Mind in Bodybuilding

[MaDmaN]

We often talk of training style or diet manipulation but what has helped me the most is focus...Im 45 been training since I was 20,I competed in several shows in the 90's and did well.I took 7 or so years off and got totally out of shape..This time around during my comeback the joint pain and soreness for almost 4 months.Now it is after 5 months and I have made tremendous progress joint pain is almost gone and my muscle has developed rapidly.I noticed I have more dicipline and seem to be extremely focused.The biggest difference is for whatever reason I can push further and go deeper into a set than ever before. It truly is a mental state and a zone.I swear I could get big on leg extensions if I push hard enough.That is the mentality I have right now and it is alot of fun....I like to hear your thought's about the mental aspect of what we do.How do you guy's prepare for a workout or what secret you have to get your mind ready for an explosive training session..

 

[ManBeast]

It's all in the music... I seriously couldn't do it without my mp3 player loaded with very angry music

ManBeast

 

[bioman]

Ditto on the music.

Before I put on the headphones I kinda get into the zone by thinking about what I'm, going to do, what poundages and reps. This gets me edgey.

I then put the headphones on blaring some agry music, Tool, slipknot, Clutch, Pantera, CoalChamber, and my favorite..System of a Down. While listening to this I scan the room and think about how much I dislike all of the people there (they're ALL rich tourists as this is more of a spa..no real Gym in Sedona). The tourists are usually clogging up the cardio machines and using dumbells in the squat rack so this gets me even more edged out. grrr

After warm ups and stretches its time to push some weight and make some noise. This causes the tourists discomfort and fuels my fire.

Sadly, or maybe this is good for my mental state, I'm one of the bigger guys at this spa..at a whopping 180, lol.

 

[DieTrying]

Awesome thread. I don't listen to music, but I too try to find ways to get myself pissed off or motivated. I'll usually think to myself about all the people that have been assholes to me, or different situations in life that haven't worked out for me. I take it all out on the weights. Once I start the lift I take my mind into a deep place where I feel no physical pain..like you said "a zone".

 

[MaDmaN]

Great point about the music...It is a huge factor for me..I like training to Evanessence I think Amy Lee has one of the best voices I have ever heard..I get totally motivated when im training to music and it seems to help me push harder....

 

[MaDmaN]

Right now I am planning how I am going to torture my chest shoulders and triceps tonight...I truly believe that exercising the mind at this point in my development is much more important than any new training style...I am a firm believer the body cannot go where the mind has not already been....

 

[exnihilo]

I've noticed that when I can push the mental intensity, I break through plateaus... I think more people stale out from losing the "edge" than because their training routine doesn't work anymore.

Just a suggestion for those of you out there who have plateau'd but aren't friggin huge and strong... Get PSYCHED! It's probably a mental plateau rather than physical.

 

[BingeAndPurge]

My focus starts way before I hit the gym. Leg days start the day before. I plan all of my meals in advance as well as my workout. My logbook plays a huge factor in this. I look it over well before getting ready to go. It preps me mentaly because I know exactly what my goals are for the day; what I have to do.

 

[Matthew D]

One of things that gets me motivated are the little comments that some of the guys say at the gym, when we are ribbing each other. I have a few that just hit that mental spot that causes me to take it up as a challenge more than anything else.

 

[jminis]

Madman I think this is very overlooked part of working out. For me music helps and is very motivational, but in all honesty what really drives me is deep seeded issues like insecurities from when I was younger. I've learned to use the negative to fuel the positive. So here I am looking better then ever and better then most of the people I know, and it's going to stay that way too

 

[jweave23]

I have always believed in the mind/muscle connection for training. You know when you see people just throwing weights around, maybe pushing or pulling a little hard at the end if they have to? BS I say. The more intensely I train, the better results I get. It really is something learned IMO.

