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    Thread: The Psychology of Bodybuilding

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      The Psychology of Bodybuilding

      The Psychology of Bodybuilding: J. Ryan "Refuge" Sweatt, CFT

      I. Introduction to Psychological Skills for Sports
      Bodybuilders who strive for ultimate development cannot afford dedicating any less than 100% in effort: physical or mental. The bodybuilder cannot allow discouragement, a bad mood, superstitions or anything else from keeping them from their goal and getting the most out of their training. To be certain of success, the bodybuilder must also train the mind. They are always on the Quest For Mass: Of Both Mind and Muscle!

      The best place to start is to outline why mental skills are so important to performance. In the famous words of Yogi Bera ?Sport is 90% mental and 50% physical?, you can laugh at the mathematical savvy, but if you?re a bodybuilder or athlete you can?t question his wisdom. There are four fundamental components to sports (Hacker):
      ? Technical
      ? Tactical
      ? Physiological
      ? Psychological

      Technical components refer to the actual skills necessary to play a given sport. For example, in the sport of basketball this could include skills such as dribbling and shooting. Tactical components are the strategies and concepts employed to showcase those techniques in competition. Physiological components are the physical demands of a given sport. Finally, the psychological components focused in this essay; include goal setting, motivation, mental toughness and concentration, self-confidence and imagery, and positive thinking.

      II. Goal Setting
      Less than 3% of the American population has set short and long-term goal plans. (Gillies) Should it be to our surprise that this group statistically leads a much more enjoyable and successful life? They are getting what they want because they write down what they want to accomplish, and then work towards it. The proof is in the statistics. So why not jump on the bandwagon? Like one writer says; "Until you commit your goals to paper, you have intentions that are seeds without soil." (Jonathan Stehlik). First identify your goals, whether it be to build muscle mass and get bigger, lose fat, prepare for a contest, increase energy, improve the immune system, improve joint health, prevent aging, increase sexual health, or just improve your quality of life, you must set realistic goals. Goals should provide you with a challenge, yet be realistic about it.

      Many bodybuilders are out to get bigger, but yet we envision ourselves being huge after only a short period of time. For the average person, it doesn't play out like that. You need to set your sights on something smaller and more achievable. Aim high, but set your goals level by level. ?Begin with small goals then reward yourself on the achievement of each step. These accomplishments accumulate and soon there seems to be no limits?, states Frank Zane. Maybe plan to gain 10 lbs over the next 4 months, not 40 lbs over the next year. It's much more achievable and controllable to set short goals than longer ones. Even more so, plan to go up in either weights or reps every week. This will ensure that you are gaining.

      If you are trying too lose weight, you must realize that your weight loss won't be in a straight line. You will lose a lot of fat fast, and then it will slow. Dropping from 20% to 10% body fat may take as little as 6 weeks, while dropping from 10% to 6% could take as much as 16 weeks. Set your sights at about a pound a week, and don't give up until you are where you want to be.

      In an article by Greg Gillies entitled 7 Simple Steps To Success & The Smart Way To Your Goals, he outlines 7 key steps to achieving your goals:
      1. Decide exactly what you want.
      2. Write it down.
      3. Set a deadline.
      4. Make a list of everything you can think of that you will need to do to help you achieve your goal.
      5. Organize the list into a plan.
      6. Take action on your plan immediately.
      7. Resolve to do something everyday that moves you toward your major goal.

      Deciding exactly what you want will allow you to prioritize so that you are spending the most time on high value tasks that move you closer to your goals. Writing it down is a powerful thing. Written goals have an energy behind them that helps you move toward them that unwritten goals just don't have. As stated before, only about 3% of Americans set goals, and those that do generally accomplish 5-10 times the amount of those with unwritten goals. (Gillies) Setting time limits creates a sense of urgency and positive pressure. Without a deadline you will procrastinate and do the little things that may damage your short-term goals. Making a list of everything you can think of to help you achieve your goal leaves nothing to chance. The more planning you do ahead of time, the more likely you will stick to the plan and achieve your goals. The more prepared you are, the more success you will experience. Organizing your goals into lists allows you to become more organized and will make the goals much more manageable. Taking immediate action will prevent procrastination and you will achieve your goals sooner. Resolving to make daily efforts is necessary, especially in bodybuilding, whether it be preparing and eating 6-8 meals a day or working out, these are vital to achieving your goal.

