Can Our Mind Influence How Big Muscles Get?

By Rob Molloy

Do you know that the difference between moderate and massive muscle growth depends upon what you are thinking while lifting weights and bodybuilding? What do you think about when you are lifting weights and bodybuilding?

There was a study that Hull University in the United Kingdom did on 30 weight lifters. What they found was that muscles responded better and grew more when the lifters focused more on what their muscles were doing, rather than thinking about the weight they were trying to lift.

These 30 weightlifters were to do bicep curls while their muscles were wired to monitors to study the electrical activity. While they were lifting they were asked to concentrate on the muscle and the activity of lifting. Then they were asked to concentrate on the weight and the up and down movement. What they found was that there was more muscle fiber activity taking place when they were concentrating on the muscle. More muscle fiber activity means more muscle growth.

Traditional thinking dictates that you focus on the goal, rather than on the activity. For instance a golfer who concentrates more on his muscle movements rather than the hole, which is his aim, will need to take more swings. Asking a baseball pitcher to concentrate on the activity of his muscles rather than the strike zone or catchers mitt, will cause him to perform more poorly than if he concentrated on throwing a strike. When you ask a sprinter to concentrate on his leg movements he will more than likely perform worse than if he concentrated on the finish line.

Now, in all of those cases, it has been found that you need to pay attention to form, which will help you achieve your goal better but overall, you need to be focusing more on your actual goal. There have been many studies that have taken place, prior to this one, that concluded that focusing on your goal helped you achieve it better.

After reading all of this, you should ask yourself a very important question. What is your weightlifting goal? Is your goal the weight you are lifting or is it the development of your muscles? More than likely while visiting the gym on a daily basis when trying to achieve the physique you want, you have notice how some other individuals concentrate chiefly on the machine or weights they use while working out. You may have even done so yourself. Do you pay more attention to the reps you do or trying to get the weight moving. Studies show that this is not where you should focus your attention.

Your goal is muscle growth. That is your finish line. The number of reps are important, as is making sure that you are using the machine properly or lifting the weight correctly and it is beneficial to learn proper technique. When learning technique, though, you should get to a point where you no longer have to think about it. You have to get to a point where it is in your nature to do it correctly. After you have done that, which in weightlifting shouldn't take that long, then key in on what your muscles are doing.

Over the next couple months in your workout, stop paying attention to how hard it is to move that weight or how difficult it is to do all those reps. Quit looking at those people walking by and stop trying to impress them. Start concentrating on that muscle group you are working. Focus on the actual muscle building. Start watching what it is doing. Fix your mind on how that muscle feels, the movement and how it reacts to the different movements.

Once you can do this, you will begin to see more progress and rapid muscle growth. Keep in mind that your brain is the muscle that controls all your other muscles and helps them work better. This will help you achieve the body you want. - 17273

About the Author:

If you are reasonably new to muscle growing or just want to be healthy, check out Rob Molloy's grow my muscles site to find lots of helpful muscle building facts and observe his progress to fitness.

Why Bodybuilding is the Best Way to Lose Fat

By S. Dale

Far too many people believe they need to go on specialist diets or do intense cardio routines to lose fat and weight. However, bodybuilding has been proven time and time again to be the best way to lose fat permanently.

In order to lose weight you must burn more calories than you are taking into your body. If you are on a sensible diet plan that reduces your caloric intake and you add bodybuilding exercises to your routine, you will be burning more calories than you are eating and in turn losing weight as you build lean muscle.

This is where bodybuilding pays off for weight loss. Metabolism is how the body is able to turn calories into energy and how efficiently the body burns that that energy.

The higher your metabolism is the more efficiently your body is burning calories. Your metabolic rate is affected not only by your age and gender but also by your lean body mass.

This means the more muscle your body carries, the higher your metabolic rate will be. So if you follow a bodybuilding workout program and a healthy diet, your body will naturally burn away that unwanted fat, much more so than just dieting or doing cardio workouts on their own.

To attempt to lose weight before bodybuilding is a complete waste of time. As you go through the right sort of bodybuilding program you will be able to see your fat disappear and your muscle mass and/or muscle tone increase.

In any sort of fitness regime many people often talk about your body mass index (BMI) reading to know if you are within a healthy weight range. However, as you build muscle mass and burn fat your BMI will not be an accurate indicator of health or your fat levels.

Muscle is heavy and dense, so as you add lean muscle mass to your body with a body building program, you may not see a decrease in your weight. However, this does not mean you have not lost fat, it means you are shifting your muscle to fat ratio. You are becoming learner, not lighter.

A BMI calculation is simply your height divided by your bodyweight multiplied by 703. This is therefore meaningless because someone who is overweight may have the same BMI as a bodybuilder who carries only 5% body fat. You need professional fat callipers or specialist body fat measuring equipment to accurately determine how much fat you carry.

Everyone wants a permanent weight loss program that will keep the fat off for good, but many look for a miracle pill or a fad diet. Forget that nonsense; a bodybuilding program designed specifically around your goals is by far the best way to lose fat forever.

As you progress with your bodybuilding program you will notice the fat inches begin to disappear and your muscle tone starts to show. And remember, you do not need to lose weight before bodybuilding, but you do need a good bodybuilding program to help lose fat and feel great permanently. - 17273

About the Author:

Find out exactly how to burn body fat whilst at the same time increasing muscle tone and definition at Adding Muscle Mass com.