the mind-body connection

[jeremys]

for you strength athletes, you know how important the mind is. if you've got a hold of the bar as a max lift, and you suddenly think 'omygod it's too heavy', chances are you're not going to make the lift. i have this problem...all the time

some people psyche up at contests. all i felt this ever did for me was it *almost* drowned out the thought of doubt. it did, until i was under the bar. so that was pretty much worthless. maybe i did it incorrectly?

inbetween sets of heavy board presses/shirt work, i try to visualize, but i just can't get the feel of that. when i visualize a lift, the bar goes down, up, then stops halfway.

it's like i have to knock myself retarded so i dont think that stupid shit. i know i'd be much better off

help

 

[Liftbig]

start visualizing before the workout. and dont doubt yourself, you know what your capable of, but sometimes you need to kinda lie to yourself, and always believe in yourself. confidence goes a long way in this game.

 

[casualbb]

There are two things that can help you:

1) Do lockout holds with big weights. This will help them feel less big when you actually have to press them.

2) Find something to center you. Something you do consistently before a lift to trigger focus and intensity. This will take time to develop, but I suggest that you decide on something and do it consistently. Eventually you will condition yourself so that merely performing the action becomes a trigger for your physical and mental readiness.

What action? For some guys it's music. The only problem with that is it might not be feasible for a meet. Rather, maybe something like rubbing your hands together and then pulling down as hard as you can on the bar for 5 seconds. As long as it's consistent.

Look at NBA players -- they do the exact same thing before each free throw. Same thing, it helps them get in a groove. It's almost like programming yourself for performance.

You could even practice this -- pick something 90% of your 1RM (so it feels heavy but manageable), and then practice using your action to prime yourself for the lift so that it becomes associated with you nailing a PR.

 

[collegiateLifter]

I really liked this article...

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/pmag1.htm

 

[Maccer101]

That was a qulaity article CollegiateLifter

 

[jeremys]

good advice from everybody. thanks. karma

 

[pwr_machine]

I think visualization gets better with experience. It's a learned response. You have to believe that you can't lose...by a competitor or by the weight on the bar! You have to see it, then you can do it.