We talkin’ about flexin’.  Flexin’?  Really?  Is this about bros flexing in the mirror admiring their huge biceps?  No, (well, maybe a little) but not entirely.  This is the kind of flexing that can be done in the comfort and safety of your own house.  Let me explain.

One of the biggest obstacles when I first start to train someone is them being able to “feel their muscles”.  I ask them to “squeeze their glutes” or “make sure you feel your lats”.  Well, to a new beginner that is a daunting task.  To a bodybuilder they will laugh at you and then just start flexin’ or posing like they are on stage.  Their mind muscle connection is at 100%.  So the next question is will you look like a bodybuilder just by practicing flexing all your muscles individually?  Ummm, probably not (nice try though!), but it is an important step to working your way there. 

What it will do, is get you that all important “mind-muscle connection” that us trainers are looking for in our clients.  The sooner the client gets that, the sooner we can advance.  It will make a world of difference when it comes to moving past “newbie” stage and into the intermediate stage.

Don’t believe me? Check out this article by Dr. John Rusin, all about the importance of the “mind-muscle connection”.

How to do it.  Well just flex.  No really, it’s that simple.  Start with one side and “touch” that flexed muscle with your other hand. As and example, flex your left bicep and make sure it is really flexed by holding it with your right hand. Once you’ve mastered that, start flexing both biceps at ones (bodybuilding shows call this a Double Bicep Pose - a la Arnold Schwarzenegger). 

Each time you flex, run through this list of the “main” muscles:

1)    Biceps (front of arms)

2)    Triceps (back of arms)

3)    Lats (side of back (have to do one at a time and touch the opposite lat to make sure it’s tight)).

4)    Pecs

5)    Shoulders

6)    Glutes

7)    Quads (work like triceps to extend the knee)

8)    Hamstrings (work like biceps and flex the knee)

Let’s get flexin’ and start to convey that over to helping your workouts.