Resistance Training Tips

Let’s discuss resistance training; resistance training is any form of exercise that forces your skeletal muscles (not the involuntary muscles of your heart, lungs, etc.) to contract. So this includes body weight resistance or weight training.

So, whether your goals is to lose weight, get lean, build muscle, get shredded, tone up.. are you getting the most out of your training sessions?

Here are my Top Tips for you to consider when resistance training:

  1. Ensure progressive overload: don’t go too heavy too quick; focus on targeting the muscles with a lighter load first. Focus on the correct technique, feeling the muscles and range then gradually increase the weights each week. This will create preogressive overload which means strength gains and therefore results!
  2. Focus on Mind-Muscle Connection (MMC): ensure that you focus on the muscles you are training, contracting the muscle properly throughout each move on the exercise will ensure you are getting the most from your resistance training which will get you results!
  3. Tempo: as you fatigue the tempo will change, but the pace of the eccentric portion (lengthening) of the move should be consistent and strong this will ensure you are pushing your muscles and will lead to results.
  4. Pose / flex / check your muscles: between sets. Being more aware of your body, your muscles will help you develop more of a connection / awareness of muscles. It will prevent you from relaxing / daydreaming and keep your mind on what you are actually exercising. This will ensure MMC and therefore get you results!

Mind-Muscle Connection (MMC)

While weight training / resistance training Mind Muscle Connection (MMC) is one of the fundamental keys to a successful weight training / resistance session whether you are using body weights or weights; it is required with any form of resistance training for maximum impact.

MMC is where you focus on the muscles you are working; so put your mind and focus on the muscles to ensure you are contracting / squeezing the muscles on every repetition (rep). So, if you are squatting you should focus on your leg muscles; quads and glutes as this is required to ensure you properly engage, contract, and work that muscle group.

A great example is when training your core (core are all the muscles in your mid section), if the core isn’t properly engaged / contracted / switched on…. you are likely to feel muscle strain in different areas of the body – usually the lower back, hip flexors and/or thighs.

Focussing on MMC will allow you to get the most from each rep ensuring muscle contraction and range of motion of the exercise as you will have full focus on what you are doing which in turn should allow you to feel the exercise therefore getting the burn sooner.

On your next workout give this a go and FEEL the difference; literally!

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