Focus on the weight lifted or muscle contraction?

[JuiceBigalow87]

Whats more important? Keeping track of the numbers and the weight lifted or just focusing and doing whatever needs to be done to make sure you are feeling your target muscle group for the day get annihilated? It's hard for me to tell because i don't get sore anymore. With my diet/training/recovery being so solid its hard to know whats best for stimulating pure growth.

[lancs_hotpot]

Getting sore shouldnt even be on your mind. If your training and recovery id right you shouldnt be getting sore much if at all after a couple of weeks of training. Aslonh as youre lifting safely then just get stronger. You get stronger you get bigger. Or add sets for volume, but getting stronger is the key, at least on your big compounds.

[jahaa]

both.

[1quick1]

Getting sore shouldnt even be on your mind. If your training and recovery id right you shouldnt be getting sore much if at all after a couple of weeks of training. Aslonh as youre lifting safely then just get stronger. You get stronger you get bigger. Or add sets for volume, but getting stronger is the key, at least on your big compounds.

10 years later. Still got DOMS in a lot of muscles. Especially chest.

Nothing like the week after the first time I did squats. Holy fuk I couldn't sit on the toilet for a week.

[lancs_hotpot]

10 years later. Still got DOMS in a lot of muscles. Especially chest.

Nothing like the week after the first time I did squats. Holy fuk I couldn't sit on the toilet for a week.

Same here with chest but i think that was the flyes and stretch movements, which i dont do now i only bench. Haha yeah thats a ****in nightmare. Nothing like quads and glutes DOMS.

[ACSZZ1988]

You should always focus on contracting but you also need to progress. If you need to drop the weight and get your form correct then do it. The strength will come with time if you're consistent

[tom11]

Whats more important? Keeping track of the numbers and the weight lifted or just focusing and doing whatever needs to be done to make sure you are feeling your target muscle group for the day get annihilated? It's hard for me to tell because i don't get sore anymore. With my diet/training/recovery being so solid its hard to know whats best for stimulating pure growth.

Depends. Do you use supps? If yes, you can do whatever the fcuk you want in the gym and grow anyways. If not, you need progressive overload to make even the slightest gains.

[Berget93]

Well it´s kind of an combination, depends how you look at it.

Since TUT is vital for hypertrophy "mind muscle connection" / Muscle contraction. will imo be #1 for hypertrohy.

TUT varies from study to study, some claim mid 30 to 50 seconds some claim 50-70 for maximum muscle growth.

I know Ben Pakulski has written about the subject and so has many other knowledgeable coaches/bodybuilders done.

[lancs_hotpot]

I think contracting or "squeezing" the muscle is overrated anyway unless youre a beginner learning to feel different muscles and use the muscles being targeted, and even then its mainly isolations. The most important exercises like your presses, squats, deadlifts, and rows dont need conscious contracting. Just lift correctly and safety and get strong. Easy.

[impossible12]

There are different ways to emphasize growth in the muscle. Lifting heavy isn't the only way

I personally believe in breaking down and pumping as much blood into the muscle. I don't lift as heavy as I should and still get plenty of growth. Everyone's different and you gotta take into consideration what someone is using... if they are.

[TropicalSunset]

I think contracting or "squeezing" the muscle is overrated anyway unless youre a beginner learning to feel different muscles and use the muscles being targeted, and even then its mainly isolations. The most important exercises like your presses, squats, deadlifts, and rows dont need conscious contracting. Just lift correctly and safety and get strong. Easy.

I would strongly disagree there. Deadlifts if done properly you squeeze at the end. Rows you definitely squeeze as you pull back. Bench press you are squeezing your chest.

I see so many guys in the gym trying to throw around weight they cannot handle and not feeling it at all. Lifting correctly IS squeezing your muscles as you lift.

[LatinoMusculito]

I vote both.

You want to feel strong and vivid contractions and stretches. You want to keep good form and rhythm. If you go too light you will not feel intense contractions, but you will still be able to feel the specific muscle you are working with clarity. If you go too heavy you might feel that you are working intensely, but you may not feel you are able to concentrate your attention on a specific muscle with enough clarity. You want to feel the specific muscle you are working with as much clarity as you can, as if you were a looking at an anatomy chart, or as if you were a blind man who could see his muscles working just by the way it felt. Focusing on mind muscle contractions is what it's about - but that's not what it's ALL about when it comes to wanting to increase size and development. So you will also want to very gradually increase the poundage for the muscles that you want to grow. Therefore you need to always try to use a poundage that supports clear AND intense muscle contractions. That can range anywhere between low and high reps for you.

I found that using a notepad to log my exercises - sets, reps, and also using symbols to express how a set 'felt' really helped to make quality and steady gains.

[lancs_hotpot]

I would strongly disagree there. Deadlifts if done properly you squeeze at the end. Rows you definitely squeeze as you pull back. Bench press you are squeezing your chest.

I see so many guys in the gym trying to throw around weight they cannot handle and not feeling it at all. Lifting correctly IS squeezing your muscles as you lift.

Theres no point in a concious effort to squeeze muscles at the top of a movement, at least not the exaggerated way magazines a general bodybuilding bros tell you. If you bench, row or deadlift enough weight all your muscles fibres will contract sufficiently without you purposly squeezing for a peak contraction. Whats the point to it? Also how do you squeeze the chest while also keeping your scapular restricted on bench press? Letting the shoulders come forward and squeezing the pecs like a fly or a crossover is the wrong way to bench, and its useless.

