I've always been interested in how people approach competition and training, both from a general perspective, and an individual perspective. I've read nearly 10 or so sports psych. books and hope to read many more.

I'm interested to know how some of you Health & Fitness hotbods prepare mentally for a) gym session b) training sessions c) active competition (if you are involved).

I know from my experience, some of the hardest mental challenges I had was when I was taking Crossfit seriously a while back. Knowing that every day was going to be pure pain was a difficult psychological barrier to get over when the rewards weren't really preparing me for anything (except life I guess). I had much more fun with various lifting routines and the motivation came easily. Somehow I just have a natural aversion to cardio (even if I want to do it for the sake of future sporting development). The problem: motivation.

Similarly in high school and college football, I usually had crippling anxiety even before a training session. At that time, I probably had too much of my self-worth invested in results and not enough in process to get the most out of myself. The problem: too much motivation.

Nowadays, since I'm not involved in a sport, I set aside 10 minutes daily for visualisation of exercise routines, how I want my body to look and the type of energetic but focused, mindset I need before every training session to push myself that little bit harder than the previous one. I try and imagine every one of my senses (sight, sound, taste, smell, touch) and simulate exactly how it ought to be and how it is. I try to imagine all my muscles moving in perfect technical order and imagine exactly how I am going to overcome limiting mindsets during the act.

I still have a dream of playing well enough to achieve some kind of high-level amateur status in 1 or 2 sports and know this is stuff all the top-level athletes already have mastery of.

Interested to know how you guys approach this?

I use visualization exercises for pitching and hitting, but not as much as I should. I definitely feel they have a significant positive impact and should dedicate more time to them every night.

I'm gonna have to try those visualizations.

I usually get semi-nervous before the puck drops, then once I get going I relax and lose the jitters. In the locker room I think it's kind of a "tradition" created by tough/serious coaches and players who create a quiet/serious/almost negative mood in the locker room. I wouldn't mind if it were a little more easy going, fun and positive, and then just a short and intense pumping up period, but I know some of the other players don't respond to that well. Some people are just lazy or lame brained and they need someone to force them to get ready and focus or prepare.

I like getting loud yelling and hitting people right before a game. Maybe if the sport were soccer or something it wouldn't make sense but for a contact sport it does.

In the gym I have learned how to deal with hard things. It's a big mental challenge getting under the bar with more weight every time, and doing the SAME things over and over. I could definitely see myself a few years earlier not being able to do it. Now I don't puss out (as much). If it's tough, I try to just gut it out.

I too would like to compete in something at a decent level, even though my prime years are gone.

Not even sure this is what you were looking for.

Great thread topic. It can be hard for me to fight that feeling of dread when I know I'm about to punish my body by lifting more weight than normal.

I don't typically have the problem in the gym, just in athletic competitions. And usually only baseball, since it's so individual, yet a team depends on you.

Yeah this is exactly the type of stuff I was interested in. There's just something there, that being in the moment, being able to do exactly what you've planned and being in the correct mindset 100% and doing what's necessary that most underachieving athletes are missing.

From the books I've read it's very clear that one needs:

Above and beyond total confidence in your abilities or ability to spot weaknesses in yourself quicker than anyone else can in theirs. Ie. being one step ahead or knowing how to be one step ahead in your mind before you get out there.

Completely detaching yourself from the outcome ie. failure.

Completely getting lost in the nuances of the process.

Rejecting common, incorrect interpretations, like "watch the ball", which nobody actually does all the way into the hands/bat etc. and learning to visualise the process to perfection including being able to plan one or two steps ahead.

Noting the role of people, locations and memories in your own life and sporting performance/preparation.

Constant self-affirmation by convincing yourself of your abilities.


Theblackkeys: Why do you prefer an easy-going, relaxed mood? Do you think it's because you have strong associations with confidence and a relaxed mindset and intensity with a nervous, weaker mindset? I usually found the same in myself in changing-rooms but performance was usually much better when I had time to mentally plan out plays etc. It's kinda difficult to measure these things objectively tho.

skunkworks: is that because you don't utilise a spotter?

kyleb: Are your gym sessions a consistent habit? Do you record how optimally/percentage wise you push yourself every session? Do you measure your training in terms of quality/success rate of pitches/hits?

