Hey T-Folk. Just wondering if any of you have a method of getting yourself psyched before going into a heavy set? Personally, through very focused visualisation, and bringing back feelings of the past that spurred me on to the gym in the first place, I can basically get pretty significant adrenaline surge at will…! Having said that, I tend to get a little teary eyed (yeah, yeah, like a girl… [grin] ), and can only seem to do it on leg day when deadlifting and especially squatting… and it’s FUCKING AWESOME!!! Anyone have similar experiences?
yeah man i do that to, basically i think really nasty things about ppl i hate and how they annoy me and what not to get myself a little pissed off, then i turn my attention to the wieght object what ever i’m about to do and i just tell taht fucker that it is going up and i repeat this so many times that i get really pissed off at it ( i know a piece of metal and its pissing me off ) then i lift that fucker to the heavens and then i lower it and i have won. lol!!! i only do this when max lifting and testing and not very often as i think it would lose its effectiveness.
For max lifts, yeah, sure. Really intense visualization. For normal training, I just take a breath and do it. But for 20 rep squats, I NEVER think about it or the pain would scare me off. Then when I start seeing stars at about rep 8, I think about that thing the sarge said in Starship Troopers. “Everyone fights. No one quits. Do your job or I’ll shoot you myself.” Cheesy, but it works for me…
I tend to think that the thoughts of hate etc often used to motivate lifts, esp coupled with forced/hyper breathing, isnt the best thing from a stress and overall physical and mental wellbeing perspective. Having said that, before new PBs (but only then) the call is “get angry” which usually results in thoughts and comments on the long term blonde model girlfreinds that my training partner and I lost at more or less the same time just before we started lifting. No tears though - I cant cry ever now and havent for years which I think hints at some psycological block. Are you for real with the tears Mark and if so can you elaborate?
Yo Dre - sure thing, well it’s not like I’m crying or anything. But what you have to understand is that I went through (as have many people) some terrible things with regards to my physique - you know, the off-hand comments from people about how skinny and unattractive I was, that kinda thing. It cuts DEEP man! I think a lot of people will agree that it hurts like hell inside. In the end I just snapped and starting lifting iron and now I’m a fucking UNIT (I’m talkin’ cool, freaky veins hangin’ outta my (much bigger) pecs kinda shit!) compared to anyone I knew 3 years ago! But it was those agonising feelings, that were all bottled up at the point where I turned things around and joined the local gym, that I focus on and harness. Combine it with the sheer ‘mind-numbing ecstacy’ of knowing I can succeed and watching it happen over time, and there’s a catalyst for some fucking strong emotions, for me anyway. I just hold all those emotions (keep in mind I’m totally focused on them 110% before the lift) right on the edge, about to burst, and sometimes it just brings a tear or two to my eyes (as emotions do), but I hold it all in, just waiting for that set of squats…! And BAM!!! I’m lifting and screaming like a fricken’ maniac… LOL Keeps me grounded too, reminds me of the progress and sacrifice I’ve made, and fuels the successes to come. All in all, a great deal for me! Cheers, Mark.
Skip LaCour introduced me to an awesome way of setting myself up for a lift. Use “anchors” to program your mind and sharpen your focus before a lift. These “anchors” can be audio, visual, spatial, physical, emotional, etc. Basically he says a small saying to himself (audio), walks and approaches the lift the same way each time (visual and spatial), hits himself really hard on his chest (physical), and then grimaces and goes for it. I use the same thing when lifting heavy, and it gets you in a foucsed state quickly and efficiently. I also like controlled breathing, to get even more focus and concentration on the lift.
I can NOT stand to fail, all I think about is that if I do not do all that I can to lift the wt. as many times as posible than I am a failure. I know in life I am not, but for that moment I believe that if I fall short I am.
Sick post Mark. Plus Im glad to hear you are now a unit and know it - ive recently become a MACHINE with mad pec cuts and seeming invulnerability but no real pec veins. UNITdom is something I will strive for. Keep pushin dawg.