Adherence
Verbal instructions directing attention to the triceps (internal focus) significantly increase triceps brachii activation during the bench press, whereas instructions targeting the pectorals do not significantly increase pectoralis major activation.
When performing the bench press, if your goal is to emphasize your triceps, explicitly tell yourself to 'push with your triceps' or 'push your elbows away from each other.' This will increase triceps activation. However, do not expect this instruction to significantly increase chest activation; the chest will work regardless of the instruction. You cannot 'turn off' the chest by focusing on the triceps, nor 'turn on' the chest by focusing on it.
Our results suggest that verbal instructions seem to be effective for increasing activity of the triceps brachii but not the pectoralis major during the bench press.
Why this rating
Randomized controlled trial with resistance-trained subjects and objective sEMG measures, though small sample size (n=13).
Source
Mind-muscle connection: effects of verbal instructions on muscle activity during bench press exercise
Antonio Paoli et al. · European Journal of Translational Myology · 2019
DOI 10.4081/ejtm.2019.8250
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