My gym sessions are fairly consistent, yes. I do look forward to them. I have no problem in the gym visualizing what I need to do and pushing myself towards higher and higher goals - that's something I feel very lucky about.

What I don't do is record my pitching statistics with better frequency (when throwing bullpens, etc). I tend to just go out and throw and get my work in, which is fine, but not specific enough. Right now I'm just focusing on mechanics and building velocity/arm strength, so it's not that big of a deal, but come January, it will be important as the offseason starts to approach spring training.

This is a sweet topic. At work now, and wanna get to this later. Some points I'd like to comment on/hear about:

> Pre-training ritual v. pre-sports ritual (mine are totally different)
> Visualization
> Getting amped up and wired v. being calm and focused
> "Mind chemicals," supplements, and nootropics
> Use or non-use of music
> Training partner: co-operation v competitiveness
> Post-game analysis
> "Feel" and "the zone"

That mood is mentally draining and as a result physically draining. It's not intensity that I'm talking about. It's this 30 minutes before a game, hey shut up guys be serious kind of attitude, everybody staring at each other with serious expressions for prolonged periods of time is just ugh when a normal person should be able to loosen up a little especially before a game.

Going over plays and being serious is fine but usually there was plenty of time where nothing was going on.

The intensity part where you hoot and holler and get fired up can only last for a few moments so that usually happens when you step out of the locker room. That's fine.

Pre-training: Nothing, really. I listen to some motivating music and typically take some AMP2 before hitting the gym, which provides enough energy to get the work done. Sometimes I look at pictures of me when I was 6'1" 185 lbs and in great shape to embarrass myself.

Pre-sport: I used to be a fast pitcher - get the ball, get the sign, windup and deliver. Think Mark Buerhle. However, I try to take some time between each hitter (and sometimes during at-bats when I lose proprioceptive control) to visualize a plan of attack. I do this when I'm hitting, too - find out what the pitcher is trying to do and develop a plan. A great quote from an MLB hitter I knew told me once that "if you go up there and swing at a 1-0 curveball in the dirt, you didn't have a plan."

Nootropics/etc: I know a lot about this subject. Typically I just take AMP2 since it takes care of stimulation as well as the soothing effect delivered by Geranamine. I used to be into more supplementation, but have since decided that the diminishing returns / cost was not worth it. Occasionally I'll take modafinil to stay awake or zolpidem to sleep, but that's almost always work-related.

Music: My main album at the gym is Daft Punk's Alive touring CD, but I also listen to a lot of metal, rock, hardcore, and punk music depending on my mood.

Training Partner: I have a few baseball partners that I throw with and do specific work with, but no one in the gym. Everyone I know is a noob at weightlifting or doesn't want to take it seriously, and the only one I do know (my roommate, GuyOnTilt) is too lazy to do anything. He might start lifting with me when we clear the garage and put some equipment in there (I bought a barbell and some weights, just need a stand - I have a power cage but I have the wrong bolts for it, so I need to contact the manufacturer).

Post-game analysis: I need to do this better. Hopefully I can find someone to chart my pitches.

The Zone: No idea how to get into this, but it feels great when I'm on the mound and just dealing. I tend to think myself out of it, though, which is annoying.

I'm convinced that "the zone" is about 90% luck and 10% confidence.

So many athletes talk about how they were in the zone when they were playing much better than usual. Of course you feel great when you're playing great, duh. Craps players say the same thing. They get in a zone whenever they hit the pass line 5 times in a row or whatever it's called.

When you start playing something and get lucky early on, it affects the way you think about how likely you are to have good results for the rest of the game/session. The confidence aspect comes into play only to determine how long you can sustain that positive mental state.

People who start to think "gee I wonder how this is happening? I'm playing so good, I won't be able to keep this up much longer" or "ok, got a great session going here, now DONT SCREW IT UP" are the people who can never sustain the zone for very long. Not only will they not sustain the very high level, they start playing poorly because these attitudes cause frustration, disappointment, and very negative thinking at the first sign of non-greatness.

