Everyone wants to make them gains and we want to get them as soon as possible. Though building a plausible physique takes time there a few things you can impalement during your gym sessions to get the most out of your efforts. MIND-MUSCLE CONNECTION is one of these pots of gold. Let’s dig deeper and uncover those hidden gains.

 
What is Mind-Muscle Connection?
 
MMC is basically connecting with the muscle you’re training by feeling it contract and stretch with every rep. As you train the muscle for example your back imagine the muscle fibers stretching and contracting with every rep. It’s essentially squeezing the target muscle to work it more effectively.
 
MMC is a conscious, deliberate, and emphasized muscle contraction. It requires you to focus the tension you create during a movement pattern specifically on the muscle or muscle group that should be working, and it makes all the difference between passively and actively moving the weight.
 
Let’s use the bicep curl for example










 

The weight moves from the bottom to your chin

 

MMC is actively squeezing the bicep muscle and that’s the force that will pull on the weight, it’s as though squeezing the biceps pulls up the forearm. Don’t just swing your arm up and down.

 

Another example, the squat

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The same principle applies here; the main muscles we are training are the quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings.

MMC in this case is pushing yourself up using your quads; imagine trying to push down on the floor as you straighten up. Squeeze your glutes and hamstrings to initiate your ascending. To top it off squeeze the three muscle groups at the peak of your squat, I.e., when you straighten up.

 

Advantages of Mind-Muscle Connection

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• Removes unnecessary tension from joints and tendons and puts all the tension onto the muscles

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• This reduces your chances of joint or tendon injuries that may keep you out of the gym for weeks

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• It isolates the muscles that you want to build such that you don’t use secondary muscles; as in using your shoulders for momentum to raise the bar during barbell curl, no cheating I'm watching you!

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• It trains you to listen to your body and have a stronger connection with your muscles

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• Allows you to recruit more muscle fibers which will increase the stimulus for hypertrophy (muscle gaining mechanism) Read more about hypertrophy training here

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• It allows you to focus on Training the Muscle, Not Lifting the Weight which again increases stimulus for muscle growth.

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Another effective way to practice MMC is to actually touch the muscle that you want to target during an exercise. There’s something about touching the muscle that connects you to it, it’s like saying I wish I could be one with you oh my lovely muscle LOL. But seriously this works wonders so give it a try and thank me later.

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You’re equipped with the tools to get gains fast, Now go fellow gym rat and make me proud.

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