I look pretty contemplative there on the bench, don't I? That's because I was about to bench 800 pounds under full display at the EliteFTS Compound. At moments like those, I learned how important it was to set the stage for a big lift using positive affirmations and visual imagery.
There was a time when I was struggling mightily to break a 600 pound raw bench. I had attempted it at three meets to no avail. During that time I made great adjustments to my training and was getting stronger in the gym. It just wasn't translating to the platform.
That's when I realized something had to be missing from my preparation. So what was holding me back? My own mind. I had been defeated by that 600 pounds so many times that it owned me. I was more worried about missing the lift than I was excited about hitting it.
It turns out sports psychology was the last unturned stone. So I delved head first into the topic. I read countless books and articles on the subject. I took what resonated with me and crafted a plan. I came up with positive affirmations and mental imagery. I practiced them both inside and outside of the gym.
I'll never forget my next go at the elusive 600 pound raw bench. When I was warming up, everything was going wrong. The bench backstage was higher than standard benches and I had trouble getting my heels down. It was hot as balls and the pad was slick so I was sliding all over the bench. Every warm up lift I made felt worse than the last.
This was back in the day when Rhodes and I were training together. He had been there for all of my ill fated 600 pound attempts. He very well knew I was struggling at this meet before ever hitting the platform. Being the great coach he is, he came over to give me a pep talk. But when he found me, I was sitting there with my eyes closed inaudibly talking to myself. What makes him an even better coach is that he recognized I was getting into the zone and left me to it.
What I was doing was practicing my positive affirmations over and over again. The same ones I had been working on for weeks. Like they say, hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. When I got on the platform, I sat at the edge of the bench and started my visualization. Again, the same visualization I had been practicing for weeks. Even with the lousy warm up, I felt confident and ready. I laid back on the bench, took the weight, and smashed my first 600 pound raw bench, finally!
The old Vincent would have had every excuse to miss that lift. Nothing was going right. Not this time though. I actually snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. The difference, clearly sports psychology.
I am always surprised when I present at seminars, coach, and talk to other lifters and find how few of them practice any sort of sports psychology. Seriously people, it is as important as your training, recovery, and nutrition. It will bring your lifting to the next level.
To give you my affirmations or visualization technique would be doing you a disservice. It needs to be relevant to you. In addition, it needs to change and adapt over time and in different situations. So do your own research and find whatever grabs you. Give it the same attention you do your training. You'll be amazed with the results.