OTOH, people who can keep their concious mind quiet and not think about it (much easier said than done obv) may not necessarily be able to maintain the zone level (since it's cuased by luck), but definitely won't cause their own demise. The thought process of this person during zone-like play would go something like "weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Yes, that sounds about right.

rb,

I agree somewhat. Of course success and confidence is a dual forward-feedback loop (success breeds confidence, which breeds success, and so on). However, I don't think it is that luck dependent.

You mentioned ways that you can **** up the "zone." I agree. Conversely though, I believe you can create a state that is conducive to the zone, willfully.

Clarity, focus, centeredness, outcome-indifference (to an extent) and consciousness (but not self-consciousness) play into this.

Here is something I wrote a while ago in a different context, but similar theme. It was in response to a question about how to "flow", get into the "zone," and execute soccer moves in game-time situations. Disregard the jargon.

Have you read inner game of tennis? I think it's different for every person. Now what I try to do is focus really hard on doing well, but at the same time I know that it's good not to force things and just be aware of the results. I think I can get away with this mental approach to things because it's relative to my already super laid back personality, and if I try to be what I think is non-result oriented than I actually just start being too slow and complacent and it throws me off.

For me the time I have been in the 'zone' a few times, and I was not thinking at all. My body was completely in autopilot and I just did it. I agree that thinking could ruin it, but at the time I simply was not.

Try to actually enjoy the feeling in a strange way. No training is easy regardless of sport, if you dread what is going to happen I would think it's hard to improve and achieve your fullest potential.

Interesting topic.

Obviously a lot of this is dependent on the person, their will and the reasons for training. I think that there is a huge gap between people that train individually (from skimming this forum this is the impression that I get - most lift on their own) and people that are in competitive teams. This gap is very hard to overcome for most.

Two main factors that drive someone when it comes to sports:
1) competition
2) how passionate you are about your goal/love for sport. If you love what you do, effort will come naturally.

Competition drives success like nothing else, at least for me. I rowed through out college. It was all year around, every day, twice a day when we are on the water, three times on breaks during sprint season (spring). Our freshman year coach literary brainwashed us. Rowing became the center of everything we did. At that point not many of us understood the sport so it was all about beating the guy next to you to get the seat in the first boat on the water.

Sleep was used to rest for practice. Class was used for napping and doing homework. Spare time was spent watching videos of others row or of us rowing, talking about erg scores, analyzing our strokes and obsessing about the next time we are on the water.

Everything was documented by the coaches and put on blackboard. Every single lift, run, VO2 tests, doctor's notes and of course, all the erg scores. Every one of us was matched with someone on the varsity team who we were supposed to destroy and humiliate on the erg by the end of winter. We did just that.

Whats the point? I think its easy to excel when you are competing against someone else. It's a moving benchmark that is trying just as hard as you are. The harder he/she works to one up you, the harder you push yourself. Whatever.....you say who gives a **** about your dumb college team, I lift in the gym ALONE. Fine, since I have been out of school, so do i. Here's what works for me:

1)A weak substitute for competition could be your friend. It helps if you are in similiar shape, if not **** it. You have that much more room for growth. There is always going to be someone who is faster and stronger than you. Discounting genetics and natural abilities, there is no reason why you can't strive to match him.

Every time i run in central park, I pick somebody way ahead of me that I need to pass and do my best to do it. At the gym, it's different. One look at the ******s that are watching tv or checking out their abs in the mirror makes me want to gag and do one more rep. You don't want to be wasting time like them.

Everything is relative, including success. Comparing yourself to others, keeps us in check and fuels ambition. Okay a bit cheezy and may drive some nuts, but whatever, i believe it.

2)Getting in the zone. It should be automatic as soon as you put your sneakers on. Leave your berry/cell/textbook at home. You are either training or bsing around. If you are going to take time out of your day to go to the gym, whats the point of half-assing your workout. You are only cheating yourself. I mean, I know I am stating the obvious. I am def. cheating more often than I used to, mostly because I get caught up talking with friends, but on the way home, I can't help but get pissed at myself when I didn't try hard enough.

3)Anxiety. Thats good. That means you care. Turn it into adrenaline. At least I try to...

