Trite as the saying may be, bodybuilding really is as much a mental game as a physical one. The psychological challenges come in many forms, ranging from the general brutality of training to dealing with persistent pre-contest hunger. The mental meets the physical aspects of bodybuilding collide perhaps most importantly during maximal efforts when one is applying laser-like focus to ensure the targeted muscle(s) is indeed that the training focus.
Aside from differences in training style, it’s this “mind-muscle connection” - is vital to developing a bodybuilder’s physique – that sets bodybuilders apart from other “lifters” who are typically focused simply one moving heaviest loads possible.
It can take years to develop an effective mind-muscle connection, so this topic is deserving of attention. In this three-part article on “Mastering the Mind-Muscle Connection,” we’ll dig into:
- The underlying physiology of the mind-muscle connection;
- Neural control of muscle activation patterns and evidence that a mind-muscle connection is possible with the right intention;
- Strategies, borne of the research and years in the trenches, to help you develop a strong mind-muscle connection in your own training.
Bodybuilding – An unnatural act
Perhaps it’s the contrarian in me who fondly refers to bodybuilding is an “unnatural act” of sorts: Repeatedly picking up and lowering a load for the sake of producing a “muscular callous” (i.e., an enlarged muscle) doesn’t seem to very utilitarian from an evolutionary perspective.
On the other hand, we’re social animals, and muscularity has value as a sexual attractant (1). Sex appeal notwithstanding, even the notion that muscle growth is a truly adaptive response to strength training (2) has been called into question by scientists: It’s even been suggested that size gains are just along for the ride during what is mainly a neurologically-rooted adaptive process (3).
It’s all about the stimulus
Still, you and I are here for the gains and those of you struggling with lagging muscle groups may recognize a salient characteristic of the muscle growth stimulus: Some muscles seem to activate, pump up and thus grow really easily, whereas others have unique recovery needs and may require much more prodding in terms of variety, intensity, volume and/or frequency of stimulus. [I’ve written about this in my Be Your Own Bodybuilding Coach™ book (4).] In summary, bringing up “weak” muscle groups means (at the very least):
- Picking the right exercises (for you) to target the muscle and cultivating the Mind-Muscle Connection (which this article is all about).
- Paying special attention to frequency of training, exercise sequencing and rep / set schemes.
- Ensuring volume and recovery (time, diet, supplementation, etc) are in their proper place.
For the sake of structuring this article, though, let’s start with a definition of the Mind-Muscle Connection (MMC). I put forth that the MMC is “the neurological capacity to perform (a) resistance training movement such that the targeted muscle(s) – the one(s) you want to specifically train – are the muscle(s) that are indeed the primary movers, heavily involved (ensuring a both mechanical load and metabolic stress) during the exercise, and ideally even the “weak link” such that exercise performance overall (reps with a given load or loading scheme) is limited in particular by the physiology (force output) of the targeted muscle(s).”
That’s a long-winded way of saying that Mind-Muscle Connection is about making the target muscle the central focus of the stimulus of a given exercise such that it gets the brunt of the stress and thus the lion’s share of the hypertrophic stimulus when performing that exercise.
This of course, would be done by focusing mentally on the target muscle during the set by visualizing and “feeling it” (proprioceptively)(5-9). Additionally, using mental imagery (“visualization”) before the set may entrain the MMC. Studies of the impact of mental imagery in the weight room has largely focused on strength gains (10-16), which may not reflect the muscle specific activation strategies that are needed for a strong MMC. (See “attentional focus” in the section “Mind-Muscle Connection: Hacking Our Own Noggins” of Part 2 of this article).
Indeed, simply imagining lifting (elbow flexor / “curls”) – with no actual training involved – can produce at 15-30% increase in strength that accompanied by increased muscle (17) and brain (11) electrical activity. My practical experience (coaching and training myself) suggests that a mental rehearsal is invaluable for a focused MMC. Indeed the research literature suggests that mental practice is especially effective when the tasks are relatively simple, have a cognitive component (18), and the imagery is interwoven with actual practice (7, 8). Ideally there is minimal delay after imagery before task execution(18), but the mental imagery should not be overpracticed(18). In other words, rehearsal should precede performance without inordinate delay, but don’t overthink it.
Can and does the MMC make a difference in one’s physique?
Consider this, if you will: The MMC really is at the core of the pursuit of bodybuilding, whereby one literally builds and specifically sculpts one’s musculature. Obviously, weight training produces growth specific to the trained musculature and bringing up weak muscle groups is a function of how one trains them.
Even exercises that produce the same motion about a joint, anatomically speaking, are not necessarily created equally in terms of activating target muscles. Just imagine the quad development of someone who only performs knee extensions compared to the quads of her identical twin who trains her thighs with a wide variety of exercises (squats, hack squats, sissy squats, leg presses, etc.). [I refer you to Per Tesch’s books “Target Bodybuilding (19)” and “Muscle Meets Magnet (20)” for magnetic resonance (MR) images showing the wide range of the differential activation patterns that we bodybuilders have been aware of for decades now.]
