FITNESS TRANS4MATIONS

Resistance training is known to be the most effective way to lose weight, tone up and strengthen connective tissues and joints. But are you really getting an effective workout from your Strength Training?

Today's modern living has caused a number of our muscles to become redundant, as the brain has stopped sending them the signals they require to contract properly. When this happens, other muscles adopt the work of the idle ones, a job that they are not designed to do and over time this can cause long term injury including back pain.

When embarking on a Resistance Training programme its important to understand which muscles should be targeted and the best way to achieve this. For instance, when performing body weights squats, the main muscle that you want to be using is the buttocks. Many of us will have underactive glutes and their thigh muscles will do most of the work leading to muscle imbalances. 

The most effective way to get the target muscle to do the work is to visualise the movement as well as think about that specific muscle working.  Strangely enough, even giving yourself a tap in the target area will stimulate the brain and help it form a channel to the muscle in question.  So when performing the squat, squeeze your glutes as hard as you can when you reach the bottom of the movement and give yourself a little tap on the buttock for extra stimulation to the muscle.

So thinking about the muscles you are working will aid them to work harder and you will improve the effectiveness of your workout.  Be patient, if muscles have been underactive for a long time it may take a while for signals from the brain to adopt a new pathway to these muscles.