For Those About to Lift

By: Stephen Ungerleider, PhD
From: Mental Training for Peak Performance: Top Athletes Reveal The Mind Exercises They Use To Excel

Whether training for personal satisfaction or for competition, mental practice will help you become a safer, stronger lifter. Byrd Goad, one of the leading weight lifters in the world, credits much of her success to mental practice and rehearsal. As a gymnast, she trained with imagery and visualization strategies. She also learned the discipline of training long hours, rehearsing routine after routine, and getting the muscle memory trained. Here are some mental training tips from Byrd Goad and other top lifters.

Enjoy your training. The most important element to remember in weight training, says Byrd Goad, is to enjoy the training process. Train with partners, both male and female. "Weight training and lifting are sociable," she says. "You set goals for yourself, but you can also compete against your buddies, pushing a little harder each day, stretching the envelope." Byrd Goad also suggests following a strength programa scheduled training agenda.

Rehearse without lifting. John Coffee of the Coffee Gym outside Atlanta, head coach of the women's World Championship Team, and coach of the National Team, feels that seeing your weight in advance, or doing visual weight training, is very important. He will often have his athletes rehearse visually a particular weight sequence before a training session. "I have my athletes close their eyes and visualize a particular lift. I also get my athletes to ready themselves by doing some passive concentration exercises," he says. Passive concentration is focusing on the weight and the size of the lift without getting your energies invested heavily in the outcome. In other words, you go for the lift in your mind without feeling too much pressure to win.

Challenge yourself. All athletes have a natural desire to win and an affinity for achievement, says Olympic lifter Brian Jacob, who set five American records, and this holds true with weight training. There is an inherent challenge each day. That motivation gets you to push yourself harder, lifting a little more, so that your training partner doesn't beat you or simply so that you can improve your own performance. "I try to convey the message that weight training is something that comes over time," says Jacob. "It isn't that difficult to get motivated in the weight room. You can always push the limits. You always have a challenge: to load more weight on the bar."

Visualize the right way. Byrd Goad, truly one of the toughest competitors around, works out with Jacob. She says that mental preparation is a big part of her training, even before she gets to the gym. "When I use visualization, I see myself using the proper technique and correcting that technique. To get ready for my big lifts, I do my mental rehearsal in the warmup room."

Follow your rituals. Byrd Goad has a preperformance ritual that she follows with precision and dedication. It is a ritual that allows for a steady stream of confidence and success in her sport. "I listen to my tape. The right music is very important to get me to that level of confidence," she says. "I listen to two songs, both by Van Halen from their Standing on Top of the World album. When I hear that music, I feel the fire, the competitive juices, and my aggression. Then I know it is time to wake up the nerve endings and go for it. I -really start to believe in myself when I hear that music. I know that my hard training is done, the homework is complete, and now it is payoff time. I keep reminding myself that I'm strong, I'm in shape, and I have put in the hours."

Visualize feathers. Weight training is a sport that consultants are just beginning to understand with regard to mental practice. Most of the champion lifters explain that weight is just a figment of our imaginations. When we lift, we can believe that we are lifting the world. If you can visualize and mentally rehearse lifting a bed of feathers, your perception will be much different than if you visualize lifting lead.

Focus on the here and now. Byrd Goad visualizes herself doing the correct technique; she listens to her thoughts, and they are very clear. When she lifts, she does not think about the future but focuses on the present. "In the warmup room, I try not to get too psyched up," she says. "I know how to turn on the adrenaline and let it flow just before my big lift. I don't want that adrenaline turned on too soon, or I can lose my edge. I don't want to peak out before I'm ready to lift. I feel that I can turn it on like a key. I have it down to a science. I get very calm and relaxed right before I lift, and then I talk to my adrenaline and let it flow right before the moment of competition."

Let the past go. Jacob says that if you dwell on the past or think about a bad lift, you're in trouble. "When you snatch, you lift straight from the floor over your head all in one motion," he says. "This takes enormous concentration and inner strength to remember that you have the ability and talent to do this. The clean and jerk is done in two motions. First you lift to your chest from the floor and then from your chest to over your head. This is a different strategy and can require a different type of mental rehearsal."

Harness your anger. You can get frustrated during lifting. Byrd Goad says, "I sometimes get mad at myself when I'm not training well, and then the anger seems to turn around my attitude. I use anger to pump myself up. A few years ago my coach, John Coffee, would irritate me and say stuff that would set me off. I finally realized that John was manipulating the environment to bring out my anger and ultimately the best in my competitiveness. He knew the right buttons to push. He was very respectful of my anger and knew how to tap into it productively."

Give yourself a break. Byrd Goad trains 6 days a week, 2 hours a day. She understands that her body needs a light day occasionally between heavy lifting days. When she feels fatigue setting in, she doesn't push it. She knows that there's usually a reason for the fatigue. She also has a number of other interests away from the weight room, including hiking, skiing, and even hand quilting. The quilting is for relaxation. Choose your own restful activity to give yourself some time off from the lifting routine.

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Reprinted from: Mental Training for Peak Performance: Top Athletes Reveal The Mind Exercises They Use To Excel © 2005 by Stephen Ungerleider, PhD. Permission granted by Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA 18098.

© 2006 Rodale Inc.
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