OnFitness Magazine - January/February 2022 - 31

31 WWW.ONFITNESSMAG.COM | VOL 22 NO 4 | 2022
Your mind affects every aspect of your
body, producing chemical changes that
you thought were only possible through
medicine.
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And then there's the mind-muscle
connection. Every exercise you perform to
increase your physical strength is an
opportunity to channel your mind-muscle
connection. Your brain is directly
connected to your muscles through your
nervous system and plays a major role in
how you perform physically. If you're in a
bad mood, not focused, or suffer anxiety,
your body responds accordingly, resulting
in humdrum workouts due to that lack of
focus.
Simply put, the mind-muscle
connection is a conscious and deliberate
focus on muscle contraction, your ability to
focus the tension you create during exercise
on a specific muscle or region of muscles in
your body, which is the difference between
passively and actively moving weight.
When you focus on using specific muscles
to create contractions, your brain calls
upon a greater percentage of high muscle
fibers to complete the task. By creating
tension on specific muscles, your body is
better able to build strength and size.
If strength training makes up the
majority of your fitness routine, focusing
on mindfulness may seem irrelevant. After
all, it's your body that's pushing and
pulling weights around, not your mind.
Strength training may not seem like
something that requires mind power, but
the truth is, increased awareness will
increase your strength training abilities.
You need to keep your mind focused
on the muscles being worked. Working
out on autopilot, not focused on the way
your muscles feel, is nothing more than
pushing and pulling weight, counting
repetitions, and watching the clock.
Rewiring your brain to focus on feeling
your muscles at work will improve your
mind-muscle connection, thus increasing
the effectiveness of your training.
Some of the best activities for mindmuscle
focus occurs in nature. If you're
looking for new ways to exercises, the
benefits of being outside in fresh air for
both your body and mind will leave you
feeling refreshed and recharged. Outside,
your mind is free to wander or simply be
in the moment.
Being in nature reduces stress while
enhancing mental well-being. Walking,
jogging, swimming, biking, or even a
strength training session in the park are all
outside activities worth pursuing.
Engaging in such activities that reduce
stress and quiet your mind not only makes
life more enjoyable but also directly
connects you to your physical health.
-
Fitness classes such as yoga or Pilates may
be the easiest way to begin channeling
your mind-muscle connection as these
activities harness mindful, meditation-like
movements to calm your mind.
Pilates is a physical fitness system
emphasizing the use of stabilizer muscles
found in your spine, pelvis, and core. The
focus is on strengthening your abdominal
muscles and increasing flexibility. Anyone
can benefit from this core and stability
training with its enhanced breathing
techniques. Pilates works both your mind
and body, thus requires both physical and
mental presence.
Yoga involves physical and mental
disciplines. Its focus is on controlled
breathing, balance, and movements that
lengthen, stretch, and strengthening
muscles. Yoga also focuses on flexibility,
relaxation, and mindfulness. It's a great
addition to your workout routine.
Tai chi is a martial arts practice
focused on defense training and health,
with its slow and peaceful movements that
calm emotion, strengthen your body,
improve balance and posture, and
contribute to overall health.
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Muscle fibers control those physical forces
that move throughout your body. Focusing
your energy will improve the connection
between your mind and muscles every
time you train.
When muscle fibers shorten, they
generate the strength required to move or
resist force. For example, how your thigh
muscles shorten when you move from
sitting to standing; or how your thigh
muscles lengthen as you sit back down.
Understanding what your muscle fibers
are doing and focusing on feeling the
movement through both the lengthening
and shortening phases will improve your
mind-muscle connection.
Try focusing on contracting the
involved muscles as hard as you can as
you lift a weight. Technically speaking,
strength is the ability of your muscular
system to generate tension to move against
an external force; the more you can focus
on the muscles you're using, the more
Motivate
your mind
and your
body will
follow.
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OnFitness Magazine - January/February 2022

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