Even the most accomplished athletes may fall victim to a perplexing phenomenon known as “choking” in the heart-pounding realm of competitive sports, where skill collides with pressure. This daunting experience of faltering under the weight of expectation has plagued athletes across diverse disciplines. Beyond physical skill, the arena needs steadfast commitment, unwavering confidence in one’s training, and unbreakable mental fortitude. In the midst of a never-ending battle of blood, sweat, steel, and tears, the route to victory requires more than raw strength—it requires a trained mind, an unbreakable spirit, and the ability to believe in oneself.
Stop Choking at Competitions
Choking under pressure is a phenomena that has plagued even the most accomplished people in the thrilling world of competition, where skill and preparedness clash. The world of blood, sweat, steel and tears demands more than just physical strength – it demands an iron will, unabashed confidence in your training and mental grit. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF BROSKIS
Mastery of Mind Leads to Mastery of Body
Sure, deadlifts, squats, and presses are the foundation, but don’t be fooled into thinking raw brute strength alone will carry the day. True athletic performances emerge when you command both the bar, the crowd and your mind. When the platform stares back, it’s what you’re telling yourself in your head that makes all the difference in silencing doubt and self-sabotage.
Conquering Nerves
That heart-thumping pre-game adrenaline? You might mistake it for fear or anxiety and you might be absolutely right. Channel it. Accept that the pressure can be a tool you can use to your advantage. Instead of fighting against such big strong emotions, convert that energy into raw power. Accept the rush, accept that you’re screwed up and you’re already there, that you put in the work and game day is the EASIEST PART.
Close your eyes and visualize conquering that lift. Every step, every cue committed to heart, every ounce of effort channeled into making it into bending reality with sheer will. Visualization is a secret weapon, and if you haven’t tapped into this yet, don’t belittle it. The human mind is capable of so much, belief is everything. Just ask the top dogs like Nestor Redulla and Isiah Devilla.
Outsmarting the Chokehold
Choking under pressure?
Nothing else matters but you and the obstacle that lay in front of you. Leave every single thing in your life behind once you step onto the stage when you put on your sleeves and belt. Competition day is the only day it’s acceptable to be loud and an ass to everyone around you. The barbell sports are a selfish endeavor on game day. IT IS YOU against YOU and everyone else. Act like it.
Rising from Underperformance
No one is immune to off-days. The key? Bouncing back stronger and detaching your emotions from the data.
Analyze your performance with a sharp eye. Identify weaknesses and target them ruthlessly in training and go over it with your coach. I find it unacceptable nowadays with social media being such a big thing, people with 100000 word captions about why their competition didn’t go as planned.
Set your sights on achievable milestones. Each victory, no matter how small, inches you closer to glory. People are being crippled with this. Comparison is the thief of joy. Let’s bring it back to better days where a 5lbs PR on a lift is something to be proud of not shamed for. Think in a macro scale, heck I think in olympic calendars. There’s no point in shooting for big big PR’s you haven’t earned when you can’t even make a weight 5 lbs more.
Rituals and Repetitive Movement: Hit that “On” switch
Make it so that every movement of every rep and every step is the same. Your squats? The same walkout, the same way you wrap your wrists, the same way you put on chalk. Be as specific as possible, leaving nothing to chance in training will leave nothing to chance on game day. If you have to do the sign of the cross for every single thing you do, so be it. Make a pre-lift ritual your switch, do it consistently and exploit it. For me I think about the worst things I’ve ever been through in life and dwell on it before an event. It is the darkest, most hideous part of my mind I access to get myself into a state of absolute stillness.
As you go into your next competition remember that it should be the showcasing of all your training, recovering, eating and sleeping . It should be the easiest part of your year if you trained properly. Embrace the suck, love the pressure and make every single attempt count as if you will die the moment it finishes. The crowd, the weights, the nerves, collect all that energy and use it to fuel whatever the reason is for you showing up.
Powerlifting and Strongman are not all fun and games unless you’re extremely strong with no competition. Rise up to the challenge and prepare your mind as you would your body day in and day out. Remember, Mastery of Mind leads to Mastery of Body. So keep your bodies warm and your minds cold. Approach it as cold and hard and calm as you can with controlled aggression. You’ll never see me shouting, listening to heavy music and banging my head on the wall for anything. Ask yourself why and go from there, build your own principles in getting ready using my pointers from the battlefield. Come equipped and be ready. Mind, body and soul.