When one first starts lifting, they don't know how to do it intensely, and they can't create that "zone" or "connection" that lets people excel. Surely many of you see the people in your gym who have been lifting for years, maybe even with a decent program, but they're results are so slow it's not really noticeable. They lift the same weights day in, day out, and never challenge themselves or get into it to a point that they are beat afterwards, or ever break a sweat. These people have made that connection for whatever reason, and have no idea what intense training is about.

Music fuels me while I drive to the gym, but unfortunately I can't stand wearing any type of headphones or else I think I'd be at my best the whole time there. Whatever works, you have to do it, or else you're wasting your time IMO. It always sounds so cheesy (like some Animal ad or something) but I really find it to be the truth....you get out what you put in, and if your mind isn't there, neither is your body

 

[MaDmaN]

Madman I think this is very overlooked part of working out. For me music helps and is very motivational, but in all honesty what really drives me is deep seeded issues like insecurities from when I was younger. I've learned to use the negative to fuel the positive. So here I am looking better then ever and better then most of the people I know, and it's going to stay that way too

WoW...I am impressed with your level of honesty..After I read your post and looked at some of the motivations that drove me to train,and im sure like most of you I believe we don't choose bodybuilding it chooses us.I would have to admit some of this passion is driven by failure's and humilities of childhood.Rememer the class bully that stayed back a year and was bigger than everyone else,he ruled the school and a few losses in a fight at a young age had a profound impact and is a drivng force in my training today...FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION.....Great Post jminis...

 

[jminis]

Thank madman the way I see it is there's no room for bullshit. To late in the game for that.

 

[BigTEX]

I'm 49 and like you MadMan, have started working out again after an 8 year layoff. Previously, I had worked out religiously from the time I was 24 to 40 yrs old. I'm in the 9th month of my comeback now and went through the joint pains and soreness. But the break-in period is over and finally I'm all healed up. I keep telling myself there's no time to back-slide now. I think about a lot of things and continually psyche myself up during the day, so that when 5 pm comes....I'm ready to slam some weights. I have a picture of myself (280 fat-ass lbs from last yr) hanging in my cube at work. Since I've started lifting again, I've lost 35 lbs. I look at it during the day and realize that I don't want to look like that again. And lastly, if I have any trouble getting motivated, I think about this old rich-bitch girlfriend that called me a loser. That really gets me fired up and ready to lift some iron.

 

[MaDmaN]

I'm 49 and like you MadMan, have started working out again after an 8 year layoff. Previously, I had worked out religiously from the time I was 24 to 40 yrs old. I'm in the 9th month of my comeback now and went through the joint pains and soreness. But the break-in period is over and finally I'm all healed up. I keep telling myself there's no time to back-slide now. I think about a lot of things and continually psyche myself up during the day, so that when 5 pm comes....I'm ready to slam some weights. I have a picture of myself (280 fat-ass lbs from last yr) hanging in my cube at work. Since I've started lifting again, I've lost 35 lbs. I look at it during the day and realize that I don't want to look like that again. And lastly, if I have any trouble getting motivated, I think about this old rich-bitch girlfriend that called me a loser. That really gets me fired up and ready to lift some iron.

You know it is so true,at our age there is no tommorow we either continue to train stay in shape or succumb to the couch potato lifestyle..I remember during my comeback there were many a night's my joints were throbbing and it could have been very easy to say Frick it im too dam old i had my day in the sun.I hung in there it didn't matter if I got injured or not, I had to train.My wife think's I have completely lost my mind she feels like im going through my mid life crisis at 45 but I keep telling her there is no $60,000 sports car in the driveway nor a 19 year little twinkee. But like yourself the joints are fine now it took 6 months to get myself to this level where slight changes in diet and training make a noticable difference in my physique....the best part is im having fun and I feel alive.....I plan to do the New England Show in July,feel's good to be a player again and not just a fan.

 

[mrfumetsu]

If I was in the gym and my MP3 players battery would die out I would just go home. Impossible to workout without music once you start.