Internal Focus of Attention did Not Change Muscle Activation and the Rate of Perceived Exertion in Bench Press Exercise in Successive Training Sessions

This study analyzed the effect of internal focus of attention (IF) on electromyographic activity (EMG) and the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) in successive training sessions. Thirteen volunteers performed 4 sessions on the bench press with 3 sets of 8 repetitions and 90-s rest at 50% of one repetition maximum. The first session consisted of performing the protocol without IF and the following sessions with internal focus to the pectoralis major (PM). For the EMG signal analysis of the PM and triceps brachii (TB), ANOVA two-way with repeated measures was performed. The activation ratio (AR) PM/TB was analyzed using a ANOVA one-way with repeated measures, and for RPE, the Friedman non-parametric test was performed. No differences were found in the EMG of both muscles between sessions (<i>p</i> = .695), indicating no cumulative increase in EMG and also no differences in the AR throughout the sessions (<i>p</i> = .937). No effects were observed (<i>p</i> = .743) on RPE throughout the sessions. The results demonstrated that the instruction to direct the focus did not result in changes in EMG activity or RPE. The subjects' previous experience with IF in their training routines and the way the instructions were given could justify the absence of differences between the tested conditions.