4) Numbers help. Seeing gains makes us feel rewarded for our efforts. Your muscles might now show in the beginning, but if you compare the numbers and put things into perspective, you are now stronger/healthier etc. than when you started.

5) Remember your toughest training day, stfu and do one more rep. This helps me the most right now. You remember the one practice/lift/swim where you went to the end of the cliff and than jumped off that cliff. The time where you were getting weird looks from casuals at the gym because you beasted it so hard.

Whenever I get tired/lazy, I just think back to one of the practices in school where I had to erg 7.5k, run 4 miles and do the Harvard stadium all in one seating or the sprints where by the middle of the race your legs feel like there are needles driven through them and the cox is telling you to take one more seat from the other boat.

I'll cut the bs, but basically, try thinking about the toughest thing you did and whatever you are currently doing will instantly become a joke. At the very least, you'd be able to squeeze out a few more reps.

crap - that turned into a very long rant. no idea how...

h_e

where did you row? I'm a current collegiate rower. Wouldn't mind asking you a few questions if you have time

I think a lot about how the movements are going to look and how it will feel on the muscles, try to conceptualize it. Not before I lift though, this is in the time between. I just try to relax as much as possible before an actual lift. That's what seems to have served me best in a lot of my big PRs, especially in the Olympic lifts. Can't think your way through it, gotta let the technique your body knows do the work and just peel the weight off the floor.

I've been trying not to think about others' success or abilities and just focus on my own as well. As far as I'm concerned, if I ever snatch 100kg it will be a world record and the pinnacle of my training, and only then will I accept that it's time to lift even more.

I'm probably more level headed and rational in the way I approach lifting than in most things I do

Anyone have any recs on books to read? I'm looking through Amazon and having a hard time picking out a book that isn't all fluff.

I was browsing B&N for sports psych books last week. I suggest doing the same. Some seemed better than others, but yeah, there was a lotta fluff.

I could write an encyclopedia about how this relates to martial arts and training exercises like sticking hands/push hands, but it would be huge and boring. Suffice it to say that getting in the zone is not a separate or rare thing but the whole point of many sports and martial arts. And that's what can make some a lifelong challenge and one that spills over into other areas of your life and helps improve them too. There are some activities where you can afford low or indifferent points, or that last so long that human attention can't help but ebb and flow and wander, so even trying to always be on a sort of "high" or trying to be balanced on the point of a knife of alertness would be draining and counter-productive. There are others where striving for perfect attention and aligment physically, emotionally, mentally, even spiritually, is the whole point and might be the only approach that succeeds. And in those activities, you strive to ultimately create a state of mind that manifests your highest qualities automatically so you don't have to interfere with your best self by thinking too much about it.

It's a bit like insight in a way. There's the insight you have that flashes brightly and goes away, maybe to be forgotten, perhaps almost immediately, and never lived through and experienced again, and there is the insight you make part of yourself and becomes your actual mental or spiritual "walking around money." In some of the less mechanistic sports, giving yourself more "walking around money" -- the ability to get and stay in the zone -- is foundational and part of building up basic competence.

Interesting you mention push hands. I just recently read The Art of Learning, by childhood chess prodigy turned Tai Chi maestro Josh Waitzkin, where he goes into greater depths about a lot of this.

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Learning-J...8903138&sr=8-1

From the book, it appears the focus of push hands seems to be about shifting perception of time. A lot of other sports psych. books use tennis as an example of where the "zone" and having time "slow down" matters a great deal. Any edge in time perception could potentially quantify itself in improved results.

I guess the driving question of sports psychology is 'how does one go about "catching" insight or flow?' Do you improve your perception and relentlessly deconstruct it when it arrives or do you just reconstruct the conditions leading to insightful moments?

If someone wrote a book showing us an easy way to a good golf swing we'd probably see a mass wave of early retirements. Might be preferable to still be figuring all this out.

Isn't all this what Zen is about?

Most of this stuff is filler and fluff because it's hard to quantify. Personally, I started doing yoga and I think it's helped me beyond the flexibility and dynamic stability portions of it - the breathing exercises help me to control my environment and my thought process, which should translate to this type of "zone" feeling.