Your experience with the arousal-performance curve.

[RottenWillow]

The arousal-performance relationship is something we all have experience with, though you may have never heard it explained. Briefly it means that if you are totally relaxed and mellow your ability to perform any sort of difficult task, mental or physical, will be less than optimal. However, is you're slightly anxious about it then your performance will actually improve. But if the anxiety level continues to rise your peformance will begin to steadily deteriorate.



Last night I was pondering my personal experience with the effect of mild anxiety on athletic peformance. I think I've noticed the effect most on squats.

If I stand in front of the squat rack too long and keep thinking through my first workset I begin to get so nervous that I really struggle on the first several reps. I feel both weaker and less coordinated. But if I limit the amount of mental prep and just get in there and do it the difference in performance is substantial.

I was really curious what experience everyone else was had regarding nerves and athletic performance. When do you notice it most? How do you control it and make the anxiety work for you?

 

[The Shadow]

I call the that The Stillpoint........where the body meets the mind



I perform MUCH better under pressure...from the gym to writing a techincal paper to getting tasks completed...I perform better when there is an outside stimulus that make me a bit anxious....anxiety tends to lead to an adrenaline situation for me - the old fight or flight scenario





ALSO - on strength work - I do MUCH better on a GRIP AND RIP mentality......for purely bbing....I have to have my mind in the muscle

 

[jenscats5]

I don't really have any anxiety when I weight lift or go to the gym...... I'm pretty confident at the gym & seem to always do well.....

I do get a little anxious when standing around waiting for a 5k to start -- seems to take forever.... and I always wonder if I can finish. So I talk to myself during the whole thing saying just run to the corner, now run to the building....etc....get myself into a zone of sorts....

 

[RottenWillow]

I perform MUCH better under pressure...from the gym to writing a techincal paper to getting tasks completed...I perform better when there is an outside stimulus that make me a bit anxious....anxiety tends to lead to an adrenaline situation for me - the old fight or flight scenario

But at some point continued anxiety increase degrades performance. Sounds like you've never hit that point?


So maybe this is a issue primarily for us high strung folk. ---->

 

[Sassy69]

I used to get serious anxiety during track season in HS. Being up in the great white north, we mostly trained in the hallways or ran in the snow until it got warmer. The actual season didn't start until May-ish so the snow wasn't an issue at meet time - but we did run a couple meets in the indoor track & field house at the local University. These were big city meets and it was a small track area so you were the center of attention when you ran - whereas most of our meets were at the big city fields w/ the full 400 m track / football field -- and most of the events were fairly isolated and several ran in parallel.

There was just something about the smell of that indoor field that would leave me a nervous wreck and wound like a rubber band for my heat. I was a passable track "star" but nothing fantastic -- but years later when I've been in that field house (spent 2 yrs at that same U) I still get the adrenelin kick from it.

In the gym -- there is no one bodypart I dislike training. I get a high from each differen one, particularly back & leg day. Leg day, like Shadow said -- I have to be "in the zone" and its like a mind / body meld. Squats, especially after spending some time w/ PL'ers, have become something that isn't just set up and stand there for a few -- its rack, step back, plant foot, plant foot, breath, eyes up, drop, rep. No time for f'ing around.

On another front -- golf. Here's a game that I don't exactly excel at, but my dad is a fanatic and all us kids had to do the "coming of age thing", hauling my dad's clubs around the course on a soggy, cold fall Saturday. When I did play w/ my dad, he'd always be saying how golf is a game of patience, etc. etc. etc *Philisopher of Golf, my dad*, and then start yelling at you to hurry up so the next group of players doesn't start playing through. Yea, nervous wreck again. Shank the ball and spend the next 10 minutes in the trees looking for your ball. Then, hoping to do well, I started really focusing in on the ball, *golf zen -- become one withe Spalding*, wind up & haul on it. Shank. Back into the woods. The divot flies farther than the ball.

Then I discovered *the beer wench*. This is the girl who tools around on a golf cart (this only happens on resort courses like in AZ or FL, not on the local courses in MN) and sells beer. YEP! Just like playing pool -- the more you drink, the less you care (i.e. the less you overanalyze the situation), the better you play. VOILA! Hand me a Bud Lite & my name is Tiger!

And guess what -- the alcohol factor also works for BB competitions -- red wine for breakfast will do you better than the highest quality protein mix on prejudge day.

 

[The Shadow]

But at some point continued anxiety increase degrades performance. Sounds like you've never hit that point?


So maybe this is a issue primarily for us high strung folk. ---->

Honestly......that used to be a problem for me...


performance anxiety - errrrr...you know what I mean


Stage training has helped me immensely

 

[Spartacus]

sexually a very pertinent point

 

[Sassy69]

Do you find you have a greater anxiety about something you haven't done before (fear of the unknown) or something that you have tried & encountered trouble with (anticipation of failure)?

 

[The Shadow]

Do you find you have a greater anxiety about something you haven't done before (fear of the unknown) or something that you have tried & encountered trouble with (anticipation of failure)?

I do have a bit when it comes to strength training...especially if I have missed the weight before.....


HAD MAJOR issues with 405 on sumo deads......

Finally I loaded the bar with 3 45's and SMALLER ones on each side....

LOL


It went up

 

[Evil_Frisky]

ALSO - on strength work - I do MUCH better on a GRIP AND RIP mentality......for purely bbing....I have to have my mind in the muscle

GRIP AND RIP is the only way to go for me. I can't ponder too long or I freeze up.

did this one time on max box squats and pinned my ass to the box... waited a few minutes added a few lbs and decided I was just gonna get under the weight and do it.. no waiting.. and did it with ease. Its a big mental game for me.

When traing for PL'ing my coach and/or anyone that was helping load the bar never told me what was on it... they just loaded and I did the weight. I found this worked for GREAT for me. If I would know what was up there then I'd start thinking to much about it.. over think the whole damn thing and then clam up.