Straight to the Bar

All Things Strength

HELPING YOU GET STRONGER SINCE 2004

Muscle Activation
Written By : Scott Bird
Filed In : Elsewhere (Articles on Other Sites)

StrongermanThere’s an interesting article (.pdf, 194kb) tucked away under the name of Myo-feedback on the Strongerman site. It’s a great title if you know what it means, not so great otherwise.
In any case, the topic of discussion is knowing how and when to activate particular muscles in compound lifts. Whether you’re trying to fire your lats at the right point in a bench press, or bring your hips forward on cue in the squat – this article has a couple of pointers that may just come in handy.
From the article :

being stronger in a muscle group is only half the picture. You have to be able to turn on that strength, at the right times, in the right sequence and in the right direction in concert with other muscle groups. Sometimes you have to back up and “re-educate” your motor system if you get into bad habits.

Sound advice.

Over to you. Drop us a line on Twitter ( @scottbird ), or add a comment below.

Cheers.

 

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Straight to the Bar is the online home of fitness enthusiast Scott Bird, and looks at the many training approaches, essential techniques, uncommon exercises and superb equipment to help you become as strong as humanly possible. In short, this site is the home of all things strength.

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Written By Scott Bird
Scott is a long-time fitness enthusiast (Jan 2004!), writer and photographer living in Sydney, Australia. If you share the passion for spending a bit of time under a bar, welcome. Love hearing how everyone else trains. You can connect via X (Formerly Twitter), Facebook and the various networks listed in the sidebar.
Drawing of Scott Andrew Bird performing a deadlift. Artwork by Vince Palko.