The rituals lifters go through before record attempts or heavy sets vary enormously. Some work themselves up into maximum anger and “explosiveness” (Doug Heath, for example), while at the other extreme are those who stay extremely calm and focused (Ed Coan, for example). In practice, both ways of getting psyched up have turned out to work.
Let’s look at the facts. Adrenaline is a hormone released by the adrenal glands, and it has a stimulating effect that makes us alert and edgy. This stimulation, or momentary anxiety/alertness, makes us “temporarily stronger”, and in this heightened state of alertness we often end up doing things that, under normal conditions and without the adrenaline surge, would never happen. That very same adrenaline is why women have managed to lift cars and tractors when trying to save their children from the jaws of death. Okay, of course such a “life-and-death” situation is extreme, and powerlifting, or any record attempt or set in the gym, can’t be classified as a “matter of life and death”, but there is still a certain connection between the two. In such an aroused state, or even a slightly “frightened” and anxious one, we can mobilize ourselves far better. It’s important that our effort, heavy set or attempt begins just when “the bell has rung” and the adrenaline wave is about to be released. At the same time, it’s important not to get yourself into “action mode” too early, because you’ll become overexcited and that hurts performance. Many people actually blow a good attempt, set or effort precisely by walking up to their set or record attempt in a somewhat relaxed state.
So it’s important to reach an optimal level of arousal before an attempt or heavy set; it adds to your strength. Overarousal before a set “burns you out”, and you end up feeling drained and tired instead.
Having trained with a man like Kirk Karwoski, I can speak about his behavior. On Mondays (squat day) he was always in his element. You rarely see that kind of focus and seriousness, and nobody can imitate it. If “looks could kill”, I wouldn’t be typing this to you now. He focuses and psyches himself up to a peak of inner anger and rage. Throughout the entire workout, from start to finish, he’s like a ticking time bomb, and he holds and gathers all that rage and anger for the last and heaviest squat set of the day. And every time he squatted, I saw him do the same ritual. He would approach the barbell, grab it, and then came a loud “explosion” as he bellowed at the top of his voice, “YEAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!” Still, he stayed focused and didn’t waste energy needlessly. I say this because I’ve seen lifters who scream, roar, get slapped all over, and then go out to their attempt and “sh..t themselves”, because there’s nothing left in them; they’ve overshot their arousal level.
At the other extreme are men like Ed Coan and Tony Conyers, who approach their lifts with a completely different strategy. Although I myself (the article’s author) haven’t seen Conyers’ attempts with my own eyes, the story goes that before his attempts he would be so relaxed that he seemed to be “on a cloud or drunk”. To give that impression, you really have to be relaxed. Coan is likewise calm and focused, but you can see that he is gathering his inner energy this way in order to transfer it onto the barbell.
I (the article’s author) land somewhere in the middle. I’m not a raging maniac, but I don’t fall into a full coma either. I think being too relaxed doesn’t produce good results, but I also try not to overstimulate myself and burn out.
The moral of the story is: find what works for you and stick with it. Nobody cares how you prepare for your attempt or heavy set; only the result counts. But for you to be satisfied and for the result to actually come, optimal arousal beforehand is vital.
Dr. Brad Hatfield, a renowned sports physiologist, once told me that before an attempt an athlete should fill their mind with positive thoughts and emotions. Our head/mind is like a “box”, and if we fill it with positive thoughts, there’s no room left for negative ones.
Translator’s note: if I write about my own approach, I’m myself more of a Kirk Karwoski type. I always get a good result when I’m focused, and that from the very start of the workout; for very important and heavy workouts, even from the morning on. Many people don’t understand this. And quite often the company I happen to train with plays its part. Although, luckily, years of training have taught me to focus and ignore others. I’ve also always tried to explain to friends and acquaintances who occasionally train with me why this state and focus are needed. It’s not like you go around grinning, messing about and chattering, laughing and so on, and then casually in between do 10-12 squats with 200 kg. Yes, you can do that, but you have to be a terribly tough guy for that. If it really is the limit of my ability and a challenge for me, then I have to focus.
As for overarousal, I haven’t experienced it in the gym, but I do remember that feeling constantly as a youngster before running competitions. It’s the feeling that you’ve thought about your run for a long time, you’re anxious and trying to be ready. And then, when the race starts, you run a few meters and it feels like you’ve downed 6-7 cups of strong coffee in a row. You’re still anxious, your heart is fluttering and you’re full of drive, but when you plan to start moving faster, your arms and legs feel numb or dead, as if they won’t obey you or listen to a word you say. Like paralysis :))))!!!
Unlike Dr. Hatfield, I don’t think you should always be positive-minded before a set or attempt. I think the opposite holds for many people, and for me too. I’ll share my little secret, or an example: some readers may think it’s sick, but this is what motivates me during heavy efforts. For example, when I need to push hard and finish a heavy set with the planned rep count, I imagine that my son is in trouble/his life depends on me right now/he’s been kidnapped/sick/missing etc. – whatever – and if I push through this set to the end, complete the full planned rep count, then it ends, you understand???
The second approach I use, which has also worked extremely well so far, is to imagine before my heavy set that I’m at a competition with an event in that same lift, for example a strongman contest where the squat is the event I’m about to do my set in. My train of thought goes like this: “I’m the last competitor, the final event is under way, and so far the best man has done 14 squats with 180 kg. My squat result now decides whether I take first or second place overall. So I simply have to get 15 squats.” Of course, it’s important to think in terms of rep counts that are challenging for you but also realistic. There’s no point planning 20 squats with 180 kg if you’ve never managed more than 12 or 13.
Another important part is definitely the music. My workout drops to a lower level or, at worst, is ruined if I walk into the gym and they’re playing Elton John or the like. Even worse, of course, is when the radio is on and some talk show is coming out of it. That’s how it used to be all the time at the gym on Jakobi Street in Tartu, and I took it seriously hard :)))! More than once they listened to Vikerraadio, and the cabinet with the radio inside was locked, so you couldn’t even change the station. In my opinion it’s impossible to train with some talk show playing in the background :)))!!! Greetings to Oleg Andla here!!! Musical taste is, of course, individual!
One more thing. When I want a workout to go well, and here I’m talking about heavy squat, swing or pull workouts, I actually start focusing in the morning. I live and think through my workout all day long. This is so-called ideomotor training, and it belongs to the same category: it’s not possible to spend the whole day on some “business” without once thinking about your workout and the weights, and then, almost by the way, remember in the evening, “oh, I have training today too,” and go and pull 260 for a five!!! If it’s a real challenge and you haven’t focused on it beforehand, that set of five won’t happen.
In closing, I’ll say it too: find the focusing method that suits you best to reach the optimal level of arousal!!! It’s important!!!
Translated by: Janar Rückenberg
Come and train! ArtGym
