1. MIND-MUSCLE CONNECTION
A lot of the time, we lift and then put our weights back and that’s it. But it’s actually really important to lift while concentrating on that particular muscle. Lift and feel that muscle perform the movement – that’s what we call mind-muscle connection. Research actually shows that more muscle activation occurs when you’re focussing on the muscle producing that movement, which in turn results in more muscle growth.
2. SLEEP
We tend to underestimate the importance and power of adequate sleep. Research suggests that adults should get 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Sleep is so important for muscle synthesis/growth because this is when it primarily happens – sleep-time. It’s also important for injury prevention and flu prevention! Did you know that you are 2x more likely to get an injury if you get 6 hours or less of sleep daily? Crazy huh! There was a research paper done to determine the effects of sleep and fat burning and they found that those that got 6 hours or less burnt less fat and had a reduced amount of muscle gain when compared to those that got 7-8 hours. No-brainer, get your sleep!
3. COMPOUND EXERCISES
So, there are two types of exercises – compound and isolated exercises. Compound exercises are exercises that result in multiple joints moving simultaneously – squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, etc. While an isolated exercise is when only one joint moves – leg extensions, bicep curls, etc. A general rule is that compound exercises will always yield more muscle growth. Compound exercises result in more testosterone being released, which drives muscle growth but also the fact that you’re using multiple joints means you’re using multiple muscles – more bang for your buck! Whether you choose compound exercises or isolated exercises depends on what your goals are! So maybe speak to us regarding your goals and we can point you in the right direction 🙂
