Ever seen a person doing “Heavy” sets of barbell curls, growling, aiming to get big guns? But, in order to get the weight to the top contracted position, barbell curls end up becoming back extension curl. This is the result of wrong mindset towards gaining size.
The very reason people do this is because they neglect the real mechanics of the muscle that is under load, or don’t have correct insights on the Progressive Overload. There is a vast misconception of progressive overload, when it comes to gaining mass. This not only shows negative to no growth in the muscle that is trained, but has detrimental impacts on the joints/tendons that surrounds that muscle.
When the plates on the bar starts to gets real heavy, body starts to compensate the increased weight with momentum. Therefore, on the concentric part of the exercise, our body becomes efficient in using muscles the are not intended to participate in the execution. Meaning, back, shoulders, forearms take part in the movement to lift the weight. When “not intended” muscles come into play, they take up the load and eventually, the actual weights reduces to 2/3 of the weight on the bar. Ultimately, lifting the same weight, but now increasing the risk of injury.
I too have been guilty of thinking Heavy Lifting= More Muscles. In one way it’s true but the thing that matters the most is how the movement is executed. Many a times, we get the meaning of progressive overload wrong and end up loading other muscles in the process, increasing the chances of injury.
So, whats the fix? Take a note of these tips to make sure you create 100% tension in the working muscle and limit the risks of injury as well as increase the possibility of higher gains.
Execution
Brace your Abdominal.
Abdominal is considered as the center of gravity for the body. When braced, provides greater overall stability, thus being a major key to increase the efficiency of the execution. Braced abs provide greater stability to the spine. Think of this as abs being a grasping hand around the spine. When abs are braced, it grabs and holds the spine in the correct natural position. This optimal position prohibits any spinal movement (Lumbar spine), hence, limiting the swinging of weights, in this case, barbell curls and avoiding the movement becoming back extension curl and more bicep focused. So, before starting any set of any exercise, first thing to note is that abs should be braced well, as if someone is going to punch you in the stomach.
Stand Tall.
Standing tall during execution of any exercise is second vital point on the list. Sternum up, shoulders back and depressed, face straight is the best description of standing tall. Most often, we pay so much attention to contracting the muscle, we forget to focus on the upright optimal posture. This causes shoulders to roll forward, face tilt down and upper back to round up, which reduces the range of motion for most of the exercises as well as reducing stability. When continued, causes the motor pattern to adapt, thus leading to upper-cross syndrome. Therefore, always pay regards to the posture.
Making the “Intended Muscle” do the whole work.
After bracing the abs and having the “stand tall” posture, next thing that comes under proper execution is working the muscle that is supposed to work. Again, taking the example of barbell curls, the targeted muscle is the biceps. Forearms do come into play, but they are considered as assisting muscles (secondary).
Now, to engage the working muscle, the movement should be initiated with the targeted muscle, and emphasis should be made to retain the tension in midst and extremes of the movement. Specifics are a separate topic in itself, and therefore, will be discussed in future blogs.
Improving Mind-Muscle connection.
Who doesn’t want vascular, monstrous pump in the gym. That fresh inflow of oxygen and blood, causing the muscle to swell-up and become almost double in size. Legends like Arnold are one of the biggest advocates of pump, and always chased it in the weight room. That’s all legit, but how to improve it? Have someone, like a training partner, constantly touch or poke the muscle being trained/under load, especially on the concentric. Poking bring the focus towards the working muscle, establishing better mind-muscle connection. Better mind-muscle connection augments the pump and bigger pumps lead to increased mind-muscle connection, hence, the cycle.
To reiterate, better execution of exercises will greatly demand great mind-muscle connection, locking down the shoulders along with creating a stone like rigid posture, where only the targeted muscle moves the weight.
Please share your thoughts on this.
bodybuilderblogger.fitness.blog 