Do you have a “weak” bodypart?
Here is an encouraging thought… if you can building ANY muscle, you can build THEM ALL.
Your body has the same muscle fibre composition, same hormonal profile, same DNA in all your muscles.
So, why do people have “weak” bodyparts?
The answer is very simple, it is due to your body’s tendency to distribute more tension or load through its strongest bodyparts.
Muscle is built through the repetitive application of FORCE.
You pick up a weight, and instinctively your body wants to use its best or biggest “solutions”, of course, Aka your biggest and best body parts.
Your goal then, must be to precisely SELECT where your body places the tension or load from any and all weights that you lift.
If you continue to mindlessly “lift weights”, your strengths will develop but their growth will be massively inhibited by your body’s inability to stabilize with its weaker parts.
You can’t fire a cannon from a canoe, just like you can’t aggressively contract a muscle from an unstable environment of weak supporting muscles.
Why allow “genetics” to limit your development when you can have complete control over your body to develop aesthetic and balanced body.
So, you want to build some muscle?
Me too.
But have you ever stopped for a second to think about what actually needs to happen for that to occur?
If not, you should.
Most beginners hear the term “progressive overload” and assume that is the holy grail.
Well, what if I told you that progressive overload, the way most people think if it, is bullshit!
And I can prove it. Read on, young jedi!
Is just “lifting” weight all that it takes to get bigger, harder muscles?
If you’re reading this, you know by now that is NOT the case.
First, it’s essential that you understand that muscles only form of communication is TENSION.
End to end tension. Think pulling apart two ends of a rope.
The harder I pull on one end, the more tension that is generated within the rope (or muscle).
For this to be true, one end of the rope must be completely stable.
If it moves, even a little bit, the force producing capability of the other end of that rope falls off
drastically.
Imagine trying to pull something toward you if you’re not anchored, like if you were standing on ice.
Every muscle in the body has an Origin, and an Insertion (its two ends). The only thing that muscle does to generate motion is pull one end toward the other.
One end (the Origin) is anchored, the other (the Insertion) pulls closer to the midline of the body. The amount of pull within the muscle is known as tension.
Our singular goal in trying to build muscle is to generate maximum tension within muscle over a period of time.
That sounds pretty simple, and in theory it is.
Pretty easy to see how this might be confused for “pick up heavy shit, and put it down”… but don’t get ahead of yourself just yet.
This brings me to my next point:
Exercise selection matters, but HOW YOU DO AN EXERCISE MATTERS MOST.
What moves first, works most
What moves most, works most.
Solution: INITIATE WITH THE WORKING MUSCLE
WHY?
The joint that travels through the greatest range of motion (ROM), does the most work. ( the muscles that cross that joint do).
To simplify this, the muscle that moves first will travel the greatest distance, and therefore receive the greatest amount of load for the greatest amount of time.
Example 1
Lats
If I’m doing a row to work my lats, the only two joints that should move AT ALL are my shoulder (girdle- GH joint and scapula) and elbow joint. The rest of my body is locked in stone to prevent other muscles doing the work/causing inertia. And whichever of those two joints that travels the most, gets the most work. This is true for EVERY exercise.
ENTER ROW IMAGES showing joint excursion.
If I’m working my lats, my singular goal should be to first get that lat doing as much “work” as possible. Which means 1) making sure the lat moves/contracts first, and you never lose that contraction or tension 2) minimizing the work the other muscles are doing. (If I’m trying to make the lats work as much as possible, logically i need the other muscles to work as little as possible when lifting a load)
This is done by setting up to give the working muscle the best possible advantage to work.
If something else contracts or moves first, the motion is being initiated by another part of the body and inertia is “throwing” the weight eliminating any chance for the lat to work maximally.
Most people unknowingly train with the intent of moving weight and actually doing as little work as possible with their muscles. They’re just hoping they get some stimulus in the process.
Make sense so far?
Example 2
Quad Dominant Squats
If I’m working my quads, the knee joint must travel through the greatest range of motion.
To ensure this, step one is to make sure the knee joint moves first. This will also ensure that your brain is cued in to using that muscle and generating tension there first.
How far over your toes your knee should travel will depend on a few factors: 1) Knee health and current quad strength, ankle mobility in dorsi flexion (bringing toes to shin).
The further your knees travel past your toes, the greater the distance that joint is the the center of mass, the more work that muscle needs to do to move that joint.
Confused?
Check this out…
(hold phone horizontally to view full image properly)
Make sense?
So, now raise the question in your mind, “is simply adding weight without regard for what joint moves first, or what joint travels through the greatest range of motion, are you actually progressively overloading a muscle?”
Unless you’re very aware of all the variables, it’s as likely as heading east trying to find a sunset.
So, think about this:
Are you simply “lifting” weight in whatever way your body decides is easiest?
Without mindfully putting the muscle you are trying to work at the best possible advantage to work, that’s exactly what you’re doing.
You’re allowing your genetic limitations to continue to shine. Allowing the body to “bail out” and shift tension away from the muscle that should be working and instead cheating with its strongest parts and inertia to move the load.
Now, go hit the gym and give one of the following workouts a test drive.
Pay attention to these key points:
- Making sure the muscle you are working contracts first and initiates the movement
- Exactly which joints are moving? Which ones are moving through the greatest ROM? (If it’s moving, it’s helping you move the weight or helping you cheat)
- Once you’ve found the contraction with the working muscle, smile, embrace it and then squeeze it like it owes you money!
Keep an eye out for the next articles in the series of perfecting your understanding of Muscle Intelligence
Click HERE to Download – Intro to Intent Workouts
[Pay attention the cueing tips in the side column, and you will realize every workout you ever read again will be incomplete without specifying what your conscious INTENT is.
What happens in your brain when you’re training is the absolute most important factor to determining what muscle you’re training, and how much stimulus that muscle is getting].
Your Muscle Intelligence coach.
BPak
