#297: Verbal and Mental Cues for Lifting

#297: Verbal and Mental Cues for Lifting

From 3D Muscle Journey by 3D Muscle Journey

December 11, 2025 · 1h 18m

About this episode

The episode discusses effective lifting cues and the importance of focusing on stimulus rather than just load.

Alberto, Brad, Brian, and Jeff discuss their all-time favorite lifting cues, how and why they prioritize getting a good stimulus over beating the logbook, and the usefulness of focusing on the mind-muscle connection. How do the coaches approach lifting differently in contest prep compared to the offseason? Why do decreases in strength not necessarily mean a loss of muscle? Why can changes in body weight affect how certain exercises feel? What valuable feedback can a pump give you? For hypertrophy, does the concentric phase of an exercise need to be explosive or is a slower tempo just as effective? What are some of the coaches’ favorite cues when performing Romanian deadlifts, the barbell bench press, calf raises, and back exercises? The answers to these questions and many more are covered in this episode. Timestamps 0:00- Introduction 1:30- How the coaches approach lifting differently in contest prep compared to the offseason 18:53- Why changes in body weight can affect how certain exercises feel 35:00- Don’t focus on the load, focus on creating a stimulus 39:35- Good cues for executing the Romanian deadlift and barbell bench press correctly 51:27- The pump & The mind-muscle…

People in this episode

Hosts: Alberto, Brad, Brian, Jeff

Topics covered

  • lifting cues
  • mind-muscle connection
  • hypertrophy
  • strength training
  • exercise technique

Keywords

  • stimulus
  • Romanian deadlift
  • barbell bench press
  • calf raises
  • body weight changes

Mentioned in this episode

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