The Art & Science of Tactile Stimulation for more Powerful Lifts

Garagegympower is reader-supported. When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

The Art and Science of Tactile Stimulation for more POWERFUL Lifts

Weightlifters often get slapped with the reputation of being meatheads.

But you want to know the truth?

What separates the best from the rest in the realm of bodybuilding is knowledge.

That’s right, the best, most productive, built, efficient, strong and effective bodybuilders use their head in combination with their muscles to build bigger and stronger. It takes more than muscle to become an elite level lifter.

Have you heard this piece of knowledge yet?

Tactile stimulation can make you stronger, more powerful and bigger.

body builder

Tactile stimulation – What is it?

In terms of body building, tactile stimulation is touching the specific muscle you are working during the lift and neg. Or having your spotter, friend, partner, or whomever touch it while you are lifting.

But why??

Touching the target muscle engages the mind muscle connection aka Mind body connection.

It is a shortcut that causes your brain to think about the muscle, and allocate more resources towards it, hence working it harder, making it stronger.

Maybe you have heard that we should focus on the muscles we are using while lifting, or performing any weight bearing exercise.

Thinking about the muscle is similar to touching it in that you are engaging the mind to focus on the muscle, and enabling it to work harder.

How does the Mind Muscle Connection work?

Touching the muscle works better for may lifters because it requires less visualization and uses something more concrete or tangible-a touch.

During any given exercise, your body will use as much muscle as you tell it to, or as your brain tells it to.

Let me explain why this is NOT Hoodoo Voodoo weird science.

Imagine you are performing a squat, with a barbell. With this squat it is possible to use the hip flexors to do some of the work, lessening the work the glutes do.

Since the glutes are the target of the exercise, they need to me purposefully recruited and favored over the hip flexors.

To engage the glutes, you can think about them, and your form, while focusing on them to ensure they are bearing most of the weight.

While we totally understand you may not want to use tactile stimulation on your glutes, especially in the gym in front of your buddies, the principle applies to all weight bearing exercises.

Check this video below out. It demonstrates another example of tactile stimulation done on the biceps.

Feel free to skip to 4.54 where the bodybuilder touches his bicep and explains the technique.

See, it’s a real thing!

So what are you waiting for?

Get your T-Stim on and leave us a like or comment to let us know what muscles you have been honing using the technique.