Anyone that has been involved in strength or muscle building for even a short amount of time is likely to come across the term, mind muscle connection. But like many things having to do with the mind it is ill-defined. Being ill-defined it is then tough to really develop as there is no clear roadmap.
Having to do with mental training, this is my forte and thus my aim is to give you get more actionable information about this topic than you’ll find anywhere else.
What is the Mind Muscle Connection?
Let’s break down each term. The mind is all about how you focus your conscious mind, i.e. that thinking part of you. But notice that it is not the brain-muscle connection. I think the mind is more and thus it goes beyond just this. Attached to this are exploring beliefs, expectations, ideals, values, emotions, attitudes. Although the thinking part may be conscious, this is heavily influenced by what is unconscious too.
And one of our biggest mechanisms of
My rendition of what the mind muscle connection looks like
The mind interfaces with the nervous system. This is how our thoughts become actions affecting our body. The electrical signal starts and moves through the body.
The muscles are the end point. From the signals in the nervous system the muscles can then contract or relax. Those are the two, and the only two things, that a muscle can do. Of course, with all the muscles together this allows for the thousands of possible movements and exercises we can do.
So the order is more along the lines of mind -> connection -> muscle. To sum up, the mind controls the nervous system which controls the muscles. By utilizing our mind in different ways we can further activate the nervous system which further activates the muscles.
From there we go into how to actually use and develop it. For more information check this out…