Happy Wednesday!
I totally missed the boat on Monday Fit Tips lol
I was busy programming for my online athletes for the rest of September & I’m SO excited for how the rest of this year is shaping up!!
Quarter 4 in Hybrid Strength is gonna be a fun one for sure!! (The next free week in HS starts 10/5!)
But as we’re moving into the last chance qualification weekend for Deka Worlds, a LOT of people are racing this weekend.
I figured some mindset reminders would be great for race week!
Race Day Mindset
Here’s a few shifts & techniques that have reliably worked for me and my athletes when the race nerves hit & the pain cave is looming!
Bracing Yourself
We all know hybrid racing is Type 2 Fun. Not fun in the moment, but so much fun after!
Bracing is going into the race expecting the end of the race to suck & empty the tank.
I like to say “embrace the pain cave” & that’s exactly it.
You’re mentally prepping yourself to go there.
So once you’re there, you’ve prepped yourself to endure and you can choose to keep the pedal down.
If you want to know how to close your burpees & wall balls stronger, this is it!!
Progressive Relaxation
This can be a super helpful practice for athletes with a lot of physical anxiety or stress going into a race.
During your warmup or even in the start corral you can progressively tense and relax different muscle groups to release nervous tension.
When you find a tense muscle, give it a max flex for 10-15sec, then completely relax it.
(Like anything new, it would be smart to practice this a few times in the days before your race, so you know it works for you!)
Reversal Theory
If you get race day nerves and you feel anxious before you hit the start line, you actually have the power to harness those nerves to your advantage.
Instead of allowing the nerves to shake your self-confidence, turn those thoughts around into excitement & anticipation.
Think of all the hard work you put in. You’re prepared. You’ll give it your best. And you’ll have a lot of fun doing it. You get to do the thing you love.
Positive Self Talk
This one is WAY underrated.
Imagine hitting the pain cave on the air bike in Deka, one athlete said “Keep pushing! Keep the pedal down!” Another said, “I hate this, when will this be over.” You can guess who probably had the better performance.
The little things we say to ourselves during a race MATTER.
Those negative thoughts are sneaky, so when they crop up, be ready with positive ones to combat them.
Especially if you have multiple races, if one doesn’t go well don’t let that race’s negativity bleed into your next race. Take the time you need to regroup and refocus your mindset before you hit the start line again!
These races are physically tough, but they’re all out mental battles too.
Get your mindset ready so you can win the war this weekend!
These mindset topics are from “How Bad Do You Want It” by Matt Fitzgerald, “Chatter” by Ethan Kross, and the NSCA’s CSCS textbook. I highly recommend both Fitzgerald’s & Kross’ books, they’re great for athlete mindset!
Knee Update...
I’m 15 weeks out of ACL reconstruction surgery!
- Not gonna lie, this week has been rough for the knee. A tropical depression blew through and both knees have had it rough since. Hoping I can get back on track soon, but I definitely like I took a few steps back this week.
This weekend will be so much fun! The Sweat Shop Gym will be having their Deka Strong 9/11, 3-8pm and the Deka Mile 9/12, 8a-1pm!
Let’s get out there this weekend and rock it!!🤘🏼
