Emotional Response to training and Recovery - Page 2

glennpendlay · 05-05-2009, 10:07 PM

lift 80% calm, then 85%, etc...

Steven Low · 05-05-2009, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rafe Kelley

How does one learn to lift maximal weights without pysching up?

lol, take a few deep breaths and relax yourself before you do your set. That's what I do.

I haven't noticed any difference within the past few months from psyching myself up or just staying relaxed for my sets... I think they're fairly close together now.

Rafe Kelley · 05-05-2009, 11:04 PM

Haha doesn't hurt to ask.
After I posted this thread I have tried to stay calmer and still do for everything except my work set but I just don't feel the same if don't psych up. The thing for me is focus if could maintain the same focus calm then i don't think I would have a problem but my attention has a tendency to wander I am ADHD hyping up gives me the tunnel vision I need to concentrate completely on technique and it seems like with that focus I can just access muscle more effectively.

Justin Chebahtah · 05-08-2009, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rafe Kelley

How does one learn to lift maximal weights without pysching up?

You must first learn to snatch this penny from my hand grasshopper....

Garrett Smith · 05-08-2009, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rafe Kelley

Haha doesn't hurt to ask.
After I posted this thread I have tried to stay calmer and still do for everything except my work set but I just don't feel the same if don't psych up. The thing for me is focus if could maintain the same focus calm then i don't think I would have a problem but my attention has a tendency to wander I am ADHD hyping up gives me the tunnel vision I need to concentrate completely on technique and it seems like with that focus I can just access muscle more effectively.

I agree. I have the same "mind wandering" issue.

We have adrenaline for a reason, we call it up when we need it (which can include competition). I don't think there is any substitute.

I can't get anywhere near the focus I have on the platform in front of people trying for a PR when I'm simply training at home (even if I'm trying for a PR). I also take a full week off after meets from lifting because I feel "drained" unlike I do from other types of training (not physically so much, but I definitely lose a drive to train).

I don't know of any world-class athlete that would say they could go 100% effort (emotional and physical) every day. If there is one who spent a long time at the top, please enlighten me. Heck, even Michael Phelps held back in his early swim events in Beijing...

glennpendlay · 05-09-2009, 12:34 AM

LEARNING to give as close to 100% physically as is possible without undue emotional involvement is a... LEARNING experience, for most people at least.

Just because you cant do it doesnt mean it isnt valuable, or that you cant learn to do it better.

Just as with most things, it will be hard at first, keep trying, and you will get better.

If you never plan to get anywhere near your physical limits or really push yourself, this isnt really important. But if thats not the case, the closer you get, the more advanced you get, the more important this will become.

glenn

Craig Loizides · 05-12-2009, 10:52 PM

I think 1 of the great things about interval workouts is they don't cause an emotional response the way an all out timed effort does. I don't get psyched up for an 8x400 workout the way I would for a mile. Double the volume, half the recovery. Of course this doesn't help you with a 1RM effort.

George Mounce · 05-13-2009, 04:28 AM

If we were meant to relax before doing anything exciting we wouldn't be human. Its a built in response.

You see a woman/boy/husband/wife/girlfriend/boyfriend you want, heart pumps faster, you don't all the sudden attain the lotus pose and chant OM. I believe Bruce Lee in his writings called it our "killer instinct". Of course he also had you relaxing your punch until it was 3" into the target which unfortunately is metaphorically correct, but physically a bowl of jelly. He just wanted you to punch farther and used that to help people do it. Watch some video and you'll see he has max muscle tension before the fist/foot goes through anything. Fluidity is not relaxation, its fluidity.

Sure can you learn to relax? Absolutely. But why? Tony Blauer has an entire self defense program based on the flinch reflex, and we all know that isn't relaxing. Funny thing is as far as any program I've seen in some time, it actually has very definite real-world application, can be understood quickly and efficiently, and uses something we already know how to do.

Relaxing is great for mental clarity when the body isn't doing anything. When the body is doing something, I agree with Garrett get the blood and adrenaline pumping and kick some ass.

glennpendlay · 05-13-2009, 06:40 AM

George,

Watch a bunch of videos of great OLers. 9 times out of 10 you see them visibly trying to relax before even a max attempt. thats why the crowd gets really quite when the lifter approaches the bar in OL, instead of cheering and yelling. Good lifters try to relax and focus. Not get all hopped up. This is not unique to weightlifting.

Glenn

Gant Grimes · 05-13-2009, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rafe Kelley

Haha doesn't hurt to ask.
After I posted this thread I have tried to stay calmer and still do for everything except my work set but I just don't feel the same if don't psych up. The thing for me is focus if could maintain the same focus calm then i don't think I would have a problem but my attention has a tendency to wander I am ADHD hyping up gives me the tunnel vision I need to concentrate completely on technique and it seems like with that focus I can just access muscle more effectively.

Actually, people with ADHD are capable of hyperfocusing under pressure, so you don't get a pass!

You need a routine. Watch a basketball player shoot free throws. It's the same thing every time. It helps you relax, and it puts you in a familiar place, which gives you confidence.

1) Relax. Reach a meditative state. Tune out the crowd, your coach, your bad day at work, your angry girlfriend, etc. It's just you and what lies before you. Mind like water. Re-read Arden's post.

2) Visualize what you're about to do. Now that you're relaxed, you concentrate only on the task at hand. If it's a lift, mentally burn the bar path into your head, ending with a successful lift. By the time you grasp the bar, you have already lifted the weight. The actual lift is just a formality of what's already happened a few seconds ago.

3) Mental checklist. EVERY TIME. Even the most experienced pilot goes through this pre-flight checklist (right, George?). At this point, you are very near the moment of truth. Outside thoughts or doubt can invade your head. Going through a checklist keeps you centered and allows you to stay relaxed. Limit this to 3-5 cues, something easy to remember.

E.g. for DL I use [stance-grip-shins-chest-pull]. For judo, I use [grip & move-sweep-turk-punish on the ground-look for the double].

I am in the same state of mind whether I'm in a garage or in front of hundreds of people.

Quote:

Originally Posted by George Mounce

Sure can you learn to relax? Absolutely. But why? Tony Blauer has an entire self defense program based on the flinch reflex, and we all know that isn't relaxing. Funny thing is as far as any program I've seen in some time, it actually has very definite real-world application, can be understood quickly and efficiently, and uses something we already know how to do.

I wouldn't apply anything Blauer does for CQC to lifting. Blauer is all about managing the Amygdalic Reaction that precedes all the hormonal stuff (fight dump/"fight or flight"/adrenalin, etc.). The flinch doesn't have anything to do with a big lift. Whipping yourself in a state of tachypsychia might help you get a few more pounds up in training, but it's not worth the cost IMO.