Lift heavy with shift in ‘focus’

GYM junkies have been lifting weights all wrong, according to a new analysis by a Gold Coast university.

Researchers from Griffith University have discovered that the focus during the weight training can have much more of an effect on the outcome of the exercise than first thought.

The new analysis by Professor David Neumann from the university’s school of applied psychology suggests that to lift heavier, or longer, it is better to focus on moving the weight itself – not your muscles.

“The way an athlete focuses their attention when lifting a weight has the potential to influence strength development during training and performance outcomes during competition,” Prof Neumann said.

Put another way, Prof Neumann found mind-muscle connection made an athlete expend more effort to lift the weight.

When weightlifters instead focus their attention on the external effects of their efforts, such as the movement of a barbell, lifts are done more economically and with less effort.

“It appears that this external focus allows automatic control processes to operate, removing the attentional demands and mechanical inefficiency of conscious muscular control,” Prof Neumann said.

However, those who have been admiring their efforts in the gym mirror for years shouldn’t worry – a focus on specific muscles can help, but in a different way.

The analysis found focusing one’s attention on a particular muscle when lifting promotes its activation and, by extension, its development.

His work was published in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living.