Have you ever wondered why your exercise routine isn’t delivering the results you’re aiming for? It’s possible that there are neurological factors hindering your muscle strengthening and injury prevention efforts.
The brain communicates with every part of your body through nerves, including muscles, joints, and various areas of your skin. These nerves extend from the brain down the spinal cord and branch off to every part of the body. If anything disrupts this pathway, communication between the nervous system and the muscles, joints, and skin is compromised. As a result, your muscles may not contract as efficiently as they should.
Here are some common nervous system-related issues that could be preventing you from optimizing muscle activation each time you exercise:
- Reduced sensitivity of joint receptors. This can interfere with feedback from your muscles to your brain, impairing muscle activation.
- Muscles imbalances. Unaddressed muscle imbalances can lead to poor movement patterns and ineffective muscle activation.
- Insufficient rest periods. Not resting enough (or resting too long) between sets can impair muscle recovery, affecting your overall strength gains.
- Poor coordination and balance. This results in further muscle imbalances, making your workouts less effective.
- Impaired circulation. Nerves require their own circulation. When circulation is limited, the communication between muscles and nerves becomes disrupted, reducing muscle efficiency.
Regaining Control
The nervous system controls all the muscles of the body. However, over time, the mind-muscle connection can weaken, especially if you don’t consistently challenge your muscles. The good news? You can regain control and improve your muscle activation with the right approach.
Here are some strategies to help you get back on track:
- Nurture the right mindset for exercise. Set yourself up for success by maintaining a positive focus. Concentration is key to optimizing the results of your workout routine.
- Incorporate Functional Movement Patterns. Opt for multi-dimensional, 3D movements. This helps engage different muscle groups and boosts coordination.
- Enhance coordination with new exercises. Challenge yourself with new exercises, as each new movement pattern creates new “communication” pathways between nerves and muscles. The greater the variety, the better for your muscles.
- Challenge your balance. Core stabilization techniques are essential for improving balance and addressing muscle imbalances. Ask your physical therapist for targeted exercises to enhance your core stability.
- Optimize your rest period. Proper rest between sets allows your muscles to recover and rebuild.
Interval Training: Boosting Muscle Activation
What is interval training?
Interval training is a form of exercise where you alternate between different intensities within a single session, switching back and forth between high-intensity and low-intensity phases.
For example, you might alternate between intense weight training and a low-intensity walk on the treadmill. This approach helps challenge your muscles in unpredictable ways, keeping your body “guessing” and maximizing your muscle engagement.
Mixing up different components of your exercise routine (intensity, duration, frequency and type of muscles recruited) boosts the mind-muscle connection.
To learn more about how physical therapy can support you in reaching your goals, increasing strength, and reducing pain, please call our clinic. Let us assist you in enhancing your mind-muscle connection.