TRAINING MINDSET AND THE POWER OF INTERNAL CUES

By Ryan Hook

One thing I make sure I do with all of my clients is teach them the thought process behind WHY we are performing each exercise, giving them a basic insight into HOW the target muscle functions and then educate them on the use of INTERNAL cues.

When we talk in the context of physique development, the goal should not be to simply move the barbell, dumbbell or machine from one point to another. Instead. we need to take into consideration how we can utilise these things as tools to train the target muscle/group of muscles in the most efficient way possible.

The problem is, our thought process while performing exercises is all wrong. It usually stretches no further than “I need to get this bar to my chest and push it back up again”. If we were to shift our minds to INTERNAL cues, thinking about what we actually are doing at a deeper level (essentially contracting muscles) rather than merely getting an object from point A to point B… our training would improve three fold.

Take away points?

• Learn how the target muscle actually works (just a basic understanding is needed in most cases).
• Shift your mindset to focus on internal factors while performing each movement and stop thinking about the external.