Mechanics

My name is Osa McDonald, and I have been weight lifting for 13 years now. I am all natural, and take only NO Explode and protein supplements. God has blessed me, and I would like to share what I have learned.

You are not there to "lift" weights. You are there to flex your muscles, tear the fibers, and make your self stronger. Here is the difference between what I do, and what is common. Whatever the amount of weight you are moving, it should ONLY be moving as a CONSEQUENCE of you flexing the muscle you are working out that day. That is my method. Most everyone else teaches, and practices, "lifting" the weight.

If you are just "lifting" the weight, then you will be inclined to use whatever muscles are required to "lift" the weight. Here is an example, look for this next time you are in the gym. A standing curl using dumbbells is the best illustration. Find the guy holding the two dumbbells, then watch how he "lifts" the weight. 19 out 20 times you will see the elbows move while the weight is being "lifted" up, and sometimes the shoulder will dip also. It is because the weight is too heavy, and he is simply "lifting" the weight. He is not able to isolate his bicep, which is what curls are supposed to target, and is using his delts and many other adjacent muscles all together to accomplish the "lifting" of the weight.

Before I get into the different scope of exercises, this is an absolute necessity to understand. None of the proceeding material I share is as important as this fact. YOUR FOCUS IS TO FLEX THE TARGET MUSCLE, NOT MOVE THE WEIGHT!! THE MOVEMENT OF THE WEIGHT IS COLLATERAL TO THE FLEXING, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!

Whatever muscle you are working out, if you fail to isolate, then you are not truly getting everything out of your effort that you could. The only part of your body that should move is the muscle you are isolating, and the part of the body that moves as a result of flexing that muscle. You will find that in order to lift in this manner, the amount of weight will be minimal to start. As you get used to the mechanics, your strength will grow fairly rapidly though. Obviously, if you have been "lifting" weights for awhile, this will really challenge your ego and pride. However, once you start to see the results from proper lifting, you will no longer care about how much weight you are lifting. If you are bigger, leaner, and more cut than the guy next to you lifting more weight, would anyone really care that he was lifting more weight than you?

Point is this... You need to change your concept of lifting weights. If someone tells me that they "put up" 325 lbs. on the incline press, this means absolutely nothing to me. Who cares? There are so many variables to making that happen... I would rather lift 225 lbs. with good form, and know that I just killed my chest. It is so easy to use back, legs, abs, and shoulders to cheat on chest. If you change the way you think about lifting weights, then I promise you will see results. You are flexing that muscle, making it as hard to flex as possible for the amount of reps you are aiming for, in an effort to tear it. The moving of the weight is ONLY collateral!!

Notice how the bicep goes white with the intense flexing of the muscle. The shoulders are back, don't move, and the elbows are locked in place. This is what a standing dumbbell curl should look like. Take your time, and don't worry about how much weight you are using. MAKE SURE YOU DO IT RIGHT!

If you like what you have read, please click on the link below and "Like" my page. Thank you!
Osa McDonald (Athlete)