Where's your head at?

[Lawrence J. King]

This morning I hit a pr on my clean&jerk press. I was loading the bar for my previous pr of 215lbs and was thinking "I know I got this!". I pulled it it up to my chest and prepped for the press and had that pause. You know, your sitting there with it in the air and you know right then if you have it in you or if you don’t.

I had it in me for that one and pressed it up. Then I decided to go for a new pr of 225lbs. I set it on the bar, put on the clips, paced back & forth like a shark in the water and went to it.

Once again I got it up to my chest. But this pause was alot more intense. This pause was alot angrier. This one had me cursing and yelling at myself in my mind. Then I pressed and had it in me to get it up and locked.

My question is, what are you thinking at that pause? What are you thinking when the weight is high, the drive is high but the body is spent? What picture is in your mind? What pushes you to do that last rep?

[David Ehrhardt]

1) Damn, i look like a fat slug.
2) Did that hottie just see me rack this?
3) Why does it feel like my wrists are splintering like bamboo?
4) WHOA! Look at the size of that forehead VEIN! IT'S GONNA POP!
5) If i miss it, and have to bail... am i going to smash that guy conveniently doing curls in the squat cage?...

:LOL:

In all seriousness--> my 'calm before the storm' is focusing on key points in my form... I can't 'psych' myself up for a set... I just give it my all. It may not be good enough, but i'll give it everything i have.

generally though...i say these things over and over before and during my set... which consequently makes it nigh impossible to keep count of reps over 10...

Deadlift: Glutes first
Squat: hips first, spread the floor
OHP: Lats tight
Bench: rip the bar apart

[Mike O'Connor]

other than the first response that was mentioned :)

everything should be visualized in your head before the lift.

just lift as fast as possible and pray for the best. ahhahah

[WesleyInman]

I think this is a good point that you need a focus. I try to tell myself that the weight is light and build my confidence at that very second.

If I'm attempting a weight, it's very likely I can get it, and I tend to defeat myself mentally before or during the lift and the second I doubt myself is when I dont get it. 90% of my fails are my breathing or mental failure.

[Steve Reid]

I tend to be very slow on my lifts, so I try to continually remind myself to move fast. So I try to keep repeating "fast, fast"

[Chris Weaver]

I found the more I think about something, the less successful I am. If I think, it leaves room for doubt, and as soon as there is an ounce of doubt, I'll miss the lift.

The only exception is OHP. I used to rush the press, but now I found if I take a sec or two to just relax when I rack the weight, it goes up much easier.

Right before the lift I usually visualize the pro's lifting MUCH more weight then I do, so it fires me up to crush the weight!

[Brian Carley]

When I unrack the weight and if I think "Oh no" when I have the weight racked on my shoulders then more than likely I'm going to miss the lift or it's going to be an ugly lift. Although before the lift I am getting mentally ready for the lift so I can do it fast and clean without much struggle. I am usually getting myself mentally prepared for a lift a day or two before I do it, especially when it's going to be heavy day. If I mentally psych myself out of a lift then I mine as well unrack the weight from the bar and go onto the next lift.

[Adam Witzel]

honestly, my mind goes blank. I feel I've drilled the mechanics enough times, that my body already knows what to do. If I stop to think about what I'm doing, the lift doesn't usually go as smoothly.

[davebeers]

stop thinking so much, just do it

[DaveMihalov]

stop thinking so much, just do it

:marv: i think he's right..

[Patryk Deptula]

stop thinking so much, just do it


i agree with this too, because the more i think about the lift, the more the weight comes into play and you get more nervous to get it, therefore, more or less, failing to get the weight up, so i say don't think about it, get pumped up and lift it.

[KoleVallatini]

I am by no means a seasoned veteran but I am finding it more and more often to not think so much about the lift. Its after the lift I think about it.

But then again I have a problem with finding my inner rage that see most the guys I work-out with have that miss a lift and get pissed off at it and throw it through the roof.

[Patrick McGuffin]

just do it

wow, that should be a slogan or something :BB:

[Matthew White]

Depends on the lift. In a squat I will normally watch form very closely, if I can't get it up then rather than depend on my spotter I will normally put the pins on the bar and bail. In a deadlift, such as one that I'm fighting, and its coming slowly, usually lots of swearing and pirate talk. And I really do mean that, things I've heard in the Navy will get repeated "at" bars full of weight. ;( (its horrible I know, I'm so brainwashed)