06/22/2026
on a serious note, let’s talk about the importance of moving with intention & mind-muscle connection (these are both important to not only help you during your workouts, but also so your coach doesn’t lose their sanity🤣)
knowing which muscles you should be feeling, & how your body needs to be positioned during each exercise you do is absolutely crucial. when you aren’t actively focusing on the prime movers (main muscle you’re targeting) while performing an exercise, you may end up compensating & recruiting other muscles via improper form. this also leads to the importance of proprioception - awareness of where your body should be positioned & how it should be moving.
if you’re unable to tell how your body is aligned, you likely aren’t moving with intention and/or have poor proprioception.
to fix this: exercise in front of a mirror (with/without a coach). this allows you to see how your body’s aligned & how it’s moving. are you losing your form? can you feel when you’re losing your form? can you feel when you’re doing the exercise properly? can you feel your targeted muscles working, or are you recruiting other muscles?
are you mindlessly going through the motions, or are you focused? the answer should be that you’re focused on what you’re doing. slow, controlled reps. move with your breath. choose a weight that’s challenging enough for you to control without compensation, & challenging enough that you NEED to rest in between sets. if you need to rest for under 1min … you’re likely not pushing yourself very hard (speaking from a hypertrophy standpoint, endurance is different and requires less rest).
the important thing - if you’re unsure, not confident, struggling to come up with a routine … consider hiring a QUALIFIED personal trainer. we can point you in the right direction & help guide you towards success. if you’re unable to do that, try to go with a friend who has some experience in the gym. they might not know everything & might not have all of the answers, but they may be able to help you out with machines & form on some things. a group fitness class would be another great option!
