Idea Behind Pulse

“What puts you over the top? It is the mind that actually creates the body, it is the mind that really makes you work out.. it is the mind that visualizes what the body ought to look like as the finished product.”
- Arnold Schwarzenegger

 

 

Mind-Muscle Connection

Have you ever been trying to workout one muscle but felt it in an entirely different place?

Has one side of your body always been smaller or weaker than the other? Are you having trouble activating certain muscle groups no matter what exercise you do?

The problems mentioned above are typically due to a weak mind-muscle connection. These are the issues that we sought out to fix with the Pulse Device. 

So what is the mind-muscle connection and how do we improve it? The mind-muscle connection is simply your brain telling your muscle how and when to contract. 

 

Here’s What You Need To Know…

1. The mind muscle connection is real, and backed by real science, not just bro-science.

2. A conscious effort to activate the target muscle before and between every set while actively visualizing the contraction of the muscle will help to develop this powerful connection.

3. The mental aspect of training is just as important, if not more important, than the physical. Wrap your head around that!

4. The mind-muscle connection can be strengthened over time. This connection is what gives experienced lifters complete control over their muscles.

 

When the mind-muscle connection is strong, individuals will see increased muscle activity and better results in the gym. When this connection is weak; injuries can result, muscle asymmetries will occur, and results in the gym will suffer.

Research using EMG has shown that by just thinking about a muscle when working out, a higher percentage of those muscle fibers will be activated[1].

 

Meet the Pulse Device

The Pulse Device is the first product designed to strengthen your mind-muscle connection and facilitate stronger and more effective contractions. It combines attentional cues with proven vibration stimulation in order to help you reach your true potential in the gym. 

The Pulse Device is a fitness wearable that you place on whatever muscle you’re training. It uses directly applied vibrations to help you activate and focus on the muscle in order to get the best results from your workout.

 

 

Science Behind the Pulse Device

The Pulse Device vibrates in short bursts to draw the user's attention back to the muscle. This is based on an old bodybuilding technique called muscle tapping where a training partner would tap on your muscle to help you activate it. This tapping increases the lifter's ability to focus on the muscle they’re training. By keeping attention on the muscle, the mind-muscle connection is strengthened which can improve strength and increase muscle size[2].

The Pulse Device uses specific vibrations for each muscle designed to increase activation and focus on that muscle. Low frequency sinusoidal vibrations are used, which have been shown to create the highest levels of muscle activation[3]. Individualized testing with optimal amplitude and frequency was undertaken to find the optimal values for increasing muscular output. When this type of vibration was combined with resistance training, improvements were seen in strength and power[4]. Even when any movement of the muscle was impossible, more muscle mass was retained when the individual thought about the muscle[5].

 

The Benefits

The Pulse Device helps bridge the gap between the mind and the muscle and gives beginner and intermediate lifters the ability to train like a pro. The benefits that can be found when using the Pulse Device is an increase in muscle mass, enhanced muscle activation, and fixing muscle asymmetries. Users can expect substantially more effective workouts when adding the Pulse Devices to their workout routines.

Increased muscle mass was demonstrated in a peer-reviewed study when the lifter was given a cue to have an internal focus on the muscle[6]. By emitting interval vibrations directly onto a muscle, the Pulse Device serves as an external cue to subtly help lifters build and maintain this focus.

Higher levels of focus lead to higher levels of muscle activation as shown in multiple studies. Increased activation can be found in the primary and secondary muscles in a movement[7]. Since you can stick the Pulse Device to any muscle, users can use it to target and fix lagging muscles that they might normally struggle to activate.

 

  1. February 8. (2020, July 21). Mind muscle connection for muscle and strength. Dr. John Rusin - Exercise Science & Injury Prevention. Retrieved September 28, 2021, from https://drjohnrusin.com/developing-a-mind-muscle-connection-for-muscle-hypertrophy/. 
  2. Snyder, B. J., & Leech, J. R. (2009). Voluntary increase in latissimus dorsi muscle activity during the lat pull-down following expert instruction. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 23(8), 2204–2209. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181bb7213
  3. Özsu, İlbilge & Ertan, Hayri & Simsek, Deniz & Özçaldiran, Bahtiyar & Kurt, Cem. (2018). The Effects of Whole Body Vibration Treatments on Lower Body Muscular Activity in Well-Trained Athletes from Different Sports Branches. Journal of Education and Training Studies. 6. 43-55. 10.11114/jets.v6i9a.3512. 
  4. Luo, J., McNamara, B. & Moran, K. The Use of Vibration Training to Enhance Muscle Strength and Power. Sports Med 35, 23–41 (2005). https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200535010-00003
  5. Clark, B. C., Mahato, N. K., Nakazawa, M., Law, T. D., & Thomas, J. S. (2014). The power of the mind: the cortex as a critical determinant of muscle strength/weakness. Journal of neurophysiology, 112(12), 3219–3226. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00386.2014
  6. Schoenfeld, B. J., Vigotsky, A., Contreras, B., Golden, S., Alto, A., Larson, R., Winkelman, N., & Paoli, A. (2018). Differential effects of attentional focus strategies during long-term resistance training. European journal of sport science, 18(5), 705–712. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2018.1447020
  7. Calatayud, J., Vinstrup, J., Jakobsen, M. D., Sundstrup, E., Brandt, M., Jay, K., Colado, J. C., & Andersen, L. L. (2016). Importance of mind-muscle connection during progressive resistance training. European journal of applied physiology, 116(3), 527–533. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3305-7