at the moment although I may put some flat bench in also to work my chest more.

I will experiment with a slightly wider grip and see if that helps (won't go narrower for obvious reasons). I don't quite get what you mean about bending the bar so the plates would be out towards my feet, are you able to clarify that haha?

Yeah I seem to get a bit better of a pump with dumbbells, will try the rotation. Naturally I have them on an angle anyways since my set are longer than normal ones (allow for extra plates) and it really interrupts my focus if they're banging together.

 

yea, i was pretty obsessed at the time because I didnt start out at a commercial gym. Youd be surprised how many judgmental piece of fucks there were when i was a beginner lol.

 

Oh really? What kinda comments you receive?

 

Hahaha, I'm sorry man! Its so hard to explain but I'll try and clarify! So when you're pressing the bar you want to try and bend the bar with your hands...Like envision you bending the bar so your palms are facing each other at the top of the exercise...you wont be able to actually do it, but you'll be able to get the kinda squeeze you're looking for to help out with chest!

That drives me nuts dude, I hate when there are pricks at the gym who act like they stepped into the gym for their very first looking like a pro. When it comes to lifting EVERYONE starts out at the bottom, it doesn't matter who you are.

 

Ah I get what you mean, in doing so it inadvertently brings your arms in closer and tenses your chest. I'll give it a go, thanks bud!

 

Update: Had one of my best workouts today in that after my first set of bench press utilizing your advice I actually felt my chest burning for the first time ever. I was like a kid in a candy store walking around doing the rest of my workout with this big ass grin on my face lmao. My second set I felt it more in my Triceps but I think it was more of how I did my exercises that day: Started with 1km jog, 1 set of each exercise (bench press, tricep kickbacks, chest flys, dips in that order), 0.5km jog, 1 set of each exercise and then 0.7km jog/walk to end. I hit the triceps pretty hard so they were burning more prior to the 2nd set of bench press so I'm thinking that's why I felt it more on the 2nd set... I'll experiment with that in future workouts in just doing my chest exercises and then my tricep exercises or just the sets of one exercise at once and then moving onto the next one. Anyways it's definitely a step in the right area, thanks man!

 

Ooh good stuff bro!! Super pumped to hear you got it so quick! Usually people have to really play around with it and tailor to their build but that's great...it'll only get better from there once you really start feeling yourself out and what works for you!

Chest/tri day can be rough, smashing triceps and chest at the same time is definitely hard sometimes! Especially when you alternate between body parts, I actually just started doing chest/chest/chest/chest/tri etc. . .as apposed to chest/tri/chest/tri etc. . .not going to lie I'm liking it so far!

Or you could: Say you're still doing alternating chest/tri...after your chest workout, hit cable fly's! Keeps that chest pump/HR/sweat going while giving your triceps some time to recover so you can really smash em!

 

Haha thanks man, I was rapt. Still needs some work to constantly produce but it's definitely a great start.

Yeah fair enough man I'm definitely going to give it a go. Do you find it tires you out more/you have to take longer rests since you're just hitting the same muscle again and again as opposed to doing a circuit where you are somewhat "fresh" for each exercise?

 

What do you mean by again and again? =|

 

In doing all of your sets of one lift before moving onto the next lift, therefore hitting the same muscle again and again before moving on nomsayin?