This Key Neuromuscular Trick Helps Make Bigger Lifts, Recruit More Muscle

I see I had you at “bigger lifts” and “recruit more muscle.” Who doesn’t want that? While this trick may sound obvious, most gym goers aren’t doing it and they are leaving key performance potential on the table.

What I’m about to say is most true when you, the mover, are connecting with an external implement, like a barbell or some other fitness equipment. The best way to meet your strength potential is to actively do work into the implement.

Sounds obvious, right?

A barbell, for example, should almost never be “resting” somewhere or floating anywhere. To maximize the neuromuscular potential of any movement, actively do work into the barbell by pushing, pulling, spreading, squeezing, etc on the implement.

In college, I had a world-renown strength coach named Shannon Turley, who first helped me realize this with what seemed like too simple of a cue. During the dumbbell bench press, he said when you’re near failure just squeeze the handle of the dumbbell harder.

It worked!

Why did it work? This type of activity around the implement makes for more neuromuscular connection and more muscular activity to help accomplish the task!

There are important examples of this in dynamic movements like the clean, snatch, and jerk variations. The best expression of these lifts have the mover wasting no time in their pulling on the bar to pushing on the bar in a transition like the clean moving from below the waist (pulling) to the front rack (pushing) position, for example.

Even in strongman this is true. More stone lifts get made simply when the mover tries to crush the atlas stone during their lift. Same logic.

There are endless examples where you’d instantly be a better mover by being more active with the implement you’re connected to!