Saw this question on another site and it had some interesting responses: What are you thinking while you are lifting?
Up, down, up, down… and nothing else. Up is always as fast as I can and down is always controlled but not particularly slow – but no counting. I also do not get “psyched up” for a lift since that can drain your CNS so much that recovery takes a lot longer (Olympic lifters can take as long as 1 month to recover from only 6 lifts at a competition). This is the way WSB does it based on how Russian olympic lifters train. Thinking about form, or abs, or anything else comes too close to “paralysis by analysis” for me.
I don’t know if anyone will understand this or not, but I fight demons from the past when I lift. I think of the times I’ve been pushed down, pushed aside, overlooked and underestimated. These things happened quite often when I was a kid, it gives me lots of fuel for the fire.
Usually, I’m thinking about getting the damn weight where it’s supposed to go while maintaining proper form. However, sometimes when I think my next rep is going to be a tough one, I use a visualization technique I first read about from Arnold. Let’s say I’m doing standing curls, I will close my eyes and picture the most perfect arms, fully jacked with cuts everywhere, the arms I want, baby! Believe or not, it sometimes helps get that next rep out.
Between sets I’ll just relax and mess around, but when the stopwatch gets to about 10-15 sec to go, I’ll start to really focus. I always know that whatever set it is, it’s going to be really hard. I think it was either Ian King or some sports psychologist who said that you should have a cue (I clench my fists) that for when it’s time to get serious. Oh yeah, what am I thinking? I just imagine that whatever muscles I’m working are growing to superhuman size and I’m lifting huge weights and with perfect form. I doubt that I’d notice if that building collapsed on me.
A Girl: Great thread. Lately I’ve been working on that elusive “neuro-muscular” connection; that point at which you focus on the CNS connection to the muscle and flexing it through a full range of motion, “squeezing” at the top (when appropriate) and a slow lowering. I read not too long ago to think of flexing the target muscle, NOT moving the weight. I’m a realist; my mind can wander sometimes. But I think I’ve gotten my workout to about 90-95% focus.
Ironbabe, I know what you mean, during a set, I build up rage toward anything, store away every single time anyone has told you that you can’t do something, and with every rep, tell them otherwise.
This hurts!
I like to write short broadway plays while i’m lifting.
In reality though, I focus on my breathing technique so it flows with the pushing and lowering.
Providing that there are no vixens wandering around in front of me with ass showing spandex and tight, low-cut sports bras on, I only think about the workout. Before every set I picture a perfect rep, accounting for form, tempo, breathing, and isometric squeezing. During the set, I make sure everything goes according to plan. I also visualize the muscle fibers physically lifting the weight and growing larger. During rest between sets, I enjoy the music (if I’m training by myself) and concentrate on squeezing the active muscle group(s) to encourage definition and separation. People don’t talk to me too much when I’m lifting, unless I’ve planned it that way.
I think about getting the set done as quick as possible so I can stare at girls asses in the gym mirrors.
“god im gunna be fucking huge” … " Gotta get get big… gotta get big… gotta get big…’
Well, usually my mind is more or less blank - like others have said, just focused on getting the weight up and down in the proper groove. But sometimes, for a really tough lift or set, I will, um, use the gym vixens. By which I mean that I tell myself, “If you get this rep, she’ll [fill in the blank] you.” Juvenile, I know. But it helps get me psyched. (Thus far, unfortunately, none of the objects of my attention have actually done anything out of the ordinary when I’ve gotten the rep(s), but I keep hoping…)
Every set is a fight. If I attain my goal(# of reps) for that set I win. If I dont I lose and the weight wins. No one likes to lose. It’s good motivation.
Here to there…here to there…here to f@#$in there!!! It’s that simple for me. I get myself in the proper mindset for form, etc. before I even grip. Picture what I’m about to do. But once I’m on the bar, I just keep in mind that ANYBODY should be able to move ANYTHING a couple of feet if they REALLY want to.
As long as I am not worrying that something is showing I had not planned to reveal " What IS he looking at? Do I have a rip in my pants? Have I fallen out of my top? Is my form bad? WHAT!!!?" I am thinking at first, “Come on now, gotta wake up, warm up” visualizing what I’m gonna do and getting into my music groove. Then: This feels great, I can do more than this no problem. And finally, I am NOT going to let this weight or _____ fill in the blank, usually a person, get the best of me! Hey T-men, its nice to know that the vixens inspire you, and I’ll try not to snicker about what some guy has promised himself, next time I see someone who seems especially motivated!
During my set I have calm-controlled rage inside and generally think nothing but the task at hand.
this is gonna sound really silly, but when doing a set, i imagine my body as one of those old muscle & fitness exercise diagrams (dont lie, you know what im talkin about 
those sketches of the superficial muscles. and the muscles that are being worked by a particular exercise are colored bright green or red or something.) thats what i think about. i imagine myself as one of those diagrams and i visualize the muscle that im working is colored bright red or something. i know this sounds really corny (especially because it references m&f), but this technique really helps establish my mind-muscle connection.
but when im warming up with an ian king exercise, im usually wondering what everybody else in the gym thinks about my ‘weird-looking’ exercise…lol
I am a machine.
No pain. No Anger. Just move the weight at the proper pace. Keep the timing with my breathing.
I am an well tuned engine.
When I was younger I would use the rage to move the weight. Now just calm one with the weight I see/hear/feel nothing.
Usually I start thinking of the little things during the day(and night) that piss me off. My boss wants me to ask permission to use the phone when I’m not working…blow me, this rep is for you! My ex-girlfriend calls me saying that she feels bad cheating on me…blow me too, I’ll pump out two extra reps! Who else? My landlord says I can’t work on my racebike in my garage…never! Usually proceed until failure. Those are just a few things.