Conscious Contractions

J

Jcrew3082

Cathlete
Hi Cathe & all of you educated exercisers,

Well, let me begin by saying that I feel like a fraud. It's been a rough month and I have hardly worked out. I feel unworthy of posting lol!

I finally did Power Hour today and decided to go lighter since I haven't worked out in a while. Usually, I focus on form, but I don't always think about consciously contracting my muscles at the peak of a movement. I made that my focus for the workout and found that I had to go much lighter, half the usual in some cases. My legs in particular were shaking so much that I skipped the lunges all together!

I feel like the biggest wimp! And I have questions...

When I was able to lift much heavier, was it because I wasn't consciously squeezing? Is it more important to focus on the squeeze? Cathe often says to use mental assistance. Have I been "cheating" all along because I haven't been listening?

Has anyone else had this issue? Thank you all in advance!

Gina
 
Hi Gina!

I think your taking a month off has a lot to do with it. As you continue to lift, you will be able to go heavier. That being said, I also find that many times if I lighten my load, I sometimes can feel the contraction MORE because I am able to use BETTER form. I find this particularly in moves like chest flies & lunges. Sometimes, in order for me to contract the RIGHT muscles, I need to go lighter. Not sure if this helps. Keep at it and glad to have you "back"!
Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif[/img] If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
RE: Hi Gina!

Thank you Debbie! It's also TTOM which usually depletes me, so I'm hoping next time will be better!

Gina
 
RE: Hi Gina!

bumping...great question and I would enjoy reading more responses to this.
 
Hi Gina! Welcome back! Don't be so hard on yourself ;-). We all have times in our lives where we can't work out as much as we hope to. So glad you are finding more time for your workouts again.

As for your questions....The main reason that you are having to go lighter is due to the fact that you had a month off. You will quickly regain your strength though and be back to you regular weights very soon.

After having said that...I would also like to point out that adding mental resistance to your exercises(along with your physical resistance) requires a much greater effort, therefore making exercises much more effective.

I personally find this to be especially effective during lunges. Sometimes during my endurance-based leg workouts I will use no weight at all for my lunge work. I just focus on form, balance and contraction. I get such a "burn" going, sometimes even more than when I use weights with lunges.

Many times when using a heavier weight, we tend to psyche ourselves up to push through the weight we selected vs focusing on the specific contraction of each rep. This is actually okay as long as your form is paramount and momentum is not occuring to compensate for the heavy weight. But just imagine the results we could enjoy by combining the energy of both.

I wouldn't worry that you were cheating in the past. Your workouts certainly were not a wasted effort. But now they can be even more exciting and effective since you have discovered another way to bring more dimension to your workouts. Keep up the great work!!!
 
Okay, I tried really hard today to concentrate on contracting muscles and not cheat and boy...did it ever fatigue me! I had the most difficulty while lying on the bench and doing flys...trying to contract in the shoulder blades. It's easier to 'feel' that contraction when in an upright position. I can see where focusing on doing it right will be more effective!

JScrew...I did the Power Hour workout and by the time I got to the last set of low lunges, not only were my legs fried and wobbling all over the room but when I decided I had to break...I could barely pull my legs back underneath of me to stand upright!

So the conscious contraction does make the work harder. }( :eek: }(
 
Oh my goodness- a response from Cathe! Thank you so so much for replying, as I know you are incredibly busy.

I am back to my normal weight load and think that my experience was likely just a very "off" day. I've been focusing intensely on form as well as consciously contracting, and I can see a difference in my ability to complete a set of exercises without pausing for rest. In the past, I used mental assistance, but not to the degree I have been using it to lately, and you are absolutely correct that "combining the energy of both" is awesome!

I'm glad you mentioned focus as I think it is one of the most wonderful aspects of exercise. When I am doing one of your workouts, each movement requires my full attention. There is no room in my mind for lingering problems, things to do that day, or any other stress related issues.

Thank you again, Cathe, for responding. I admire you so very much and am so thankful to have found your workouts. I also thank you for this amazing website! Without you, so many of us would have never met, found friends, and shared ideas. I could go on forever, but I will stop the gushing right here and just end this with a big THANK YOU:D !

Gina
 
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