      I believe these steps allow any bodybuilder to meet his / her goals, providing they can keep their motivation!

      III. Motivation
      ?It will always remain a dream without the singular quality that sets champions apart form the merely great: motivation?. Frank Zane acknowledges the truth that motivation is one of the most fundamental concepts of bodybuilding psychology. Without high motivation you will never become a champion competitor.

      Motivation can be defined as that which makes a person act in a particular way. Think back to when you decided to you wanted to start lifting, what was your motivation? Who were your influences? Think back and remember how hungry you were to get to where you wanted to be. Whether you wanted to be just like Arnold or Jay Cutler, or the guy in a magazine or just a little bit fitter and a more toned. Whatever your goal was you sat down working out a diet, a training program and decided when you were going to start it and you were all pumped. That passionate mindset is great, when training you must be on an elevated level, a level unmatched to normal everyday routine type stuff. ?That's the way all champions begin with abiding passion for what they do? (Dr. Squat). With such passion, motivation almost always comes naturally.

      Passion is a hard word to define. What "turns your crank" may be different from anyone else. It's easier to describe what passion is NOT: Passion is NOT need to achieve. Instead, it's a burning desire to exceed ALL bounds! It's NOT commitment to excellence, but utter disdain for anything less! And, it's NOT endless hours of practice. It's PERFECT practice! It's NOT ability to cope. Rather, it's total domination of ALL situations! And it's NOT setting unrealistic or vague goals, because doing so too often prescribes performance limits! Passion is NOT doing what it takes to win. Instead, it's doing what it takes to EXCEED! It most certainly is NOT force of skill or muscle. Rather, it's the explosive, calamitous force of WILL!

      A great motivator once stated, ?A total commitment is paramount to reaching the ultimate in performance." This mindset is essential in the bodybuilding world.

      "Desire is the key to motivation, but it's the determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal- a commitment to excellence- that will enable you to attain the success you seek."

      But to be motivated isn't enough. It also takes discipline. Discipline is what keeps you consistently scientific in your actions as you strive to achieve your goal. Discipline is what can be utilized to develop mental concentration and toughness.

      IV. Concentration and Mental Toughness
      Success in sports performance and bodybuilding can be likened to the practice of Zen masters. The concentration is so complete that there is no consciousness of concentration. The athlete must be one with his sport in order to execute it to his/her optimal ability.

      You have no doubt been in a situation where your entire attention was so rapt and absorbed in one thought that you completely blocked out all others. This was probably due to your high concentration level on some thought of great importance to you. The more you focus on what you're working to achieve, the less distractions enter your awareness. This lifts you out of the state of mind that can't "see" success. Once you begin to "see" success, you consider yourself potentially better than the competition.

      Little by little, you concentrate more and more, until you're unaware of anything in your way. You see your way clearly to victory and success. This is total concentration. You must develop your mind to the point that total concentration is merely a learned response, one you never consciously think about anymore. Then, apply this sort of laser focus rep-per-rep and set-per-set in your workouts. Apply it in following your daily integrated training program. Carrying it forward, according to Prabhavanada and Isherwood:
      ??if the mind can be made to flow uninterruptedly toward the same object for 12 seconds, this may be called concentration. If the mind can continue in that concentration for 12 times 12 seconds ? two minutes and 24 seconds ? this may be called meditation. If the mind can continue in that meditation for 12 times two minutes and 24 seconds ? 28 minutes and 48 seconds ? this will be the lower Samadhi. (Samadhi may be defined as a deep state of meditation in which the mediator is oblivious to both internal and external stimuli, and the higher nervous system is in a state of ecstasy and bliss.)?

