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Peak
performance is a state of mind. No matter how
prepared your body is, if your mind is not functioning
at the top of its game, your performance will
suffer.
This
is true of any sport and extremely true in weight
training. Your muscles may do the actual work,
but what is sending the message to do that work?
Your mind!
There
are many techniques you can use to help your mind
push your body far beyond what you may believe
you're capable of. These mental tricks can help
you get more results out of every single set you
do.
1. Rewards
Say
you're finishing the last few reps of a set. It's
starting to hurt and you're ready to quit. Imagine
someone just offered you a million dollars to
get one more rep. You would find a way to get
that rep. Use other offers that would motivate
you to keep going, e.g. pizza if you're on a diet.
2. Ghost Spotters and Lighter Weight
Imagine
someone spotting you. Imagine this ghost spotter
helping you finish that rep. You can always try
imagining the weight is less than it actually
is, too.
3. Magnetic Force
If
you're doing dumbell presses, imagine they are
two powerful magnets that are irresistibly drawn
to each other. If you're curling, imagine your
eyes as magnets attracting the bar towards them.
If you're benching, imagine the bar being repelled
by your chest. This technique is especially useful
on that last, slow rep. It will help you squeeze
a little extra out to finish the rep.
4. Chopped-Up Sets
Here
is a trick you can use to get the most out of
high rep sets.
When
the going gets tough, start doing consecutive
small sets of five reps. When you can't get five
reps, do sets of three reps. When three reps seems
impossible, convince yourself to do just two more
reps. When you can't do sets of two, tell yourself
just one more rep. Keep trying to get just one
more rep until you can't move.
Breaking
it up like this will allow you to get many more
reps than counting straight through one big set.
You can do this right from the start as well.
If you are doing a set of fifteen reps, do a set
of five, another set of five, a set of three,
then a set of two.
5. Pain Management
Pain
tolerance is a big factor in weight training intensity.
The more pain you can take, the harder and longer
you can push.
A good
way to fight pain is to tell yourself that it
is not your pain; it is somebody else's. It sounds
crazy but it works.
You
can also try the Corsican Twin technique. Imagine
the pain you are going through is being felt by
someone you don't like. The more you put yourself
through, the more punishment they take.
It
also helps if you're a little masochistic. Really
hard trainers learn to love the pain (remember,
we're not talking injury pain but hard work pain).
6. Self-Reprimand
To
push harder, you may want to try self-reprimand,
i.e. telling yourself how lazy you are, how small
and weak you are. You should react by vigorously
trying to prove yourself wrong.
7. Self-Praise
Self-praise
is also good. Tell yourself how big and strong
and powerful you are and how this weight is child's
play.
8. The Little Voice In Your Head
Reprogram
the little voice in your head. Most people have
a little voice in their head that warns them not
to do things that may seem unreasonable or threatening,
e.g. you better not do that or you'll hurt yourself,
you can't lift that much, this hurts, let's quit.
This voice can undermine your confidence to lift
extremely heavy weight or get those last few reps.
Reprogram
your little voice to tell you things like: that
felt pretty good, let's add more weight or you
can do another rep. Don't get too out of control
but don't be scared. You can usually do more than
you think you can and you never know until you
try. Don't automatically assume you'll never accomplish
anything or you never will.
9. Set Unreasonable Goals
Set
almost unreasonable but achievable goals for yourself.
Say for example, you know you can curl 50 pounds
for ten reps. Set the goal of twelve reps and
fight madly to get those twelve. It gives you
the incentive to improve.
10. Competitions
Have
competitions with a training partner or with yourself.
Whoever gets the most reps with a certain weight
or percentage of bodyweight has to buy dinner.
Challenge yourself to break personal bests and
reward yourself when you do. This type of competition
can dramatically increase intensity.
11. Explosive Imagery
Just
before a set, put images of explosive power in
your head, e.g. rockets, artillery, a stampede,
explosions, etc.
This
form of imagery will start up your adrenaline
and give you a little extra kick in the pants
to get your set going. Imagine this explosive
power rocketing the weights you are using.
12. Mind In Muscle
Try
to put your mind in the muscle you're working.
Try to consciously fire the muscle fibers.
13. Contact
Getting
a spotter to just touch you and not push can give
you extra force. This is partly psychological
and partly physical. The contact of body's energy
fields can actually give you a little extra lift.
It is not all in your head and it is not all quackery.
It does work.
14. Ratcheting
When
the going gets tough, imagine your muscles as
ratchets; stopping, redoubling the force, pushing
a little more, stopping, redoubling, etc.
15. Positive and Negative Stimuli
When
doing exercises where you are pushing something
away from you, e.g. bench, imagine the bar as
a negative stimulus (somebody you don't like,
a chainsaw, etc.). When doing exercises where
you are pulling something towards you, imagine
the bar as a positive stimulus (somebody you do
like, a chocolate cake, etc.).
16. Donald Duck
If
you find your inner voice speaking negatively,
change the voice so it sounds like Daffy or Donald
Duck. You won't be inclined to take it so seriously.
17. Enjoy It
Learn
to enjoy the pain. Eat it up.
18. Borrow Energy
Borrow
energy from other people. This can be done before
a set or when the going is getting tough. Using
a mirror or looking directly, look at someone
squarely in the eyes. Give them a smile or a nod
or a psychotic grin and imagine yourself drawing
energy from them. At that point, two people are
focusing their energy on the set. You may or may
not make friends with this one.
19. Mentor
Imagine
you have a mentor or someone you are trying to
impress standing over you and watching as you
do your set. Imagine they are encouraging you
and pushing you harder and harder.
20. Threats
Threats
can also work. If someone put a gun to your head
and said "do three more reps," you would
find a way to get those reps. Imagine this situation
to get those reps.
Give some of these techniques a try in your next
workout. I guarantee you'll take yourself far
beyond where you've gone before!
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