Tuesday April 12th

Workout of the day

Strength:
Deadlift - work up to a heavy set of 3

WOD:
Complete 3 rounds for time:
10 Deadlifts (75% of above)
25 meter overhead walking lunge (45/25lbs)
50 Double unders 

 

Mental Preparedness for Training and Sport

From www.seryakstrength.com

Recently, I wrote an article pertaining to the theoretical Training Hierarchy Pyramid (THP) that provides a conceptual model for the development of an athlete.  Similar to Maslow’s psychological hierarchy of needs model, the THP suggests that certain athletic capacities need to be attained prior to others being addressed.

In reality, some or all levels of preparedness in this pyramid will be trained or practiced congruently during certain times throughout the year.  So, I prefer to think of this model as an interconnected, 3-dimensional pyramid, where deficiencies in lower levels will have an adverse affect on performance in the upper levels.

The last article focused on defining and establishing the importance for athletes of all sports to build big athletic foundations or “bases” through GPP and SPP training.  This article will focus on mental and emotional preparedness or “mind training”.  Mind training can and should play a vital role before, during and after all training or competition.  Assuming same or similar base physical and sport preparedness, mind training IS what separates the best from the rest.  More importantly, it is the developmental ingredient that will determine if an athlete realizes his or her own potential.

It is well documented that most athletes who have made the Olympic team in their sport practiced some form of mind training, while those athletes that failed to make the team did not.  Mind training is now a part of nearly every successful program because of its documented success and impact on athletic performance.  However, chances are still good that your next opponent is less than optimally prepared mentally and emotionally.  This presents an opportunity for you to gain a competitive advantage!

There are many forms of mind training.  What works best is largely dependant on the individual.  My recommendation is to try all of them before deciding which methods/tools you will regularly practice and eventually master.  These are presented in no particular order of importance of effectiveness.  The method or methods that work best are the ones that you put into practice!

#1  SELF TALK

I feel comfortable saying that every athlete ALREADY uses self talk as a method of mental preparedness, but self talk can either be extremely beneficial or extremely detrimental to performance.  Becoming aware that self talk can be used as a tool to improve confidence and performance is a positive step in itself.  Self talk is that little voice inside your head that isyou coaching yourself.  The internal dialogue of thoughts directly affect feelings and emotions, and ultimately, athletic movement and performance.  Negative thoughts lead to negative feelings and poor performance, while positive thoughts lead to feelings of confidence and high performance.

It is not uncommon for many athletes to engage in negative self talk.  Negative self talk often times creates feelings of nervousness, anxiety, fear of success and fear of failure.  These feelings will most certainly have an adverse affect on athletic performance.  This can be easily remedied by first becoming conscious of it, then replacing the negative self talk with positive affirmations.  Every athlete is capable of doing this, but it takes practice to master.

SELF TALK BEST PRACTICE:

Find a verbal cue that turns your attention away from negative thoughts and feelings to the task at hand.  The verbal cue or reminder can be one word or a phrase that helps you focus on the present moment, encourages focused relaxation or acts as a self pep talk.  You may have one or more verbal cues for different situations, but this should be decided and practiced before competition, so that it becomes automatic.  Examples of verbal cues include:

“Focus”

“Breathe”

“Stay present”

“Be ready!”

“Let go”

“I’m exceeding my own expectations”

“I feel good”

The list could go on and on.  The verbal cue or cues that you choose should be very personal and address those specific situations that have led to negative feelings, emotions and poor performance in real or imagined events.

#2  BREATHING/MEDITATION

Deep breathing and meditation (relax the mind) is a skill that is mostly practiced before competing or anytime anxiety or nerves have taken over.  Proper breathing relaxes the mind and the body.  It oxygenates the blood and energizes the brain, nerves, and muscles, allowing for optimal performance.  Proper breathing could easily be the most important aspect of staying focused during sports or any athletic activity. Inefficient breathing consists of short, shallow breaths that never reach below the upper chest.  Proper breathing consists of large breaths that are pulled deep into the lungs using the diaphragm.  Think of filling up your lungs with air from the bottom up.  Breathing this way will help to reduce anxiety, improve focus or encourage relaxation, whether you are training, competing, or lying in bed having trouble falling asleep.

BREATHING/MEDITATION BEST PRACTICE:

The best way to practice and master deep breathing is through meditation, which is performed separately from any physical activity (preferably in solitude).  Meditation is a self-directed process for calming the mind and body using deep breathing.  Meditation should be practiced in a quiet room or setting, with your body situated in a comfortable position.  Your job during meditation is to calm the mind through deep breathing:

• Start by closing your eyes and taking in a deep breathe, filling your lungs from the bottom up.
• Hold your breath for a period of 10-30 seconds.
• Release the breath, releasing all feelings of anxiety and muscle tension.
• Repeat this procedure, focusing all of your attention on your breathing, until your mind chatter slows down or stops or until you feel calm and relaxed.

With practice, you will reach a state of relaxation quicker and quicker.  There is no time limit for meditation.  Meditation sessions can last from 10 minutes to 1 hour or longer.  You meditate and breathe UNTIL.  Once you have trained your body and mind to relax through meditation, you can use self talk (“Breathe” or “Deep Breath”) to calm yourself down before or during stressful competitive events.

#3  MENTAL REHEARSAL/VISUALIZATION

Visual motor behavior rehearsal (VMBR) is a process of creating a mental video of a particular event, before training or competition.  Athletes can use this mental video to:

• Analyze and correct errors that have occurred in real or imagined situations.
• Imagine turning individually specific fears or anxieties into positive situations and improved performance.
• Read the rest of the article...

 

Comments

[Anthony]

What a great article. Especially the mental/emotional readiness. Positive self talk is so important in these wods and even more important in competition. It can definitely make you or break you. A lot of times I find myself repeating the word yes or saying that I'm happy this workout is over and i did x amount of reps or finished in x amount of time. When i remember to do that my wods go a lot smoother.

[Billy Reuter]

I love all of the blog posts, but this one is MY FAVORITE!! "Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, you can" Napoleon Hill. GREAT POST!!achieve

[Brian]

Excellent article! I've already printed multiple copies and shared it with some of my athletes on the track team.

[Tom Schultz]

Awesome post!

[Danielle Reuter]

Awesome article!
Anthony, you are definitely proving that you have hit that mental state. You have truly been tapping into that. Looking forward breaking through that state of mind again....

[tara]

I practice visualization quite frequently. I visualized 15 rds on the 110lb Clean and Jerk.........maybe I should have tried praying too!

[Doug Reville]

This past Saturday I did the Toughmudder in PA. This was a 12 mile mud race up and down the mountain with 26 obstacles. If it wasn't for self talk there would have been no way I could have finished. It was the most mental and physicaly grueling event of my life and I wanted to stop so many times. It is amazing how your mind can push your body to limits you never thought of. Great article

[Tom Schultz]

I did the breathing and visualizing exercises tonight....hit a P.R..... theres the evidence!!!