Everybody in the fitness industry throws this catchphrase out all the time without really explaining what it actually is. It sounds simple, but actually training it can be difficult for beginners. Mind Muscle connection can be defined as this: Doing the movement using as much of the targeted muscle as possible and less of the muscles that are not that. Get the muscle you are trying to work/grow to do as much of the work as possible. If you do this, you will have no choice but to feel that muscle. Now, for beginners and most intermediate lifters, there is probably a muscle group that you have a hard time feeling. For me it was chest. My shoulders would take over on every press that I did and I couldn't feel chest at all. How to train it: find exercises that take the muscle that interferes out of the equation and do sets with higher reps, lower weight (for me it was strict cable flys). The idea behind this is literally just muscle memory. The more you use just that muscle and learn how to get it to fire, then the better you can translate it to other lifts. The lighter weight will help you use just that muscle, and the higher reps will push more blood into those muscles which will help you feel it more than before. Always get a big stretch and big squeeze. The long term goal here is to be able to fire that muscle effectively so that we can eventually add resistance, then we'll be able to get more stimulus from the bigger lifts. Give this a shot if you're struggling and comment if this helps you!

Pull out your meat (pause) and put your rice on before you start. I still forget every time. Get your ground beef ready to go by patting it dry as much as possible. Smash that beef onto a hot pan, this is gonna give us some crispy bits. LEAVE IT BE Next up season with red top adobo or your favorite burger seasoning. Let it sit until you see moisture on the top, this will ensure enough time for that crisp. Start smashing it up, add cheese (yellow american) and you're good. For sauce: equal parts mayo, ketchup, mustard, garlic powder and pepper. You can add lettuce, pickles, tomato, and regular/ grilled onions. That's it and it's awesome This is a very high calorie meal as is. If you want less calories you can use less fat beef, less cheese, and less mayo in the sauce.

Being consistent is the only way to actually succeed with any of your goals, so it seems fitting that we touch on it here. My favorite way to think about this when I was starting out, is just to do something to move forward. It doesn't matter how small the action is at the beginning, it just matters that there is any action. I had to use this strategy for doing skool, because I didn't know how to make cover pages, about sections or structure courses effectively and there were days where I didn't get anything physically accomplished on Muscle Mentor. These are days I was learning and trying to figure out the direction of the page. I knew that once I got myself sort of dug in enough that I would eventually be able to see the path that I wanted to take, and the type of community that could have a huge impact on here. I think that real lesson is that if you are brand new to something, you just build the habit of doing the thing consistently no matter how small the effort so that when you do get the idea that pushes the envelope, you can go ahead and implement it. Just show up. Consistency doing any amount of work you need to do to reach your goals, regardless of how big the effort is. Discipline is being consistent regardless of how you feel. Consistency looks like someone driving to the gym everyday and then turning around and going home. Eventually, that person might go in and walk on a treadmill for 10 minutes, then they might do 15, 20, 30. They might get bored and start lifting weights and then they might start eating a little healthier. That had a lot of mights in there, but if that person never consistently showed up, then they definitely wouldn't have made it as far as the person that did. It's the little wins over long periods of time that make the big difference. Sometimes you need to break it down so much to get yourself to take the first step, but as soon as you do it, you can see very clearly what the next step is. Joey 💪

About a year ago, I was working an outdoor sales job for about 10-12 hours a day, 6 days a week and I was struggling to get in enough calories. These are the foods I ate super often to help me get in enough calories and protein. 1. Steak / Hamburg - tons of protein and fats for a large amount of calories - usually just had it for dinner. 2. Any type of protein shake (try to get no sugar added if possible if you know you won't be eating for a while) - easy to get down in the morning if you aren't a breakfast person like myself - make it with milk if you can! 3. Adding olive oil to your food - A little goes a long way - Especially good if you are going to hit your protein goal and just need the calories. 4. Dense carbs - Bread and pasta can get you more calories than rice - save these for your last meal if you have a hard time eating because they will fill you up more than other sources of carbs. These are just examples of what I did in a pinch, if there is anything you would like to add to this comment below!