4 Myths & Truths About Mind Muscle Connection

[@paolosmaldone8347]

As a fellow martial artist i think the body allways is following the judo principle:"maximum result with minimu effort"

[@anthonyromayo6296]

The best way to get better at this is Isometrics. At least for me.

[@sethpawlik]

Thanks Matt. I've been consciously trying to work on the mind-muscle connection, and like you said, I have been using less weight and getting a better workout.

[@RedDeltaProject]

Wonderful Seth 101, keep it up!

[@atalantak9205]

Great analysis. As a person with poor body awareness, I can tell you that the moment something clicks and you feel a muscle that you didn't even know existed, an exercise can become significantly easier -and feel great as a matter of fact.

[@RedDeltaProject]

I know just what you mean. I live for those moments, it's like scratching an itch you didn't know needed to be scratched all those years of training

[@atalantak9205]

@@RedDeltaProject Hahaha great way of putting it

[@tullochgorum6323]

Agreed on all points. Nothing sadder than seeing people in the gym mindlessly going through the motions as they watch the TV screens. They are wasting most of their time! As a trained Iyengar yoga teacher I already had decent mind-muscle control, but as I dig into overcoming isometrics I'm finding that I can recruit more and more muscle to the point that the exercises almost become scary. It really is the ideal laboratory for exploring this skill. And the results are impressive - rapid improvements in strength-endurance, with far less fatigue and inflammation than I experience with conventional resistance training.

[@wesleyangel777]

I left a gym because of that. Well, that and they kept sneaking in hidden fees, not knowing I check all of that stuff. Plus, a calisthenics guy came in, did crazy bodyweight stuff on almost every piece of equipment there, and left. He made 2 rounds with flags, muscle-ups, and etc., and we ALL just stopped and watched. I'll never forget it. When the guy left, we all just looked at each other with expressions of "DAMN, THAT just happened!" Digressing to the point, I don't think I'm the only one that realized we were BSing ourselves that day. I finished out that month and left for my calisthenics journey and felt much better about it. I don't miss seeing folks sling weight they can't truly lift under control, folks sitting on machines or benches near the free weights, scolling social media, or everyone going through the motions while watching the multiple, large TVs. Hell, I admit, I got caught up in it too, and watched almost a whole season of Supernatural before That Guy came in. Some hard truths were learned that day.

[@bvrod]

I agree with many things said here about not getting too obsessed with one thing. Tension, for me, is what it is all about now. Slow, smooth contraction (eccentric and concentric equally) constantly under tension is key. I look out for markers like “shakies” and straining while in the movement, but no.1 thing is (always under tension). When you fully extend a limb you have lost tension. Often I will stop mid point and hold and feel the burn. The faster it sets in tells me if I have right amount of weight/resistance, too much, or not enough. It also quickly tells you what muscles you are targeting and can adjust form accordingly. The entire description above is what I believe to be the most important aspect of mind/muscle.

[@regprofant8609]

Hey anyone complains about your videos can go somewhere else. You are the only guy who doesn’t push bullshit.

[@insanetrickster]

This. Matt is a breath of fresh air because he's a real person.

[@jameswoods6385]

Happy Thanksgiving Matt. I am truly thankful for you answering my questions and being so inspirational God bless

[@arcaneforce8880]

Hey Matt. My girlfriend got me one of your books as a upcoming Xmas present. The progressive and weighted calisthenics book. Just wondering if it's the best book to get if my goal is to build muscle and strength. Would u recommend any of your other books? Just want to build strength n muscle in the simplest way possible. Thanks n keep up the great work

[@RedDeltaProject]

It's a great place to start, but I would also combine is with the other books in the GSC series: Grind Style Calisthenics amzn.to/32TQhQh Suspension calisthenics cutt.ly/MKbbWcb Overcoming Isometrics amzn.to/2ZiC5lP in that order of importance for your goals

[@arcaneforce8880]

@@RedDeltaProject thanks. il be sure to cheack them out

[@boogerie]

keep taking the flak Matt! Maxick and Monte Saldo were on to something. Have you looked to Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT)?

[@RedDeltaProject]

I know several friends who are trainers who practice it, and have undergone the therapy several times. It's crazy expensive and time intensive to learn, almost like getting another college degree from what I understand. You could say that OI is like a poor/lazy man's MAT.

[@PaulWBruce]

This is a terrific video, and amazing concept. But this does bring up a bit of a conundrum: How much proactive tension should we be producing? If the amount of muscular tension is determined not by the exercise (or the minimum tension requirement to complete that exercise), but instead determined by one's intention, how does it become clear when someone should progress the exercise difficulty? Is it possible to rely on the simplest regression of a calisthenics exercise, and make it inhumanly difficult by employing proactive tension?

[@RedDeltaProject]

Great question Paul! Most of the proactive tension isn't about how much tension you use, but rather using tension throughout the chain. So it's more about complete tension rather than full tension. That may be confusing, I will make a video to explain much more clearly.

[@PaulWBruce]

@@RedDeltaProject Matt, that would be incredible. After going through Maxick's "Muscle Control" (inspired by some old videos of yours), really can bring this into question. And other concepts like "balance" (reactive tension) vs. "stability" proactive tension, or proactive tension to "overkill" the muscle for hypertrophy vs. relaxing antagonists and distributing tension for increased strength... I think the concept of quantity of proactive tension vs. quality of proactive tension would be super insightful.

[@GoldenFrizbee]

I had a client who started seeing a personal trainer. His personal trainer made him watch himself in the mirror when he did dumbbell curls. Turns out, my client has been using his SHOULDER muscles to curl, reach, do *anything* with his hands/arms and it explains his posture and severe tension every time I see him. Now he has to establish MMC with his biceps and teach his muscles how to be used properly.

[@RedDeltaProject]

"You can observe by watching" - Yogi Berra But it's true, the mirror is such an under valued resource in the gym

[@oliviaolivia7011]

Is this content in your book “Overcoming Isometrics “?

[@wesleyangel777]

Well, the brain controls the muscles, so the mind-muscle connection, to me, is like air-lung connection. I think Bodybuilding got a bad rep long ago, and no matter how much it improves and proves legitimate work, people will continue to bandwagon the hate. I don't think they mind what the puny humans squawk about anyway. Hehe

[@leonardopatrizio]

I hate every gym bro talking about getting a good mind muscle connection. I hope they all stop being. Not this guy, he seems alright.