MENTAL PREPARATION Millions of athletes spend countless hours training for their individual sports. They experiment with different training techniques, try new breakthrough supplements and even hire trained professionals in their continuous attempt to realize their personal goals. In my own experience, I have encountered many people who are convinced that they just arent cut out for intense athletic training, or they just cant make gains. Having said this, it takes me all of five minutes to discover where these individuals are hindering their progress the most - lack of mental preparation! I know this because not too long ago I found myself in the same boat, which led to much time for self-reflection and the determination to break out of the slump I was in SELF MOTIVATION One of the key aspects of proper mental preparation comes from within ones own self. Without being able to motivate yourself to work at a certain task, improving at what you do is next to impossible - which also applies to all things in life worth working for. For example, it is not enough to simply decide in your head while watching football one Sunday afternoon that you want to eventually become an NFL linebacker. It is critical that you create methods to pump yourself up for a training session or workout. Sure, it may seem easy to accomplish this while training with many different people whom you are trying to impress. However, what separates the motivated athlete from the all talk, no action, I workout when I wanna type of guy is improving yourself when you absolutely do not feel like it. This is getting up in 10°F weather and going for that run, or pounding through that back workout when no one is there to yell in your face and keep you going. In my opinion self-motivation and passion for your training go hand in hand. So, before spending countless time and money on training for your sport, ask yourself - is this what I really want to do? Will I be able to motivate myself to give 110% each and every time? If the answer in both cases is yes - go for it! Never doubt yourself, always stay positive and fight the urge to stop or end a run early as every extra inch you go, every extra rep you do is one step closer to attaining your goals. The only one that can hold you back is you! Some Common Sources Of Motivation Are: Think of your goals as you are training. Now imagine how youll feel when you reach those goals. Every extra ounce of energy you put in, you will get out of it. As you train, think of what you do not wish to become. This negative reinforcement can really be useful in boosting the intensity level of a workout. For example, someone who has gone from extremely overweight in the past to their ideal weight is constantly motivated by the fact that they never want to revert to their old ways. They never want to be fat again. Another example of this is the father of a friend of mine who is constantly working out to keep himself in tip-top shape. He has been on this routine ever since his father passed on due to heart disease related to obesity. Finally, the easiest one is to realize that as you are pushing yourself, you are striving to improve as a person also. Work ethic does not just apply to sports training, in my opinion, it is also the key to a successful career and lifestyle. To end the self-motivation section, Id like to touch base on a particular athlete who in my opinion is one of the most intense and driven players in his particular sport My sport idol or Hero is kai Green the current Bodybuilding legend I was amazed how just in few years he climbed the Mr Olypia Stage and become one of the influential persons . Some others points to be taken care of while working out are. 1- Mental Imagery 2- stay focused 3- Setting personal goals 4- Emulation of and idol or Hero.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 16:26:34 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015