MENTAL DEVELOPMENT REVIEW
April 1, 2020Expectation versus reality
April 3, 2020“You can’t expect success if you haven’t prepped yourself to be successful.”
Most of us understand the importance of physically prepping our body for training. You may not know it, but you’ve probably already put a plan in place that starts prepping your body hours before your first workout. Think about it. Do you go to bed at a specific time to be ready for your morning workout or plan the timing of your lunch so that you’re not too full or too hungry when you start training? The more experienced you are as an athlete, the more honed in this process becomes. What are you doing 10-20 minutes before your workout? Maybe you have a preworkout drink in hand or, depending on the workout, you’re spending extra time on your hips or shoulders. The point is, you’ve likely already created a few good habits that physically prep your body for training because you understand that for your body to perform at peak levels, you have to prepare it to do so. However, how much time are you putting into preparing your mind for training? It’s important to acknowledge that the results of your training are a product of both your body and mind. Once you do, it’s easy to recognize the bias being placed on prepping your body versus your mind.
At some point in training, you’re going to ask your mind to be strong. Whether you’re telling yourself ‘push it,’ ‘don’t stop,’ or ‘one more rep,’ these are all requests you’re making of your mind. Would you tell your body to squat a one-rep max immediately after walking into the gym? Of course not. You can’t expect success if you haven’t prepped yourself to be successful. So, what can you do before a workout that’s going to result in a mind that’s ready to help you perform at peak levels?