The Effects of Focus Attention Instructions on the Movement Kinetics, Muscle Activation and Performance during Resistance Exercise

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare kinetics, muscle activation and performance during resistance exercises between internal focus attention instructions, external focus attention instructions and control condition. Thirty (n = 30, mean age = 21.40 ± 0.93 years old) healthy men were recruited as participants and were asked to perform resistance exercises in three conditions; i) internal focus, ii) external focus and iii) control (no focus attention instruction). Participants performed 10RM squat and deadlift assessment in which kinetics, muscle activation and number of repetitions completed were recorded and analyzed during the exercises. Findings of this study revealed that external focus attention instruction produced greater force production and number of repetitions completed while at the same time lower muscle activity compared to the internal focus conditions. To conclude, external focus attention instructions were suggested to be adopted during resistance training due to its effectiveness to make movement more economic while producing greater performance in which will be more advantages for future adaptations.

Effects of Attentional Focus on Muscular Endurance: A Meta-Analysis

“…Out of this pool of references, 124 results were excluded based on the title or abstract. Therefore, 20 full-text studies were read and four studies [ 8 , 10 , 11 , 12 ] were found to satisfy the inclusion criteria. In the secondary search, there were 285 search results.…”

“…We excluded 284 based on title, abstract, or full-text, and one study [ 9 ] was additionally included. Therefore, a total of five studies were included in the review ( Figure 1 ) [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. One study included male and female participants and explored sex-specific effects [ 8 ].…”

“…Studies used different exercises to evaluate muscular endurance, including push-ups, bench press, squat, and deadlift. Four studies first tested their participants’ one-repetition maximum (1RM; using the 1RM test or prediction equations) and then adjusted the load for the muscular endurance test using 75% or 85% of 1RM [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. One study used an absolute load, where the male and female participants were required to lift 40 kg and 20 kg for the bench press until failure, respectively [ 10 ].…”

“…Instead of SD, several studies presented standard errors [ 10 , 11 , 12 ]. For these studies, standard errors were converted to SDs.…”

“…Several muscular qualities are important when discussing resistance exercise, including muscular endurance [ 7 ]. Kell et al [ 7 ] defined muscular endurance as “the ability of a muscle or muscle group to perform repeated contractions against a load for an extended period.” Several studies examined the influence of external focus of attention on muscular endurance but their observed effects varied [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. Collum et al [ 9 ] explored the effect of external focus using the following instruction “drive the weight towards the ceiling” vs. internal focus using the instruction to “drive the weight with your chest” on performance in the bench press.…”