Mind Over Matter: The Importance of the Mind-Muscle Connection

There is a good reason for the saying ‘mind over matter.’ Your mindset has a huge impact on whether or not you can achieve your goals, and that’s especially true when it comes to your training and fitness goals. 

The connection between your mind and muscles can make or break your progress throughout your fitness journey, so in this blog from Get F.I.T., our team of personal trainers addresses the mind-muscle connection, and how you can use this relationship to help yourself achieve all of your fitness goals.  

What is the Mind-Muscle Connection? 

The mind-muscle connection refers to the neurological relationship between your thought processes and your body’s performance during various activities. If you’re reading this article, chances are you want to achieve certain fitness goals, whether to look better or feel better.  

Improving the communication between your brain and body can positively boost your training sessions and help you form muscle memory for good habits with proper technique. The evidence-based theory suggests that focusing on specific muscle groups for activation will increase the number of firing neurons, and therefore, increase the muscle fibers called to action during each rep. 

By focusing on specific muscles during training, you can increase the number of firing neurons and the activated muscle fibers, creating literal ‘muscle memory.’ 

The mind-muscle connection is about targeting specific parts of the body with strategic accuracy and listening to your body whisper so you don’t have to hear it scream. It’s about understanding what your body needs from you on a deeply intuitive level.  

This helps you avoid injury from overdoing it and also ensures you’re targeting the correct muscles. There are plenty of seemingly simple exercises that are easy to do incorrectly but quite difficult to do with the proper technique. This is why the mind-muscle connection is a crucial aspect of our training.  

Tips to Improve Your Mind-Muscle Connection  

Take the following tips into consideration during your next fitness session. 

1. Pay Attention to Working the Muscle, Not Lifting the Weight 

When you step into the gym, your first instinct may be to lift as much weight as you possibly can. In many cases, this can lead to improper form and even injury. You may not be effectively targeting the muscles you’re aiming to build if you approach the gym with this mindset.  

Instead, establish the mindset that your goal is to train your chest, not bench a certain number of lbs. You’re targeting the glutes, not trying to beat the deadlift record for your local gym. Focusing your attention on the muscle instead of the piece of equipment will help you get more bang for your buck. 

2. Practice Visualization 

Visualization techniques can be highly effective in many areas of life, and fitness is no exception. As you complete a rep, imagine the muscles and how they are working as you complete the exercise. Create a mental image of blood rushing to your muscles to make the pump happen. If you’re lifting 25 pounds, visualize that you’re lifting 50 pounds.  

Additionally, pay attention to the action you’re using. Are you pushing or pulling? Curling or extending? Keeping these images in mind can more effectively train your muscles to function properly. 

3. Complete Warm-Up Sets 

Before you reach out for heavy weights, completing warm-up versions of each exercise can maximize your movements by more gently engaging the muscles you’ll be using. Doing this with visualization can make the real deal much more intense but safer with proper form. 

4. Slow It Down 

Faster does not equal better in a lot of circumstances. When you’re at the gym or even doing simple tasks, such as standing up or picking up a bag of groceries, slow down your actions. This helps you feel the muscles working from start to finish and allows you to truly feel what’s going on in your body. 

Isolation movements such as a bicep curl or a crunch are much more effective the more you slow it down. This way, you can ensure the right muscles are properly engaged. 

5. Flex in Between Sets 

We’re not saying you need to go stand in the mirror and flex your biceps like you’re preparing to walk on stage for a bodybuilding competition. Instead, simply take a few seconds to engage the muscle you’ve been working on. This will further help you develop an awareness of the muscles you are using as well as an ability to isolate specific muscles. 

6. Tap Your Target  

Lightly tapping or poking the muscles you’re trying to target can accelerate your motor learning and improve your ability to focus on that muscle. A training partner can be super helpful in this case as they can tap your lats during a pulldown or your delts when performing side lateral raises. 

While You’re Here > Boost Your Muscular Endurance & Feel Amazing 

Create Control with Get F.I.T. 

Our bodies are intelligently designed to adapt to stress. This is how our species has evolved and survived for so long. By engaging in fitness with the tips above, the correct movement patterns will become ingrained into your neurological and musculoskeletal memory, and you will develop the appropriate form and control to endure more stress.  

If you are ready to take your body to the next level by establishing a deep connection between the mind and your muscles, reach out to our trainers at Get F.I.T. We live by the philosophy that we’re in the gym to build strength, not to display strength. Come Get F.I.T. with our pros to reach your goals and learn your body on a deep level for better functionality.