      Just as success begets success, imperfect practice makes your performance imperfect.

      The 2002 Australian Teen Nationals winner, James Sadek, explains how he gets his self mentally prepared: ?Some people will call it a zone, I call it a MOOD. As soon as I walk up the stairs to the weight room I begin to enter my MOOD.
      ? Phase 1 - This is where I start to think about the muscles I will be training, what exercises I will be doing and the time I want to do my first set and when I want to do my last set and get out of the usually hot gym.
      ? Phase 2 - This is where all chitchat stops. I stretch, perform warm up sets and become overcome with TOTAL CONFIDENCE. When lifting you must have confidence, without it you will be passive, you must be aggressive towards the weights, YOU CONTROL THEM THEY DON'T CONTROL YOU.
      ? Phase 3 - Now I am in the MOOD. While I am performing my set I am focused, and unphased. When I am recovering I am thinking about what I want to do next set. How much weight to use, how many reps I am going to get and concentrating on trying to use the best form possible.?

      It is easy to get pumped up for a game of football or another sport where you must be better than the opposition to beat them. But in the weight room if you don't get pumped up enough you only beat yourself (no pun intended).

      V. Self Confidence & Imagery
      Many engage in bodybuilding to improve their self-confidence and personal image. You will walk around feeling strong, and good about how you look. When you look in the mirror and are happy with what you see, you feel awesome. Self Confidence in the gym or on stage is either a limiting, or promoting, psychological factor.

      If you are one who is self conscious and lacks confidence, bodybuilding is a great sport to get involved in. Speaking from personal experience, bodybuilding is life changing. Before the thought even crossed my mind to touch a dumbbell, I had always been the ?skinny kid?. I was nearly 6?1 and I weighed in at only 130lbs. There was nothing to me, I could turn sideways and completely disappear! Hating the skinny kid reputation I began my path to become a bodybuilder. After only 2 years of consistent and progressive weight training I now weigh 175lbs at 8% body fat. That is an increase of more than 40 lbs of muscle! Imagine the look of the faces of those who previously labeled me the skinny kid. I have gained a huge amount of self-confidence, and with my own self-confidence on the rise, I have gained a huge amount of respect from my peers and adults.

      You must visualize yourself succeeding. No one would attempt to build a house without a set of blueprints. Likewise, you must plan your success strategy, and actually "see" yourself, in your mind's eye, accomplishing your goals. Your inner feelings, your thoughts, your daydreams must all be filled with images of your ultimate success. Twice a day, once after training and once before bedtime, read your goal sheet out loud.

      Then close your eyes and with crystal clarity see yourself becoming exactly as you want to. But see yourself actually accomplishing your goals of acquiring great muscular size and proportioning, not just wishfully thinking about how nice it would be to look that way.

      VI. Positive Thinking
      Since much of what we think and feel comes from habit, it can be dealt with by practicing positive thinking. Most temperament problems that keep bodybuilders from achieving their full potential are the result of negative thinking, cases of the mind getting in the way. The following are ten mistakes that are among the most significant obstacles for competitive bodybuilders seeking top titles (Wieder).

      The Either / Or Mistake ? This is the error of expecting perfection. If you don?t win the Mr. Universe title, you?re a total failure. If everything isn?t exactly right, it is all wrong. The truth of the matter is that everything is a matter of degree, and all measurements simply indicate how one thing relates to another, not to any absolute. Solution: Learn to see things as matters of degree.

      The Overgeneralization Mistake ? This occurs when you jump to the conclusion that, because something didn?t work out one time, that?s the way things will always be. Somebody insults you, so you decide no-one likes you. You don?t win a competition, so you conclude you?re a second-rate bodybuilder and that you?ll never win. The trugh is that not everything is part of a pattern and even when things do indicate a general pattern, patterns can be altered and changed. The future is not inevitable. Solution: Recognize that some events are isolated and unique, just as others are part of a general pattern.

