Finding the right focus on training for size or strength

Read an article in the July issue of FLEX magazine which talks about using the right focus on training for size or strength.

Hypothesis:

How you focus during each rep can have a big impact on your results.

Findings:

When focused on contraction while doing curls, muscle activity of biceps increased by 20%. When focused on moving the weight, muscle strength increased by 10%.

Application:

On heavy sets, focus on moving the weight. On lighter sets, focus on contraction of muscle

My personal take:

For those who want to increase muscular size and definition, the emphasis should be on the "feel" of muscle working during a set i.e. varying the speed of rep to maximize stimulation of muscle. For athletes, emphasis is on moving the weight; lifting as fast as possible or rather mimicking the skills that he/she is training for. For example, a thrower trying to improve his throwing power should perform explosive movements in his lifts such as bench press, shoulder press and even triceps and biceps curl. This would be more specific to his goals.

Reference:

Joe Weider’s Flex, July 2011, Pg 82