Ego lifting, or the excessive focus on boosting one's own ego or self-esteem, can be injurious to one's physical and mental health for several reasons:
- Decreased Time Under Tension: In weightlifting or resistance training, time under tension (TUT) refers to the amount of time that a muscle is under stress during an exercise. A decreased time under tension can occur when exercises are performed too quickly or with too much weight, resulting in a lack of muscle activation and reduced muscle growth. This can lead to a decreased ability to build muscle mass, improved muscle endurance and not being able to fully benefit from the exercise.
- No Controlled Eccentric: Eccentric contractions refer to the portion of an exercise where the muscle lengthens under tension. Controlled eccentric movements are important because they allow the muscle to be loaded under tension for a longer period of time. Without controlled eccentric movements, exercises may not be as effective in building muscle mass and improving muscle strength.
- Way Too Much Involvement Of Other Muscles Than The Target Muscle: Often when focusing on ego lifting, people tend to use other muscle groups to lift more weights or do more reps than what they can actually handle, leading to the engagement of other muscle groups which are not the target muscle. This can lead to ineffective workout sessions and an imbalance in muscle development. This can also lead to poor posture, potential injury, and difficulty in doing the exercises correctly.
In summary, ego lifting can have a detrimental effect on muscle growth and overall fitness goals by leading to a decreased time under tension, lack of controlled eccentric movement, and too much involvement of other muscle groups, which can result in poor form and muscle imbalance, instead of targeting the specific muscle you aim to work on. It's important to focus on proper form, controlled movements, and appropriate weight selection, to achieve desired fitness goals.