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Article type: Fitness science article
Today we're going to explore a topic that was particularly popular in the first two years: moving in unison.
What is mind-moving consistency? That is, focus on the target muscle during training, and increase the tension of the muscles through high concentration. It is estimated that every fitness blogger may have written specifically about this concept. 641 also produced a video about how to use this technique to achieve the effect of "lifting the weight".
But the concept of consistent mindfulness actually predates the birth of sports science, and early bodybuilders built muscles with this belief, but we still need to re-examine it:
- Is there a scientific basis for this law that was and still is enshrined by a large number of bodybuilders and enthusiasts?
- Is focusing on muscle strength necessarily your best choice?
- Can't find a sense of power, is the training still effective?
●Scientific basis for consistent thinking and movement
This is a specialized EMG study of mind-muscle connection in 2017. The experiment involved 18 men with more than 8 years of training experience to measure the effect of focused muscle force on muscle activation when measuring bench press.
The specific ELECTROMY shows that a peak is a muscle contraction. When the subject focused on the pectoral muscles in the group, the activation of the pectoral muscles will increase significantly, the recruitment ability of the triapnix of the humerus will decrease (the peak of the force is not so concentrated), and the concentration of the triumps of the brachius is also the opposite effect. （Calatayud，2017）
Therefore, like the intuitive experience of the bodybuilders, it is indeed reasonable to think consistently and emphasize the muscle pumping sensation, and to a certain extent, it has the effect of pointing to which to play.
However, this effect of which refers to which to fight is not fulfilled in all cases:
1. It is related to your training experience.
Again in this study, the researchers found that whether or not they selectively activate the triceps during bench press was positively correlated with the subjects' training experience (even if all subjects had more than 8 years of training experience). But it's also easy to understand that the gym pulls novices to bench press, and you can hardly expect them to find a sense of initiative from the three heads of the humerus.
2. It has to do with the weight on you.
In a 2015 study, also about pectoral muscle training, experimenters found that this technique of increasing muscle strength by enhancing concentration was only useful in the weight range below 80 percent of 1RM, i.e., only in light to medium weights. （Calatayud，2015）
Looking at the line chart, it was found that as long as the concentration is improved (whether it is for the pectoral muscles or the triceps), the stimulation of the pectoral muscles will be greater than that of ordinary bench presses. But once you reach 80% or more than 1RM of weight, this muscle stimulation advantage due to concentration disappears — because lifting a large weight requires adequate mobilization of all possible muscles.
3. It is related to the target training muscle group.
Experiments have proved that the most able to "think and move consistently" is actually the muscle tissue of the abdomen, such as the rectus abdominis and transverse abdominis muscles - so the "tightening core" that is hung up by various coaches on a daily basis is indeed not nonsense, it is really the muscle group that you can activate most through consciousness.
It is followed by the latissimus dorsal muscle, pectoralis majoris, triceps and bicephalic brachii.
Finally, there are the lower extremity muscles. For example, many women pay attention to hip isolation training, want to change the degree of activation through mental consistency - it is not impossible, there are experiments that prove that when the hip is extended, the gluteus major muscle can be consciously pre-activated, thereby reducing the hamstring muscle force (Lewis, 2009), but overall, all relevant kinematic studies believe that in the daily heavy weight training of the lower limb muscle groups, "mindfulness" (that is, focusing on their own muscle strength) is not the best choice for strength and muscle growth.
● Focusing on the internal muscle strength is not the only option
From so many experiments, it can be concluded that the emphasis on mindfulness and movement consistency is very helpful and necessary for the bodybuilding training method of the upper limbs. But when the problem comes to the lower extremities, the benefits of isolated training may be much lower.
On the question of where attention should be placed when exercising, in addition to emphasizing the "mind-motion consistency" bonus to EMG muscle stimulation, more research shows: if you are to increase strength, dimensionality, muscle endurance... You should also learn to look outward. （Grgic ，2021）
The "outside focus" is equally significant for muscle dimension and strength gains.
What is the external focus: The simplest example is when pulling hard, you want to focus on pushing the ground away as quickly as possible, rather than focusing on stretching your hips for a sense of strength.
Multiple studies have proven that the advantages of focusing on the outside during lower limb training are much more obvious than those on the inside
Because lower limb training often requires more coordination than upper limb training, the emphasis on the sense of strength of isolated training at this time is very limited to fully mobilize muscles to work together. You can modify the leg shape with a seated leg flexion and extension device, but obviously it's hard to get the leg thick with this one device alone – you have to rely on squats and hard pulls.
● Summary
Focusing on muscle strength is an important skill in training, and it's not the only one. This technique is especially useful for novices and chest training arm enthusiasts.
In addition, the significance of "thinking and moving" for our ordinary trainers is that when training, constantly remind themselves to stay focused, it is necessary to find a small partner, and constantly remind you to focus on the target muscle strength.
In short, as long as you stay focused in the gym, don't look at the little sister and don't sit on the bench and play mobile phones, it is definitely a good thing for the benefit of the country and the people.