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Sitting at this gym cafe in Paris, drinking my oat milk cortado, stomach full of the MoMoMuscle Maker Pancakes, I'm still blow away how the food just tastes better here. Every ingredient, every dish. The care + quality in the simple things.
Such as the eggs here. I don't need to find the niche pasture raised eggs to enjoy an amber yolk...
A little visual, but my point is, you can have an ingredient but the quality determines the outcome.
Same goes with exercise.
A squat done quickly and mindlessly is a lot less effective than a squat where you:
- Curl your big toe to activate your arches
- Get a belly breath to activate your core
- Stiffen your spine to build your erectors
- Send your hips back to activate your glutes
- Mindfully load + squeeze
So on that note, we are going to talk about my 5 tips to fuller muscles, without more reps.
1. Quiet the Mind
When you step into the gym, leave distractions at the door. Reboot your system by unplugging from your stress, phone and constant chatter running through your mind. We use this time to align your mind with your body.
The best way to get out of your mind is to become still + also move your body. Use this time to repair the over stimulus we experience daily.
2. Tempo
Slow down those reps to actually feel your muscles. Think about the movement you're creating and the muscle you're targeting.
Your muscles don't know reps, they know time under tension. You can intuitively use tempo, but a good rule of thumb is 4 seconds down, 2 seconds up.
3. Breathe
Breathing connects you to your body which is essential your powerhouse. Use this to push through your sets. Exhaling slowly on the exertion will help sustain your force.
Get a big belly breath before a rep to stabilize your core and build you that blocky six pack.
4. Muscle Activation
Squeeze your glutes.
Now squeeze them as hard as you can.
Notice how when you create more force, the muscle activates more. We want to apply the same principle to a bicep curl, pull up, squat...Pretty much every exercise we do unless it's a power related stimulus. Quality over quantity.
5. Warm-Up
Before you dive into the heavy stuff establish that mind[muscle] connection during your warm-up. Hip openers, shoulder swings, breathing into your tension, acknowledging your current state, everything to connect you to your body.
I love the 7 minute warm up outlined in the app because it helps ease you into movement and start feeling good in your body.
Overall, more muscle doesn't just mean lifting more. It means mindfulness, nutrition [which we will cover soon] and muscle activation. It's not just about muscle stress, rather how you apply.
Leverage the stimulus to see better results.
Quality over quantity, especially with my fav MomoMuscler Builder pancakes. Heat 'em and eat 'em.
[I said what I said.] *Chef’s Kiss*
xx,
Coach Momo
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