It WILL Pay Off: A Message for Those Struggling with Mental Illness, was a log post I wrote four years ago as I was battling depression, anxiety, insomnia, and OCD. Rather than edit my original post to reflect my current state of mind, I’m using this article as an update as I continue to evolve — a lot of things have changed.
Many lifters with anxiety and/or depression find that during or following max effort, their mental health symptoms worsen, and/or their sleep quality and recovery suffer dramatically. These three modifications to max effort work may prevent or lessen some of these issues.
It is tough to look back with a clear open mind to see from a different perspective. It is with a clear open mind that I was able to see I did it wrong — and it’s not just in terms of my powerlifting career, but my life as whole.
The things that gym owners and coaches love to do are destroying them. Find what you love to do without it taking too much of a toll on your health, both mental and physical. #BeThe1ToAsk others if they need help.
It’s said a person is only one injury away from ending your sports career. When dealing with that kind of injury, we often neglect how it affects our minds, which are almost just as easy to break as our bodies.
Recording a podcast episode with my mentor (and cousin) John Alvino made me reflect on the pivotal role training has played in my life. Quite frankly, without it, I don’t know where I’d be. Inside these four walls, training has been my therapy, my drug, and my anchor.
Quitting social media will help you realize how you’re spending your time and where you’re spending your time. Most of us, myself included, are wasting entirely too much time on stupid stuff. Stop wasting your time there and start putting it where it’s most important.
After 20 years of mistakes and heartbreaks, I’ve learned that we need to do better when it comes to mental health training for our student-athletes. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, but we can start to do better by being more empathetic.
For some, training is just a hobby; but for others, training is much more than that. It’s what keeps me going, and it’s very close to the top of my list of priorities. But sometimes, we need to remember those other priorities, too. Here’s a reminder of what they are.
Sometimes, I have to remember I am not Superman. I remembered how I have been feeling, sleeping, and how much I have been working. So I took a break and slept in… and managed to get this article done, too.
I have two monsters perched on my left shoulder, whispering what-ifs and morbid thoughts and suggestions into my ear. No matter what I do, they won’t go away. That’s the most difficult part of having a mental illness.
Joe Sullivan has some choice words for powerlifters who think that the weight room is their therapy. It’s not. Go get help. See a therapist.
Put on your helmet, fasten your breastplate tight, and with one arm supporting your shield, allow the other to gather your sword. Go to battle with your demons. Win the war every day. Every breath you have is a victory.
When you tuck the ball and fall for a yard, and when you get rolling, take three steps forward and get pushed back two, remember: you still fell forward one step.
I’ve seen a lot of people call suicide “selfish.” I’m not saying I understand why people kill themselves, but when I’m the compassionate one who has to say maybe people should be a little more understanding, that should say something.
Like any other coach, I love talking about training and programming and being in the weight room while coaching. But like many of you, I’ve neglected the thing between my ears, and I want you to know that it’s all right to feel. If your mental health is a weakness, don’t avoid it.
“Training is my therapy” should sideline a powerlifter from competitions. If training really is your therapy, you’re going to get hurt. If that’s the case, you need to see an actual therapist. Seriously.
Don’t let your ego get the better of you. Think carefully about your choices — and if you’re really the one making those decisions.
It is nothing and everything all at once. It is something that comes on strong and pulls you in. It strips everything away, but if you stick with it and trust it, then it will give you more than you can imagine.
Hear me on this one. If you’re running from your past or managing it in secrecy, bodybuilding isn’t the answer.
If we are not seeing progress in the right direction within an expected length of time, we must change things up. If we are not evaluating, then how do we even know if we are making progress at all?
You may have several points in your life where you’ll see the contrast of differing lifestyles on training and programming. While the principles of your training philosophy may remain the same no matter what job you have, how those principles are applied differs based on the situation.
Can you take a deep breath and remember that each set and rep in training is part of the greater year and not just that individual session?
There are no magic pills, nutrition protocol, or training method that can address the root of the problem and reduce stress. You have to prioritize your life, what is important, what can wait, and what can be eliminated. And a lot of that has to do with your mindset.
There are many cases where medications are overprescribed and are used only to treat the surface of a deeper issue rather than resolving the underlying cause. So, what should we do to address these common issues that persist amongst our society?
These training samples, along with hard work, allowed me to get a 20” neck, sizeable traps, and a sizeable upper back—all done with minimal equipment, mostly at home, and with extremely high rep counts.
More student-athletes are beginning to recognize mental health as simply another part of the training and self-care process, and not a sign of weakness or lack of mental toughness. Here are three ways to help.
In this episode of the Peak Mental Performance Podcast, Dr. Steve Graef, Counseling and Sports Psychologist for The Ohio State University Athletics, defines visualization and gives steps to use it to improve athletic performance.
In part one I addressed some general definitions and discussed the issues of age group, level of activity, previous training experience, and body fat. Now we address muscularity, injuries, bone density, and the lifestyle factors that impact your health.
The first month of this process has passed and I’ve made a lot of progress, but I’ve also discovered a few mental challenges I didn’t recognize at first.
The goal of the podcast is to spread practical, quality information that can help all listeners improve their mental health and athletic performance, and to help everyone understand the link between the two.
All the success in your lifting that stems from work you put in at the gym can be compromised, often significantly, by your failures outside of the gym.
The presentation is an introductory overview covering items ranging from the importance of mental health to the stress response and how to design exercise programs to accommodate it.
Everyone has a line. You may not know where it is and you may never reach it, but it’s there.
When building an effective training program, you must consider each variable that influences your performance — including the stressors that affect your mental health.
Every aspect of motivation we discussed in parts one, two, and three are evidence here, through their absence and again through their recovery.
I’m going to focus on three variables and interactions that affect stress response in the athlete: life events, mental illness, and training.
This is where we find the relationship between hope and two other concepts that are directly important to sports performance and powerlifting in particular: motivation and risk.
Mental illness isn’t something you hear often in the strength world — but that’s not because it doesn’t exist.
You may have heard that committing to your goals means eliminating the possibility of failure. The problem? This isn’t realistic. You can’t always win.
