Arnold Schwarzenegger Shares His Thoughts on Mind Muscle Connection and 'Meathead Mindfulness'
Arnold Schwarzenegger is a world-famous bodybuilder, and even at the age of 75, he's still fit and muscular.
He has also become one of the most popular actors and is also renowned as a politician and social activist. In one of his newsletters, Schwarzenegger shed light on how he has changed his workout priorities in his 70s.
He also shared tips on mind-muscle connection, which is the key to building the body and staying fit.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Explains Mind-Muscle Connection
The mind-muscle connection refers to focusing on the muscle you're working out instead of focusing on other things like how many reps or how much weight you are lifting.
Schwarzenegger says that you have to be fit, because only a fit body can carry a strong mind. He cites Plato and Socrates as examples of people who had strong minds. Schwarznegger explains that building mental strength is a process that takes time. One has to discipline their mind with resistance to build focus.
He reckons you should train every day to create a concrete routine. If you make training a part of your everyday life, it will become automatic — you'll just do it without thinking about it.
To get the most out of your muscles, you have to reign in your mind. Schwarzenegger also mentions that your mind should be the body's guide. If you can focus on each action and get your mind and muscles working in sync, you can eliminate the feeling of training sessions becoming a chore.
How Mind-Muscle Connection Can Help You Lift Weights?
Research has shown that the mind-muscle connection can lead to greater muscle thickness in the biceps and quadriceps.
It can also help you become stronger and increase your overall muscle activation. Furthermore, staying focused on what you’re doing will keep you laser-focused on form, which is especially important when you’re lifting intensely and often.
When you’re in the gym and focusing on your workout, you want to be contracting your muscles as hard as possible.
To get the most out of every rep, you need to focus on using all of your muscle — not just the easy parts. When you’re thinking about dinner instead of how hard you’re working, it’s easy to cut corners or do only enough reps to get through your set.
That's where a mind-muscle connection can come into play. Research shows that focusing your brain on muscle contractions — even when you're not moving — increases your cortical output. That leads to higher levels of muscle activation, which is what you need to maximize your gains.
Although most people have good intentions and try to follow through on their goals, it's easy to lose focus and get distracted. Schwarzenegger says about that:
"I do get distracted, too. But then I bring my mind back into the movement. You can call this meathead mindfulness.”
Takeaway
The key to a successful bodybuilding workout is, of course, proper form and technique.
You can get all the right nutrients, but if you aren’t taking advantage of all the right training methods, your progress will be stagnant. The mind-muscle connection is one of the best options you have for success in bodybuilding.
However, Schwarzenegger says that it’s something that doesn't happen overnight. He encourages people to regularly work on developing their MMC (muscle mind connection), as that enhances muscle growth.
It’s a difficult goal to achieve, but Schwarzenneger believes if you add this piece to your workout puzzle, you will eventually see results.
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