      The Negative Interpretation Mistake ? We all see both good and bad around us practically all the time. When we?re depressed, we tend to ignore the good and focus on the bad. If you do this for a while, you come to the conclusion that everything in your life is negative. Solution: Practice seeing the positive as well as the negative in situations.

      The Negative-for-Positive Mistake ? Some people just can?t seem to accept compliments. They?re the sort that have to twist any positive thing that happens to them so that it comes out negative. Solution: Learn to accept and enjoy the positive aspects of life.

      The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy ? Because you believe something is going to happen, you actually help to bring it about. Solution: Stick with conclusions that you can square with the facts, and don?t go out of your way to create problems for yourself.

      The Distortion Mistake ? This involves making too much of your mistakes and not enough of your good points. If you insist on doing this, you?re always going to make yourself feel inferior, no matter how well you are really doing. If you foul things up from time to time, you?re no different from anyone else. Solution: Learn to see your strengths and weaknesses in their true perspective; don?t exaggerate or minimize.

      The Feeling / Thinking Mistake ? This is the error when you think that your feelings and emotions reflect reality. When you project your negative emotions onto the world around you, that world begins to seem negative also. In fact, what you do or don?t do, what you like or don?t like, prefer or disdain, frequently tell you little or nothing about reality at all. If you get into the ?I feel overwhelmed, things are hopeless? habit of thinking every time the going gets tough, you will talk yourself into giving up. Solution: Learn to distinguish between how things are and how you feel about them.

      The Should Mistake ? If you set your expectations too high, and convince yourself that there is some standard you have to live up to, some out-of-reach-goal you have to attain, you are always going to see yourself as a failure. Perfection isn?t attainable?for anyone! Solution: Learn to develop reasonable and attainable expectations.

      The Worst Possible Interpretation Mistake ? This is a form of overgeneralization and exaggeration in which you always endy up assuming the worst. If you feel afraid, you assume that you?re weak. In reality we are all afraid sometimes, even the bravest of us, and the weakness and strength are realative terms. You?re stronger than some people, weaker than others. You?re even stronger or weaker than yourself one day to the next. Solution: Learn to recognize that you are not your mistakes. Don?t label yourself automatically.

      The Taking Blame Mistake ? Blame is the mother of guilt. If something goes wrong, it?s not necessarily anyone?s fault. If your workout partner doesn?t do well in a competition, you shouldn?t automatically assume that you didn?t push him hard enough in the gym. Just remember you don?t necessarily have to take responsibility to the events around you. Let people take responsibility for themselves and get on with your own life. Solution: Don?t assume responsibility where you don?t have any control.

      Putting all these example together, it becomes pretty clear why some people make themselves suffer and become depressed when there?s no real justification for it. It should also shed some light on the behavior of some bodybuilders. When you read about the legendary Frank Zane meditating every day or working to develop nothing but a positive mental outlook on his career and life, you can see why. He needed to actualize every bit of potential that his mind and body possessed. That?s why he was such an advocate of positive thinking; he knew it made a significant difference. That?s why he was a three-time Mr. Olympia Champion while competing against athletes that generally outweighed him by 50 pounds!

      VII. Conclusion
      Defeat more often comes from within rather than from outside ourselves. Some people learn to be very successful at failing. Those individuals do not become champions. In all sports, especially bodybuilding, the mind is one of the most powerful tools that the athlete must utilize if they wish to become great in what they do.

      "Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability."

      Maximize your potential by first training the mind, then the body! In my next research essay I will expound on how to gain the psychological edge. Until then, train hard, eat harder, stay healthy on your quest for mass: of both mind and muscle!
      Live, Love, and Learn-------The Basics of Growth!!!!!!!!




      Sprocket is a fictional character, any information on steroids, prohormones, or research chemicals is for entertainment only!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    2. Thanks Peter12182, OPS, Thorensenn thanked for this post
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      great info bro.....thanks

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      Great read thank you for sharing brother

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      Nice info, thanks bro.

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      Good stuff

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      Worth the time. Thanks

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      great post thx

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      good read thanks for post

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      Good read buddy thanx for sharing

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      Really good read thanks for sharing!!

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