Do you need to feel the muscle working?
Useful on isolation work, not required: thinking about the muscle grew biceps more in one small trial, while heavy lifts go better when you think about the weight.
One study, thirty untrained men, one muscle: that is the whole basis for the mind muscle connection, so treat it as a tip and not a rule. It fits what coaches report, that a curl or a lateral raise goes better when you think about the muscle, and a heavy squat goes better when you think about driving the floor away.
If you never feel a muscle on a given exercise, the fix is usually position and load rather than concentration: lighter weight, slower lowering, full range, and a setup where the muscle is actually the limiting factor. And if the lift keeps going up, you are growing whether you feel it or not.
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- Schoenfeld, B.J. et al. (2018). Differential effects of attentional focus strategies during long-term resistance training. Eur J Sport Sci 18(5). 30 untrained men, 8 weeks: focusing on the muscle grew the elbow flexors 12.4% against 6.9% for focusing on the lift, while isometric knee extension strength leaned the other way.
- Refalo, M.C. et al. (2023). Influence of resistance training proximity-to-failure on skeletal muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Sports Med 53(3). What the set has to deliver is effort close to failure, whatever you are thinking about.