The Neurology of a Max Effort Lift

One of the keys to successfully completing a maximum effort lift is to not think so much, and just pull and push with all of your might. On the surface it seems really simple. Get this heavy object from point A to point B in a straight line, but all of the moving pieces that are involved in doing a very complex compound movement is actually pretty astounding.

When people are taught about the neurology of contracting a muscle, it’s usually in the form of a diagram like the one you see below:

Right side of the brain sends a signal down the spinal cord and tells a muscle on the left to contract.

The truth is way more complicated that than. Honestly, when you want to contract just one muscle, your brain is unconsciously doing all of these calculations to figure out all the other things that need to happen for you to contract that muscle and not fall flat on your face.

You can check out my breakdown of this majestic system in my instagram story at this link: Instagram Story