Focus!

I don’t know about you guys, but WB how to lift post was inspiring as hell.  In that post was a video by bodybuilding legend Kai Greene.  In the video he explains why he’s not a weightlifter and that as a bodybuilder, how you perform the movement is more important than how much weight is on the bar.   It really hit home with me and I watched it multiple times.  In it, you see the mind muscle connection in action.  WB posts all the time about not just moving the weight, but truly connecting with what you’re doing.  To focus on what muscles you’re working and to actively think about them.  Heeding WB’s and Kai’s wisdom, I came up with the Mind Muscle Connection Challenge.

The Theory

All you guys on the WB Fitness program already know the benefits of the mind muscle connection, but to anyone not on it, this challenge can prove its legitimacy.  I wanted to pick a movement where you could not use mind muscle connection, but also not hurt yourself, so I chose the pec deck.  I want you guys to try this out because it really blows my mind how different I felt doing the motions and then actively doing it the right way.  Just like in the chemical burn scene in Fight Club, you cant be off in la la land when lifting. To quote Mr. Durden ” Stay with the pain, don’t block this out.”  In the clip below, you’re Jack and Durden is the weight your lifting.  Mind muscle connection is the message.    Dont try to just not focus on the pain, embrace that shit. Live and be actively present through each part of the lift.

The Challenge

Get on the pec deck machine and set the weight to a machine you can bang out 20 reps on.

First, do your set of 20, but just go through the motion.  DONT think about what you’re doing.  Dont pause, dont focus on the stretch of your muscles or the contraction.  Just get the reps inAfter that set, evaluate how you feel.

Next, I want a perfect set of 20.  SLOW movement, focusing on your pec muscles.  A nice fluid movement,  hold and squeeze the contraction and really stretch the muscle,  Once you reach 20 stop and compare how you feel with how you did after the first set.

I did this yesterday and it couldn’t believe that the same weight, same reps had me feeling totally different.  After the first set I was “sore/pumped” but basically normal.  The second time, I was sweating like crazy and my pecs were screaming.  I also find that when your mind muscle connection is on point, you can sometimes impress yourself with just how much you can take.

If you are new to the program or just wanted to keep yourself in check, do this simple challenge and let me know how you feel.  I guarantee you’ll agree and have similar results.

-J. Nyx