TOTAL LIFETIME FITNESS

Focus - Getting the Most Out of Your Strength Training Part 3

September 28th, 2008 Posted by David Lemberg

Photography by David Lemberg

The only good thing about an injury is the possibility of learning how to train smarter – which often means how to train with increased focus. Most of the training injuries I’ve had over the years are due to lack of focus – to not paying attention (really, paying attention to something or someone else) or to ego.

Of course, some injuries are not avoidable. If you train hard enough and long enough, you might overload a muscle or a joint and sustain an injury. Bad things occasionally happen to good exercisers.

But most injuries are avoidable. For example, when I was dancing professionally I had a series of three bad hamstring strains. Each one was serious, tears at the origin of the muscle. And, each one was completely avoidable.

The first one happened a few weeks after I finally became able to do a full split. That’s pretty good for a guy. My ego took over. I could do a split and therefore I should be able to always do a split. It was early spring in New York City and on a cold day when it was difficult to completely warm-up, I forced myself down into a split and tore a hamstring. I heard it pop. Big ouch. That took six months to heal completely.

I did the other two hamstring tears in jazz dance classes. Each time I was showing off for a cute new girl in class. One jazz exercise routine involves doing big leg kicks as you go across the floor from one corner to the other far corner. Well, I knew I could kick high but each time I tried to kick really high to impress the new girl. And, each time I kicked too high and tore a hamstring. After the second time (a year after the first) I learned to find a better way to make a good impression.

These injuries were all about ego. Ego can really get in the way when you’re training. Your ego thinks you should lift a certain amount of weight when you’re strength training, even though your body is sending a different message. Your ego thinks you should run a certain distance. Your ego thinks you should run faster. Your ego thinks you should be able to bend over and place both palms on the floor, every time and every day. Your ego thinks you should go much deeper in your yoga position. I mean, just look at the person next to you!

This ego stuff is a total distraction, particularly if we have no practice in recognizing the ego at work. The remedy – and this is not an easy thing – is to FOCUS completely on the exercise activity. Do the exercise with complete attention and there will be no room for any of the rantings of ego.

Easier said than done. Practice helps. But ego is always there in the background. Practice. Return to the moment. Do the exercise completely and fully each time. In this way, we get the most out of what we’re doing, whatever we’re doing.

Paying attention and staying focused can be challenging. There are so many distractions - in the gym, on the track, and in my [your] head. I’m aware that the times I’ve stumbled or twisted an ankle while running or the times I’ve pulled a muscle while lifting weights are the times I’ve been distracted. You lose your focus – for a critical moment – and injuries can happen.

So, maintaining your focus is a key element in injury prevention. Maintaining your focus is also key to getting the most out of your strength training, aerobic exercise, core exercises, or any workout. When you focus, your brain–muscle connections are enhanced. When you focus, information is transmitted efficiently between muscle and brain and brain and muscle. Muscles get stronger faster owing to this augmented brain–muscle activity.

Your ability to focus provides clarity to your exercises. Your ability to focus provides energy. And, remarkably, your ability to focus makes the physical work you’re doing that much easier. And much more fun!

Visualization – Getting the Most Out of Your Strength Training Part 2
Form Is Everything – Getting the Most Out of Your Strength Training Part 1

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