I used to think that weight training was a matter of moving a weight from point A to point B. I was taught early on, by both fellow gym rats and authoritative figures (not so much), that the result from just the movement or action of weight training alone would lead to further progress and results. After years of sustaining little or no results, terribly aching joints and overall confusion, I set out to do my own research about what it really takes to elicit true progress and profound results during weight training. What I discovered, is now the basis and reason I set out to write “Mind Over Muscle”.

       So what does it take to truly get the most out of your weight training sessions?
If you are familiar with my previous books, you know that one of the best underlying methods of training include, Periodization training; a block of segmented training regimens completed in different time periods. It is by far the smartest, safest and most results oriented style of training. If you’re objective is to create long-lasting results, please do not take this lightly.

       Do you recognize the difference between simply moving a weight from point A to B and moving that weight, but instead, really feeling and allowing those weights to intensely stimulate your muscles? If you belong to a gym, I’m sure you’re use to seeing it constantly; people heaving, throwing and swaying the weights, just to get them up or down or back on the rack.

       If you’re a power-lifter, than maybe your objective is solely to move the heaviest possible weight from point A to point b, but even than, these athletes must maintain a degree of form that most couldn’t achieve. Athletes like Power-lifters, train a specific way, in order to achieve a desired result.  Think about how a Power-lifter looks. Many are huge 300 pound mammoths, who precisely look the part. On the other hand, there are many, who have average looking physiques, resembling someone who couldn’t even budge such heavy weight let alone lift it. But they can and do!

       So how can there be so much variation in how some of these Power-lifters look?
I could ask the same thing of bodybuilders, right? However, there is far less variation amongst these athletes, when you compare the two sports.

       Let’s think about some of the reasons how Power-lifters can look so different. Some reasons include; some are genetically gifted, some are chemically enhanced, some are training and eating a specific way, which calls for massive growth, and some train very differently than others.

       Many Power-lifters, bodybuilders and athletes don’t often stray from their sport specific and traditional training protocols and regimens. Across the board, most of us share very similar style training protocols involving specific exercises, reps, sets and even rest periods. However, there are the few who take it a few steps further. There are those who have learned to tap into the amazing powers of the mind. They are able to induce a Zen like mind-set, allowing them to create precision focus, unbreakable determination and fierce intensity while training…All leading to profound results. Enter the “Zone-Tone®”.
 
       One of the ways to achieve this state lies in your ability to focus, without distractions, on your objective. To properly train a muscle is to truly feel that muscle being stimulated during exercise. Are you a Power-lifter, body-builder or athlete concerned only with heaving massive weight (quantity) in any disorderly fashion? Or are you the type of trainee who cares about getting the utmost (quality) results from your workouts, each and every workout?

       Did you know that the mind and every psychological process have a measurable physical manifestation? In other words, your mind can and will greatly affect your physical body, at will. So how does this apply to weight training? Perfectly! Try this: Before you execute a set, think about the precise muscles you intend on stimulating. By doing just this, you are then creating a super-enhanced mind-muscle connection.

       How many people do you see training while talking, talking while training and they all seem to have the same body-type they had last year, today? Could it be that their inability to focus and dedicate themselves to their training sessions has helped them get nowhere, fast? You Got It!

       At a very superficial level, proper focus alone, can and will bring you more results than you’ve reached thus far. I say superficial because there is huge arsenal of tools, techniques and concepts available to you, that will literally for all intents and purposes, blow your mind! When you learn to tap into the dormant power of your brain, you can achieve absolutely everything you set your mind to.

James Villepigue CSCS