[NYCLegend21]

Theres no point in a concious effort to squeeze muscles at the top of a movement, at least not the exaggerated way magazines a general bodybuilding bros tell you. If you bench, row or deadlift enough weight all your muscles fibres will contract sufficiently without you purposly squeezing for a peak contraction. Whats the point to it? Also how do you squeeze the chest while also keeping your scapular restricted on bench press? Letting the shoulders come forward and squeezing the pecs like a fly or a crossover is the wrong way to bench, and its useless.

You must be a powerlifter

[spamy]

Depends. Do you use supps? If yes, you can do whatever the fcuk you want in the gym and grow anyways. If not, you need progressive overload to make even the slightest gains.

Progressive overload is the answer for everyone, no matter if on supps or not: increase the weight (the no. 1 factor, of course with a decent form and number of reps) and volume (mainly number of reps/set). Some add also decreasing the total time, but you risk transforming the workout in some type of circuit training.

[lancs_hotpot]

You must be a powerlifter

No im a lifter, ive just thrown away all the bull**** bodybuilders tell you to do and try and train correctly now.

[SolidOakie]

I have been strength training for a year and just started a high volume routine. I am now able to fully contract on every rep and am feeling a lot of soreness again (yesssss!) I noticed in the gym and online there are a lot of guys twice my size doing a lot less weight on certain exercises (like DB overhead press for example) so my way of thinking has changed quite a bit. More weight isn't always better. Hopefully results will result.

[ResovoirDog]

Progressive overload

[B-Neva]

regressive underload

[TropicalSunset]

Theres no point in a concious effort to squeeze muscles at the top of a movement, at least not the exaggerated way magazines a general bodybuilding bros tell you. If you bench, row or deadlift enough weight all your muscles fibres will contract sufficiently without you purposly squeezing for a peak contraction. Whats the point to it? Also how do you squeeze the chest while also keeping your scapular restricted on bench press? Letting the shoulders come forward and squeezing the pecs like a fly or a crossover is the wrong way to bench, and its useless.

Don't get me wrong. Going heavy with solid form is a great way to train, but not the only way, especially if you want to save your body.

Most people in the gym are ego lifters and cannot properly handle the weights they are doing. Feeling the contraction and squeezing is super important in my mind.

Not sure what you mean by squeezing the chest and the shoulders coming forward. You don't need to let me shoulders come forward to contract your chest.

We are basically just talking about two different approaches. I try to do as much as I can to stimulate my muscles with as little weight as possible, whereas you focus on the weight. With the former, you have need to focus more on the squeeze on certain exercises, though I feel like it is beneficial no matter what your training style.

[TVelinov]

When you are trying to hit a nail with a hammer, do you focus on the hammer or do you focus on the nail?

[Z7Z]

I have been strength training for a year and just started a high volume routine. I am now able to fully contract on every rep and am feeling a lot of soreness again (yesssss!) I noticed in the gym and online there are a lot of guys twice my size doing a lot less weight on certain exercises (like DB overhead press for example) so my way of thinking has changed quite a bit. More weight isn't always better. Hopefully results will result.

You already heard about roids? I think not.

[dski79]

THIS and ESPECIALLY this if your a beginner! listen to his posts in this thread! if your a beginner you should be focusing on how to do the lifts! such as squat, deads etc etc! there will be a time eventually once you past that novice stage, if you decide to get more into a hypertrophy routine, where you should worry about muscle contraction!! NOT now though!!

No im a lifter, ive just thrown away all the bull**** bodybuilders tell you to do and try and train correctly now.

[dski79]

absolutley! at YOUR stage! beginners should be more worried about learning how to do correct form on the squats, deads etc!! once they get to where you are or maybe even before, THEN it would benefit a "bodybuilder" to concentrate on the mind/muscle!

Don't get me wrong. Going heavy with solid form is a great way to train, but not the only way, especially if you want to save your body.

Most people in the gym are ego lifters and cannot properly handle the weights they are doing. Feeling the contraction and squeezing is super important in my mind.

Not sure what you mean by squeezing the chest and the shoulders coming forward. You don't need to let me shoulders come forward to contract your chest.

We are basically just talking about two different approaches. I try to do as much as I can to stimulate my muscles with as little weight as possible, whereas you focus on the weight. With the former, you have need to focus more on the squeeze on certain exercises, though I feel like it is beneficial no matter what your training style.

[tom11]

Mind-muscle connection is one of the biggest fitness bullsht myths that exist. Like, if you can do a full pullup with good form without jerking like a crossfit idiot and using a full range of motion, you ARE using your lats whether you feel it or not. Unless you can curl your bodyweight...

[lancs_hotpot]

Don't get me wrong. Going heavy with solid form is a great way to train, but not the only way, especially if you want to save your body.

Most people in the gym are ego lifters and cannot properly handle the weights they are doing. Feeling the contraction and squeezing is super important in my mind.

Not sure what you mean by squeezing the chest and the shoulders coming forward. You don't need to let me shoulders come forward to contract your chest.

We are basically just talking about two different approaches. I try to do as much as I can to stimulate my muscles with as little weight as possible, whereas you focus on the weight. With the former, you have need to focus more on the squeeze on certain exercises, though I feel like it is beneficial no matter what your training style.

Im just saying that squeezing the muscle is pretty pointless especial im a big compound like a press or deadlift in terms of growth whether you lift heavy or not. Most of the work you get in a muscle is at the stretch anyway, so purposely locking a bench to contract the chest does nothing apart from improve your lockout imo. It also teaches you to losen your scapula and roll your shoulders because thats what you have to do to het the "squeeeeeeze!" you hear people shouting. People even pause at the top of a barbell row, pointless.