- Chris Bumstead's Top Tips
how to Deal with A.N.Ts ON Show Day
“I could just see it and I could just feel it, and it was just kinda like in my head. So, we went on stage for prejudging, and I still felt really good, and I still felt confident and that my physique was great, but I kept just thinking that like here’s this great physique I have built, probably the greatest package I have ever brought to stage, BUT MY ARM…”
This is a quote from Chris Bumstead, 4-time Mr Olympia in the Classic Physique Division, after his 4th win, discussing the mental battle he faced on show day due to a torn bicep. Irrespective of the “perfect prep” he had up until this point, he struggled throughout Olympia weekend to fight off negative thoughts. And this is the best in the world saying this!!
We all suffer from Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs), whether you’re an amateur bodybuilder in your rookie year or a professional bodybuilder going for your 4th Olympia title.
YOU. ARE. NOT. IMMUNE.
So, if these negative thoughts are going to occur regardless, how can you stop them? One way to stop these ANTs from taking control of your mind is to STAMP on them:
S – Stop for a moment, take a break, and re-group your thoughts.
T – Think about if these thoughts take you towards or away from your ideal behaviour.
A – Acknowledge their inevitable presence, but also remind yourself that they can be challenged and misaligned with reality.
M – Move past the thoughts.
P – Persist with thoughts and behaviours that take you towards your goal.
Control The Controllable's
“All of this work that you’ve put in, all the effort you’ve put into this, all the love you have for this, and how many times you have done this, this is out of your control! Focus on what is in your control.”
Here we can see Chris re-live his rationalisation of the events that were unfolding on show day. Interestingly he concludes that there are certain elements of his performance that are completely out of his control. And that the pressure he had been building throughout the day was due to him trying to gain control over these things, which is an impossible task!
He describes how he had a headache after pre-judging, and there is no wonder when on top of the posing and pressures of show day, he was also fighting a losing battle with his mind.
Instead, at this moment Chris decides to place the onus on elements of show day that he can control, which grants him back power and control over the day, increasing his confidence and making him more present.
Below is a simple strategy to run through on the notes of your phone, if you find yourself trying to fight a battle you have no control over on show day:
Write down each obstacle you’re facing and rank them each on a scale of 1 – 3:
1 = This is within my control
2 = I have some influence over this
3 = This is completely out of my control
Now create a plan of action that focuses on coming up with solutions for elements ranked 1, and some 2’s.
CBUM’S TOP TIPS TO OVERCOME OBSTACLES IN PREP & ON SHOW DAY
Throughout the video, Chris speaks to the mental skills that he has developed over the years that helped him to overcome his torn bicep and win his 4th Olympia. Below are some of these skills packaged into neat tips you can use on your prep this year:
“I got on my knees in front of this mirror … and I looked at myself and I was just like, what’s going on man, like what’s going on?”
Named the ‘mirror of accountability’ by David Goggins, this technique is extremely effective for an athlete to create distance between them and the issue. This grounds the athlete and lets them plan how to approach the issue logically.
“Hany came up to me and said … Smile up there man, you look crazy, you look great, be up there smile and enjoy it, this is what you’ve worked for.”
Verbal Persuasion. Knowing what to say and how to deliver it is incredibly important as a coach if you want to get through to your athlete. If done properly and spoken about before the day, your coach can increase your confidence and help realign your focus.
“And Hany came and gave me another pep talk, and sent my Olympia video, and put my head where it needed to be.”
Performance accomplishments. Reminding yourself of previous performance accomplishments can help boost your confidence and direct attention by giving you a reminder of your purpose and sacrifice. Again, this is great if a coach can have these tools on standby to put in front of their athlete.
“There’s even two ways to look at my bicep alone, like I tore it, yeah, but it could’ve been way more torn”
Rationalising catastrophic thinking. Taking the scenario and putting it into context, thinking more on a spectrum rather than black and white, can help you to rationalise your negative thoughts and grant you control over them.
“What’s the lesson in this that I need to take from this? … Okay, this is my new challenge that I need to learn how to overcome.”
Growth mindset. Having the belief that you can learn and get stronger from a situation, will intrinsically drive you to put more effort in, find a solution, and achieve your goal, rather than having a mindset fixed that you can’t do anything.
I hope that seeing a story from a world-class athlete, detailing their battles with adversity helps you to start building the techniques to take control of your thoughts on show day! I would love to hear some of the ways in which you have overcome adversity, so please feel free to share them in the comments! If you would like help to develop these mental skills that will get you overcoming any obstacles on prep or show day, then please get in contact with me at robin@autonomypsychology.com
Best Wishes
Robin Hughes
Mental Performance Coach and Sports Counsellor located near Chelmsford, Essex, UK supporting athletes, exercisers, and coaches worldwide with Online Sports Psychology Services. Specialising in working within the fitness industry.
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