How to activate more muscle fibers - with your mind

The more you focus on the muscle you’re working, the more muscle fibers you activate. This mind-muscle connection was confirmed in a recent study from Denmark.

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“The mind has a bigger influence on the body than we think,” says researcher Lars Anderson, Ph.D.

Here’s why your mental workload affects your physical workload: If your mind is busy thinking about deadlines, bills, or the long line for the bench press, previous research has found that your brain won’t have all the resources it needs to send messages to your muscles. That means you may be churning out reps, but not getting as much out of your workout as you could be.

Next time you’re in the gym, think about the muscle working harder as you move it. Concentrate on the contraction of the body part as you lift and lower the weight, and how strong you feel while doing it.

This method works especially well with isolation exercises that zone in on just one muscle group, such as curls, lateral raises, and calf raises.