Maximizing Mind-Muscle Connection for Weight Lifting Success

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People hire personal trainers to help them increase muscle strength and size. This typically involves teaching clients which exercises to do. Do they want bigger biceps? Add a biceps curl to their strength training workout. Are they looking to build their glutes? Incorporate the squat and deadlift.

The first step is to teach them how to do the specific exercise you recommend. Proper form helps them target a specific muscle or muscle group. But if you want them to get the best results possible, you also need to teach them how to use their mind. What does the brain have to do with muscle and its ability to get stronger?

The Brain and Muscle Growth
Research has consistently shown a powerful mind-body connection. Many of the studies in this area have been conducted on the brain’s ability to influence health. Healthcare professionals work with patients to “think themselves healthy.” Other studies have linked a strong mind-body connection with better treatment results.

For example, a 2012 study shows promise for women who are diagnosed with substance abuse disorder. After engaging in mind-body therapy, subjects reduced their days of substance use. They also showed improvements in their mental health. They had less depression, anxiety, and stress. If they also had an eating disorder, those symptoms improved too.

When it comes to strength training, this is often referred to as the mind-muscle connection. The basis of this connection is biological. When you want a muscle to contract, your brain releases the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Acetylcholine binds to muscle fiber receptors. This instigates muscle contraction.

Since muscle activation originates in the brain, the more you can improve this organ’s ability to communicate, the better the outcome. The communication lines with the muscle fibers are more open. This leads to a higher-quality muscular contraction.

Sometimes the mind-muscle connection is called attentional focus. That’s because you’re teaching the brain to pay more attention to the targeted muscle. This compels more muscle fibers to get involved. It also equates to better form and a more controlled movement. Together, this contributes to greater muscle hypertrophy and strength.

What Research Says About the Mind-Muscle Connection
Several studies have found that increased focus can lead to a greater muscle response. For example, a 2015 study found that concentrating on a specific muscle—either the triceps brachii or pectoralis major—increases muscle activity during the bench press. This was deemed most effective when loads are between 20% and 60% of the one-rep max (1RM).

A 2017 study looked at the same muscles, this time during a push-up. When mental focus was increased, pectoralis activity increased 9%. Though, triceps activity did not significantly change. This suggests that the mind-muscle connection may be stronger when focusing on a primary muscle. (During a push-up, the triceps are secondary.) This may account for the lesser effect.

Maximizing the Mind-Muscle Connection for Weight Lifting
Helping your clients build muscle mass requires a solid exercise program. Working with them to strengthen the connection between their brain and muscle can enhance their results. Here are a few strategies for improving this communication.

Offer Clients Regular Verbal Instruction
Many studies have made a connection between verbal instruction and increased muscle activity. An example is a 2021 study involving elbow flexion and extension. When verbal instruction was provided, muscle recruitment magnitude increased during the contraction.

Talk to your clients when they are performing their strength training routine. Verbalize how to use proper form. Identify the primary muscle so they know which one to focus on during the movement.

The researchers in the study do warn that people respond differently to instruction. So, keep that in mind when working with your clients. Talking them through an exercise will work better for some than for others.

Encourage Clients to Be Present During Their Resistance Training Workout
Distraction is the enemy of focus. The more the outside world vies for your client’s attention, the harder it will be for them to concentrate. This requires finding ways to help them be more present during their workout.

It may be helpful to ask them to close their eyes whenever they are working muscle. This makes it easier to tune the rest of the world out. They aren’t distracted by the bodybuilder next to them. Instead, their brain is focused solely on their muscle movement.

Another way to get a better mind-muscle connection is to do their workout away from the gym mirrors. Mirrors are good when you do an exercise for the first time so you can watch your form. After that, you may find that they’re paying more attention to their image than a particular muscle or group.

Begin with a Lighter Weight
Increasing the weight lifted helps with achieving hypertrophy. But if the client becomes so obsessed with the amount of the weight that the workout becomes more about their ego than their results, it could quickly derail their efforts.

Some clients may push back if you suggest using a lighter weight. One way to overcome their objections is to explain that results come from maximizing the target muscles. This is more about focus than it is about weight.

Plus, if the weight is too heavy, they’re more likely to use improper form. Not only does this reduce the effectiveness of the exercise, but it also increases their injury risk. Both of these scenarios can be avoided simply by beginning with a lighter weight.

Direct Their Focus to the Target Muscle
Advanced exercisers may have a good idea of what muscles a specific movement works. This doesn’t mean that they understand which muscle is primary, which is where their focus should be.

For this reason, it’s helpful to educate clients when first learning a new strength training exercise. Talk to them about which muscle they should focus on during all portions of the movement. (The primary muscle changes during the lifting and lowering phase. Therefore, their focus should change too.)

It’s also important to work on focus with your long-standing clients. Remind them which muscles should get their attention during each exercise. If they seem distracted, bring them back with verbal instruction. Keep them in “the zone.”

Have Them Perform Weight Lifting Movements Slowly
Another way to boost the mind-muscle connection is with slow and controlled movements. This forces clients to really think about what they’re doing. It encourages them to be more present so they can better control the movement.

If you notice that a client is lifting or lowering too fast, remind them to slow down. It may be helpful to ask them to raise or lower the weight to a specific count or tempo. For instance, if they are doing a bicep curl, ask them to count to four.

Also slow down their movements when they are doing a bodyweight exercise. Just because they aren’t using weight doesn’t mean that they don’t benefit from focusing. Paying attention to the primary muscle helps improve results, no matter the type of exercise is performed.

Add Yoga to Your Strength Training Program
If there’s one form of exercise that can strengthen the mind-muscle connection, it’s yoga. This practice is all about connecting the mind, body, and spirit. Each breath (and pose) gets you one step closer to a higher level of mindfulness. That makes yoga a great addition to a muscle development program.

The ISSA offers a Yoga Instructor certification program. This course teaches you how to break down specific poses and breathing exercises for your clients. You also learn more about how to design a program that elevates the mind while also building muscle. Enhance your knowledge and training by signing up today!

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