Phase 1 session 3: Mental preparation
Transcript:
In this session, I’m going to talk about how to mentally prepare for strength training and heavy lifting.
So, why is this important?
Firstly, it's essential to understand that physical strength is not the only factor in achieving your goals in strength training. Mental preparation is equally important to enhancing your performance in the gym.
I’m going to cover these key areas which consist of visualisation and how you can imagine successful outcomes, mindfulness to improve mind-muscle connection, methods to eliminate external influences and ways to stop your mind from wandering while you’re trying to train.
One of the most effective mental preparation techniques is visualisation.
Visualisation involves mentally picturing yourself completing a task successfully. It's like creating a video in your mind of whatever you’re about to do.
If you’re aiming to learn a new skill, improve technique, or even copy an exercise demonstration and then imagine yourself doing it - try to imagine yourself from the outside as an onlooker. So you can see yourself doing it.
If you need to have more of a competitive mindset, whether that’s just a regular session where you’re going heavy, you’re going for a new personal best in the gym or you’re competing in something - try to imagine yourself as you are from an inside perspective.
So say you’re going for a 1 rep max, what would you see in front of you? You’d see the weight, the equipment, maybe people around you, imagine those things.
I’m sure we’ve all heard of being mindful. Mindfulness practice helps us connect to what’s happening in the moment which can be particularly useful when it comes to training.
Specifically when it comes to mind-muscle connection.
Mind-muscle connection is a term used to describe the ability to consciously activate and engage specific muscles during exercise. By focusing your attention on the specific muscles you're trying to target, you can improve your form, technique, and overall performance.
Here are some tips to improve your mind-muscle connection:
Activation drills: Your warm-up routine is not just about stretching. You should be working on any weaknesses or muscle groups that you typically find difficult to engage during an exercise. This usually involves posterior muscles such as the glutes and your back muscles.
Slow things down: By slowing down your movements, you can focus on each muscle contraction and engagement. This can help you develop a deeper connection to the muscle you're targeting. This is important even in the eccentric (lowering phase) of the movement.
Warm up with weights: When you’re warming up to your working weight, use that time to improve your mind-muscle connection while you’re still using those lighter weights. That’s really the point of warming up gradually with weights, because of course it’s going to feel easy, but you should still focus on the contraction.
Focus on muscle groups: If you’re looking at muscle growth with higher reps, take a moment to visualise the muscle you're trying to target. Imagine the muscle contracting and engaging with each repetition.
If you’re looking at more strength specific sets, something like 1-5 reps, think about the muscles that help you lift the weight so you can really use them to your advantage. By focusing your attention on the specific muscles you're trying to target, you can engage those muscles more effectively.
Let’s look at external influences and how it can negatively affect you.
Switching off and disconnecting from the stress of things like work or relationship issues can be challenging, but it's crucial to help you perform at your best during your session. Here are some tips to help you switch off and focus on the set you’re about to do:
Leave work at work: When you leave work try to do something symbolic like shut the door behind you. Definitely avoid having access to your work phone or emails while you’re in the gym. You could also try getting things out of your head by writing them down somewhere, so you're not constantly thinking about what needs to be done next time you’re at work.
(If you’re good at switching focus when you’re about to do a set, this doesn’t necessarily apply to you. Some people can complain about work, then focus, do their set and carry on, but not everyone can do that.)
Personal relationships: If you’ve had a disagreement with your partner or a friend or family member, this might play on your mind while you’re trying to train. So, in this instance you’d use the shut the door technique when you enter the gym.
You could also use a method where any time these negative thoughts enter your mind you imagine the thought like a rope, or multiple ropes, being out in front of you and you cut the rope with your hand, (as if it’s a knife or a sword). Sounds crazy, but believe me, it works!
Listen to something: Listening to music can help you tune out distractions and stay focused during your workout. Create a playlist of your favourite high energy or motivational songs. You could also listen to a podcast or even an audiobook if you like just listening to someone speak. It can be a really good way of stopping your mind from wandering but also avoiding getting caught up in conversations.
Limit distractions: Try to avoid using your phone or other devices during your workout if you get sucked into things like social media, it can be distracting and take your focus away from your training.
Remember, switching off from work or other life events takes time and patience. Don't be too hard on yourself if you're struggling to disconnect, I do all of these things sometimes and have to take a step back and go ‘no, I shouldn’t be doing this’. Keep practising and you'll be able to switch off and focus on your training more easily.
Stopping your mind from wandering while lifting can be challenging, but there are some strategies you can try to help you stay focused on your workout.
So even if you have a personal trainer, don’t rely on them to count your reps for you. At some point you’ll need to do it by yourself and that’s not what they’re there for.
A huge benefit to counting your reps is that you can switch off your thoughts by counting reps, especially if you say the numbers out loud. Saying them under your breath is probably the best option because then you’re not putting other people off. This works because while your brain is enabling you to do something basic like counting, more complex thought processes can’t happen at the same time.
If you’re doing lower reps or a particularly heavy weight, you can repeat the number over and over again or even combine it with focusing on your breathing.
I think this is actually one of the reasons that I don’t like timed workouts, because people are just thinking when is it going to end rather than actually focusing on the exercise they’re doing.
To help implement the importance of mental preparation in strength training you’re going to cover these areas in the workbook. You’re going to have a go-to checklist for visualisation methods and tips for what to work on if you need to improve mind-muscle connection. As well as that, you’re going to create an action plan to avoid mental distractions and I’ve added some information about the reason behind counting your reps and how it helps you to switch off.
So head to the link for the workbook, make a copy so you have your own one in google docs and work your way through it.
