As a competitive weightlifter, I understand how important mental training can be in enhancing my daily performance. One simple strategy I like to use daily is imagery. I mentally rehearse my upcoming training session. I only focus on the next training session because that’s the one that matters. I cover as much detail as I can from the particular platform I will lift on, the shoes I will wear, the way I load the plates on the bar, the warm up jumps I will take, the way the weight will feel, etc. I also picture myself successfully hitting every rep of every exercise I have planned. My goal is to be as diligent as possible with this rehearsal. It needs to be extremely vivid in order for me to reap the benefits. In a very real way, I am training my mind to easily visualize peak performance in competition just like I am training my muscles and central nervous system during the rigorous physical training. 

It is imperative to have a plan and a set of goals. Goal setting is an easy way to make yourself accountable, committed, and motivated. We all know that goals should be realistic and measurable. I understand that it’s easy to get caught up in hitting certain numbers either in training or in competition. Weightlifting is all about numbers and it’s not difficult to fall into the trap of being fixated on hitting certain numbers in training. Lately, I’ve been imploring my athletes and myself to not be so concerned with the weight on the bar. I want us to be more concerned with the quality of movement. Displaying high quality movement should always be one of the prerequisites for adding more weight to the barbell. Visualizing the proper technique in both lifts can positively impact performance. On top of that, if you hold yourself to a high standard where you do not accept mediocre or medium quality repetitions, then you will start to make more lifts because you’re greatly sharpening your technique. And when you make more lifts in training, your confidence and overall swagger will also improve. Who doesn’t want a load of confidence as they approach a heavy barbell?

Fear of Failure

Fear of failure can hold athletes back from achieving their true potential. It can cause an athlete to play it safe in competition and shy away from situations or weights that further challenge their strength and power. In actuality, being afraid to fail actually helps create the conditions that lead to failure. The negative thoughts come in and shortness of breath occurs, muscles tense up, and an overload of stress comes upon the body. I like to tell myself at times of tension or worrisome that “if the tension builds then performance gets killed.” That short statement brings me back to a calm and relaxed state because the last thing I want is for my performance to decrease and miss a weight. 

When it comes down to it, fear of failure is nothing more than a perceived psychological threat to one’s ego or self-esteem. No one wants to look bad or be embarrassed in the presence of their peers; however, athletes have to accept that the only way to accomplish anything great is to risk failing at it first. On the path to athletic greatness, failure is basically inevitable and when athletes accept this, their perception of failure is different from those whom failure crushes mentally or emotionally. These athletes choose to look at failure as a learning experience and use it to come back better for the next competition. Dave Spitz, owner of California Strength, shared a good quote on the California Strength Instagram page awhile back which says that “we either win or we learn; we never lose.” And I think that is a great way to look at competition for any athlete. Losing has such a negative connotation associated with it that it’s best to avoid looking at any competition in that light.

Positive Reinforcement

Making simple positive statements to yourself inside and outside the gym can go a long way in training and in competition. As part of my nightly prayer I thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that I am quick, I am fast, I am strong, I am powerful, I am focused, I am confident, I am blessed, etc. I thank my Lord for these traits because I know that they are true and that He has blessed me with them. All I am doing is simply giving thanks and acknowledging them as pivotal pieces to my well-being. It’s the little daily, constant, positive affirmations that can strengthen your self-belief. 

Bill Cole, founder and president of the International Mental Game Coaching Association wrote a great piece titled The Mental Game of Olympic Weightlifting which highlights the mental fortitude it takes to be a successful weightlifter. One of the topics he covers is commitment and how correct thinking can prevent clarking, or psyching yourself out of a lift. He gives examples of phrases that weightlifters should tell themselves before they attempt a weight. These phrases include, “I don’t care how it feels. That’s irrelevant. I’m committed.” and “I’m all in on this.” A competitive weightlifter should have these or versions of these phrases in their toolbox at all times because if a weightlifter becomes timid and uncommitted then they are going to move slow and are more than likely going to hurt themselves because they are not giving the weight the respect it deserves to be lifted properly. A big part of that respect comes with knowing the right amount of aggression to lift a certain weight with.

I suggest that you put yourself in touch with your pure love of weightlifting when you’re lacking motivation to train. Immerse yourself in the days when you were most motivated to train or better yet, the sheer joy you had when you hit a new PR total in competition or won your first national medal. Allowing yourself to go back and relive those moments in your mind just might be the boost you need to move past the physical or mental funk you are in. It is paramount to make a connection with those feelings to training and to competition so positivity can continue to be associated with them. Your emotions play a tremendous role in guiding your performance. There have been numerous occasions when I had a subpar snatch portion of my workout and let a bucket of negative emotions pour onto the clean and jerk portion and it destroyed my performance because my overall confidence plummeted and my motivation to continue with the training session dried up completely. 

 In the book “The Art of Mental Training” by DC Gonzalez and Alice McVeigh, it is strongly suggested that athletes be the director of their mind’s movie and not to let anyone negatively dictate their motion picture of success they’re trying to produce. Of course, the athlete can add whatever they want to it, but it should only be visions or scenes of success. These videos of success that athletes play in their mind repeatably are really a commercial for the future. They help athletes become relaxed, calm and confident come competition time. The mind is the most powerful tool in the human body, and it can be the greatest or the worst asset to athletes. An understanding of what is possible through the power of mental training is what will enable an athlete to empower all aspects of their performance. Whatever is going on inside an athlete’s head has everything to do with how well they end up performing.