It’s also known that muscle growth is non-uniform along it’s length (often greater in the middle portion of a muscle’s belly)(21), and this relates to it activation pattern across the muscle belly (22). We see this differential recruitment very clearly, for instance, in multi-headed muscles like the gastrocnemius of the calf where both MR images and integrated EMG measurements demonstrate this kind of spatially-specific muscle activation(23, 24).
So, how a muscle is activated in training determine how and where it grows.
In Part 2 of this article, we’ll dive deeper into the MMC research, both from a psychological (“attentional focus”) and neurophysiological perspective. The outlook is in our favor, as the evidence suggests that a strong MMC is possible and that it can get even better with practice.
(In collaboration with Dr. Scott W. Stevenson, PhD)
References
1. Gallup Jr GG, and Frederick DA. The science of sex appeal: An evolutionary perspective. Review of General Psychology 14: 240-250, 2010.
2. Taber CB, Vigotsky A, Nuckols G, and Haun CT. Exercise-Induced Myofibrillar Hypertrophy is a Contributory Cause of Gains in Muscle Strength. Sports Medicine https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-019-01107-8
3. Loenneke JP, Buckner SL, Dankel SJ, and Abe T. Exercise-Induced Changes in Muscle Size do not Contribute to Exercise-Induced Changes in Muscle Strength. Sports Medicine https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-019-01106-9
4. Stevenson SW. Be Your Own Bodybuilding Coach™. Scott W. Stevenson, 2018, p. 438. 978-0-9904718-1-3 https://smile.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0990471810/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1535548321&sr=8-1&keywords=be+your+own+bodybuilding+coach
5. Martin KA, Moritz SE, and Hall CR. Imagery use in sport: a literature review and applied model. The sport psychologist
6. Tod D, and Lavallee D. The psychology of strength and conditioning. London ; New York: Routledge, 2012, p. xiii, 239 p. 9780415574082 (hardback), 9780415574099 (pbk), 9780203855188 (ebk)
7. Hecker JE, and Kaczor LM. Application of imagery theory to sport psychology: Some preliminary findings. Journal of sport & exercise psychology 10: 363, 1988.
8. Suinn RM. Imagery rehearsal applications to performance enhancement. The Behavior Therapist
9. Suinn RM. Seven steps to peak performance : the mental training manual for athletes. Toronto ; Lewiston, N.Y.: H. Huber Publishers, 1986, p. 56 leaves. 0920887120 (pbk.)
10. Yue G, and Cole KJ. Strength increases from the motor program: comparison of training with maximal voluntary and imagined muscle contractions. Journal of neurophysiology 67: 1114-1123, 1992.
11. Ranganathan VK, Siemionow V, Liu JZ, Sahgal V, and Yue GH. From mental power to muscle power--gaining strength by using the mind. Neuropsychologia 42: 944-956, 2004.
12. Sidaway B, and Amy T. Can Mental Practice Increase Ankle Dorsiflexor Torque? Phys Ther 85: 1053-1060, 2005.
13. Zijdewind I, Toering ST, Bessem B, Van Der Laan O, and Diercks RL. Effects of imagery motor training on torque production of ankle plantar flexor muscles. Muscle Nerve 28: 168-173, 2003.
14. Shackell EM, and Standing LG. Mind Over Matter: Mental Training Increases Physical Strength. North American Journal of Psychology 9: 189-200, 2007.
15. Reiser M, Büsch D, and Munzert J. Strength Gains by Motor Imagery with Different Ratios of Physical to Mental Practice. Frontiers in Psychology 2: 194, 2011. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3158386/
16. Lebon F, Collet C, and Guillot A. Benefits of motor imagery training on muscle strength. J Strength Cond Res 24: 1680-1687, 2010.
17. Bahari SM, Damirchi A, Rahmaninia F, and Salehian MH. The Effects of Mental Practice on Strength Gain and Electromyographic Changes in Elbow Flexor Muscles. Annals of Biological Research 2: 198-207, 2011.
18. Driskell JE, Copper C, and Moran A. Does mental practice enhance performance? Journal of Applied Psychology 79: 481-492, 1994.
19. Tesch P. Target bodybuilding. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 1999, p. iv, 153 p. 0880119381
20. Tesch P. Muscle Meets Magnet. Champaign, IL: Myobio Technologies, 1993. 0963565702
21. Antonio J. Nonuniform Response of Skeletal Muscle to Heavy Resistance Training: Can Bodybuilders Induce Regional Muscle Hypertrophy? The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 14: 102-113, 2000. http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2000/02000/Nonuniform_Response_of_Skeletal_Muscle_to_Heavy.18.aspx
22. Wakahara T, Fukutani A, Kawakami Y, and Yanai T. Nonuniform muscle hypertrophy: its relation to muscle activation in training session. Med Sci Sports Exerc 45: 2158-2165, 2013.
23. Kinugasa R, and Akima H. Neuromuscular activation of triceps surae using muscle functional MRI and EMG. Med Sci Sports Exerc 37: 593-598, 2005.
24. Ryuta K, Yasuo K, and Tetsuo F. Muscle activation and its distribution within human triceps surae muscles. Journal of Applied Physiology 99: 1149-1156, 2005. https://www.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/japplphysiol.01160.2004
