E087 Andrea Lee Mind Muscle Connection
Let’s Be Well Together Podcast - Episode 87
Date: September 26, 2023
Participants: John Webster, Isabelle Sinclair, Cameron Earnshaw, Sheila Webster and Elise Seifert
Guest: Andrea Lee
Start times and Segments:
[0:00:35] What’s On Your Mind: Isabelle and Ciara discussed hustle culture on Episode 79. John revisits the topic with Isabelle, and an article: “Hustle culture leaves no room to celebrate the small wins” by Jasmine Hasmtali, Queens University Journal (Jan. 20, 2023).
[0:12:31] Expanding Minds Interview: [Physical Wellness] We interview professional trainer Andrea Lee. The mind muscle connection is deliberately focusing on the feeling of the muscle contracting. You want to be very aware and conscious of how the muscle is moving as you go through a weight training exercise. It helps to maintain form and to increase the effectiveness of weight training. You get a deeper connection and contraction of the muscle when you feel the muscle tightening, or lengthening or shortening. Your movement quality improves.
[0:27:31] Adventures of the Starving Artist: Cameron is grinding out paperwork related to the music business. The load is lightened by a new song by a group he likes – Vildhjarta.
[[0:31:12] Move That Body: A lingering injury is tough on Sheila. We trade thoughts about recovering while injured, and how not being able to workout affects other areas of wellness.
[0:37:34] Running Popup: It’s not all or nothing with our goals. When the primary goal looks out of sight, accomplish something.
[0:39:27] Flipside of the Coin: We came up with a new toast to remind us of the thought “life in every breath”. It’s “chaque souffle”, which we believe is French for every breath.
Quotes and Take-Aways:
Isabelle – Hustle culture is also evident online with university students. It’s easy to get wrapped up in comparison on social media platforms or amongst your friends and peers, especially as we’re growing into young adults. We’re navigating hardships, excitement, confusion and other things young adults face. It’s easy to get wrapped up in it. It’s important to realize we’re all growing together. Everyone is on their own journey. Yours might not be as quick as others.
Isabelle – Comparing yourself to others will not get you any further. It doesn’t allow you to fully immerse yourself in the moment. It can affect one’s lifestyle by not being present in the moment. It hinders your experience and development.
Andrea – The mind muscle connection is deliberately focusing on the feeling of the muscle contracting. You want to be very aware and conscious of how the muscle is moving and how you are going through a weight training exercise.
Andrea – You will have poor movement quality if you overlook the mind muscle connection, for example joint dysfunction or imbalance of muscles. In a gym setting, you might see someone moving too much weight without awareness of the muscles that they want to be training. They end up using other muscles to move the weight because it is too heavy.
Andrea – It’s key not to lose form. You want to challenge yourself but keep your form. I always tell my clients, you don’t want to just get through the exercise with good form, feeling the muscles, being able to breathe and keeping the movement quality high.
Andrea – I ask my clients, can you feel the muscle tightening, or lengthening or shortening? If so, they say they can feel a deeper connection and contraction of the muscle, rather than just going through the motions.
Andrea – You can see the movement quality change in the client when they start to feel it deeper. When they feel the muscle tightening, lengthening, and shortening, it improves their mind muscle connection and how they feel about the exercise. They are no long just moving weight through a range of motion.
Andrea – Progressive overload is increasing the intensity slowly over time.
Andrew – Tempo is usually described in four numbers. The first is the lowering phase, or eccentric contraction. The second is whether you pause at bottom. The third is lifting or concentric contraction. The fourth applies to whether you are holding or pausing at top. If it said 2-0-2-0, you would lower for two seconds, no pause and immediately push up for two seconds, then not pause at top.
Andrea – You want to make the mind muscle connection deliberate and active. Be conscious of what you’re doing and how you’re moving. You will see results.
Bulletin Board Quote brought to you by Cameron: It doesn’t look very good on me.
Guest Information: Andrea Lee has been certified with the Canadian Professional Trainers Network since 1996 and she is also a CPTN practical assessor. She has a background in post rehabilitation and holistic nutrition. She began her career in Toronto, working with top industry professionals. She currently resides in Cambridge and for the past 15 years, she's been running her own personal training studio. She’s won the Cambridge Readers’ Choice Award for Best personal trainer and overall service several years in a row. It doesn’t matter if you’re a youth athlete, adult athlete or general fitness enthusiast, Andrea creates her personal training programs based on her client’s needs.
Link to website to connect with her: Andrea Lee Fitness
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Thanks for joining us,
(-(-_(-_-)_-)-) Your wellness check-in team
John, Sammy, Cameron, Sheila, Elise, Isabelle and Julie