Concentration versus cueing

[Greg Ruhl]

Quick background: On the Facebook group, there was a discussion about how much thinking occurs during a heavy lift. Specifically, how many cues can a lifter process during the attempt. I used the word "autopilot" and was corrected because that term implies a lack of concentration / focus. I agree that focus is critical but wondered how much of that focus is learned behavior (trained via repetition in prior work sets and warm ups) and how much is active cueing during the lift.

Questions:
1) Does the term "cueing" imply a conscious thought and possibly an external correction (from a coach, etc.)? Does "cue" ever imply a learned behavior or motor pattern? For example, I don't consciously think "knees out" when I squat; I just do it because it's part of the motor pattern. Is it still considered a cue (for me)?
2) For a learned motor pattern, how many attempted adjustments are prudent for a given rep or set? I'm trying to avoid the term "cue" here because I don't know the answer to #1.
3) Is proprioceptive feedback considered a form of cue? For example, "I feel the stretch in my hamstrings, it's time to push out of the bottom of the squat". Is this form of feedback a conscious behavior adjustment that can be thought about in the moment or is it trained (through warm up sets, cueing, etc.)?


Yes, I've read this article:
A Theoretical Approach to the Coach?s Cue | Nicholas Soleyn

[Michael Wolf]

Funny, I didn't see that discussion but FWIW, I use the word autopilot too, to describe what happens as someone first learns the squat, is trying to actively think about about 50 different things at the same time, which is impossible, and so does most of them poorly; to the time (usually only 2-3 weeks later, if they squat 3x/week) where all of those processes are happening without active thought, because they've been patterned, and the person can just think of the 1-2 primary things they need to do to improve their lift.

Your questions are somewhat poorly worded so it's not really clear what you're asking, but as best I can:

1. Yes, a cue is a conscious thought to do something, not an already embedded pattern that you have learned to do consistently correctly. The process of getting to the latter point often involves cueing, but once you're there, and doing it correctly as a matter of course without needing to specifically focus on it, that is no longer a cue.

2. I don't understand the Q. (pun intended)

3. Yes. Proprioceptive feedback is a tactile cue. Some people are inherently good at it while lifting and know where they are in space, feel the positions or muscular tensions that tell them about their positioning, etc... Other people aren't good at it but can learn those things via coaching and cueing.

[Greg Ruhl]

Approaching #2 differently -->

When you are coaching remotely, how many things do you give the lifter to focus on for the next session for a particular exercise? I'm assuming there is a practical limit that would vary on the lifter.

[Michael Wolf]

Approaching #2 differently -->

When you are coaching remotely, how many things do you give the lifter to focus on for the next session for a particular exercise? I'm assuming there is a practical limit that would vary on the lifter.

We've got hundreds, or possibly thousands, of form checks done by SSCs on this very site that you could look at to get a pretty good answer to your question. Why don't you do this and get back to me? You'll learn a lot more that way, too.

[Greg Ruhl]

Thanks Michael. I've seen quite a few and 1-2 corrections seems to be the norm. This question would have been more interesting if the definition of 'cues' were different.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my earlier questions.

[Michael Wolf]

OK, so you learned something. Most people can actively focus on 1-2 things at a time with a heavy load on their back or in their hands. Maybe, MAYBE 3. But if it's really heavy, probably not.

[Sean Herbison]

OK, so you learned something. Most people can actively focus on 1-2 things at a time with a heavy load on their back or in their hands. Maybe, MAYBE 3. But if it's really heavy, probably not.

I'm with Wolf. If I ever give someone three cues to think about on the same lift, they'll almost certainly be at different parts. E.g. big air on the setup, hips back at the start, and knees out at the bottom. But even that is rare. One cue is the most common way to go.

[Michael Wolf]

I'm with Wolf. If I ever give someone three cues to think about on the same lift, they'll almost certainly be at different parts. E.g. big air on the setup, hips back at the start, and knees out at the bottom. But even that is rare. One cue is the most common way to go.

Agreed, this is a useful distinction. Almost any time 3 cues are used, at least one of them has something to do with the set-up, which can be done and moved on from (i.e. stance correction, big breath, etc), as opposed to something that has to be actively maintained through the rep (tightness, knees out, etc). Even then, I rarely use three but when I do, one or two are almost always of the former nature.