| When I started reading bodybuilding magazines in the | | | | connection that so few trainees seem to make is the |
| late '80s and early '90s, a new buzzword had hit the | | | | implications this effect has for harnessing the power of |
| scene. Every pro bodybuilder was claiming within | | | | the subconscious mind. If 'believing' that a bodybuilding |
| published articles to have a "mind/muscle connection" | | | | supplement will work can make it so (albeit |
| during workouts. | | | | temporarily), then how much can your muscles grow if |
| I'd be reading an article by Greg Zulak or some other | | | | they had this subconscious belief indefinitely? Better |
| popular writer of the time and there'd be the quote | | | | yet, how can you create this belief indefinitely? |
| from the Olympia competitor: | | | | The answer lies within a technique referred to as |
| "Uh... yeah Greg, whenever I do my sets, I make sure | | | | "anchoring". When you condition your mind to believe in |
| to get that mind-muscle connection." | | | | optimal workout performance before going to the gym, |
| Or Greg would say it for him: 'Joe O'Competitor says | | | | you can "anchor" these beliefs to one of your five |
| he makes sure to first get a good mind-muscle | | | | senses. Then, at critical stages in your workout, you |
| connection with every set he does.' | | | | can "fire off" the anchor in order to perform like a |
| This kind of ambiguous crap would drive me crazy. | | | | world class athlete in your quest for muscle. |
| And why shouldn't it? Most young guys pick up | | | | It's beyond the scope of this article to describe |
| bodybuilding magazines with the idea that the pages | | | | 'anchoring'. Just know - it's the ultimate technique for |
| will contain answers to something that becomes an | | | | creating a mind-muscle connection. |
| increasingly puzzling phenomenon: 'how to make every | | | | The Subconscious Mind can be 'conditioned' to |
| workout count and continuously build muscle mass.' | | | | enhance muscle recuperation between Workouts |
| Claiming that some fuzzy cognitive ritual was playing | | | | A boost in bodybuilding workout performance will |
| even a remote role in creating those steroid-built | | | | produce little without adequate muscle recuperation |
| bodies was enough to provoke anyone to relegate the | | | | between workouts. When improved workout |
| magazine's pages to barbeque start-up kindling. | | | | performance is combined with faster recuperation, |
| But those printed ambiguities never discouraged me | | | | speedier muscle growth is the natural result. |
| from seeking out a true mind-muscle connection. Most | | | | The mind can definitely be conditioned to embrace and |
| of us have a nagging feeling that our minds are more | | | | enjoy the habits that lead to faster recuperation. Aside |
| interconnected with our bodies than we acknowledge | | | | from conditioning the subconscious to enjoy muscle |
| enough to exploit for our benefit. This nagging feeling | | | | building eating habits, it can also be taught to |
| consumed me. It caused me to search. I wanted to | | | | automatically reduce stress. This reduction of stress is |
| know how I could truly use the power of my mind to | | | | essential to reducing cortisol levels. Since cortisol is a |
| help build a more powerful and visually appealing body. | | | | catabolic hormone (meaning it breaks down muscle |
| What did my search produce? It resulted in the | | | | tissue), keeping it on the low side is a big key to |
| following discoveries: | | | | muscle gains. |
| 1. A true 'mind/muscle connection' is a deep-seated | | | | Stress is not so much what happens in our lives as |
| belief in a muscle's performance abilities during a | | | | how we interpret those happenings and internalize |
| bodybuilding workout. | | | | them subconsciously. If your subconscious mind is |
| 2. Muscles can be coaxed to perform better during | | | | conditioned to make these interpretations in a less |
| workouts through subconscious training - resulting in | | | | stressful manner, you can have a lot going on in your |
| better muscle growth. | | | | life (with much hanging in the balance) and still sleep |
| 3. The subconscious mind can be 'conditioned' to | | | | well and make terrific bodybuilding gains. |
| enhance muscle recuperation between workouts - | | | | A bodybuilding mind-muscle connection can only be of |
| resulting in better muscle growth. | | | | long-term benefit when synergistically combined with |
| 4. A bodybuilding workout mind/muscle connection can | | | | optimal workout/recuperation techniques. |
| only be of long-term benefit when synergistically | | | | Successful natural bodybuilding results from synergism; |
| combined with optimal workout/recuperation | | | | it's the reward of mixing an optimal combination of |
| techniques. | | | | effective "ingredients". If just one of these crucial |
| Let's start with number one; A Deep-Seated Belief in | | | | ingredients is missing or not optimally executed, muscle |
| the Muscle's Workout Performance Abilities | | | | growth plateaus. |
| An effective mind/muscle connection isn't the practice | | | | This is what many beginners don't understand. They |
| of just creating a zombie-like focus on a muscle as | | | | spend money thinking just one "magic bullet |
| you watch it work. That kind of "connection" will be of | | | | supplement" will give them huge gains. It'd be to their |
| little benefit. What you really need is a deep-seated | | | | benefit to learn that even steroid users "on cycle" |
| (subconscious) belief in that muscle's ability to perform | | | | have been known to over-train and plateau. If an |
| at the critical points in your workouts. It's during pivotal | | | | anabolic drug can't compensate for ineffective training, |
| points of threshold-breaking sets and reps that you | | | | imagine how powerless such training renders whey |
| need to call on empowering beliefs from your | | | | protein... or nitric oxide supplements... or a mind/muscle |
| subconscious mind. Those beliefs need to be | | | | connection. |
| automatically driven, via neuro-transmitters, to the | | | | However, when a 'mind-muscle connection' (i.e. mind |
| fibers of the working muscles. This is a tall order - yet | | | | training for bodybuilding workouts) is combined with just |
| easily accomplished with the right techniques or | | | | the right training techniques - look out; a powerful |
| equipment. | | | | mixture is formed. This potent amalgamation is the |
| Muscles can be coaxed to perform better during | | | | best force I know of for conquering the challenge of |
| Workouts through Subconscious Training | | | | augmenting an underdeveloped musculature (aka; a |
| Many of us are familiar with a strange phenomenon: | | | | skinny body). |
| We begin using a new bodybuilding supplement that | | | | There are ways to very easily incorporate mind |
| promises us the world. We notice it making a positive | | | | training into an optimal workout program. I suggest |
| difference for a few weeks. Then as suddenly as we | | | | seeking them out for more muscle growth and less |
| experienced the surge in progress - that progress | | | | wasted money on supplements. Especially since some |
| begins to wane before it comes to a screeching halt. | | | | of those expensive supplements create little more than |
| We know this as the "placebo effect". Yet the | | | | a 'temporary mind gain'. |