THE OLYMPIAN MINDSET
Olympia weekend has just been. Hundreds of men and women who have worked tirelessly for months on end showcased their hard work on the big stage. Titles were retained and new champions emerged. Hundreds of hours are dedicated to shaping a physique that will stand out amongst your competitors, with only one weekend to showcase it. These athletes prime themselves to step on the Olympia stage the best physical version of themselves they can be. This is rewarded by crowds gathering from across the world to look on in awe at these genetic phenoms. However, genetics alone did not get them to that stage. The hundreds, if not thousands of hours that have developed a mindset required to perform at this level is, in itself, a work of art that should be marvelled at.
What are the Defining Characteristics of an Olympian Bodybuilder's Mindset?
RESILIENCE – These athletes have gone to a place that most could never, and whilst there they have come up against adversity. They have the ability to bounce back and continue to pursue their vision by focusing on the small processes that will lead to this end goal.
CONCENTRATION – Remaining focused on a goal of this magnitude is hard at the best of times, let alone trying to remain dialled in when you’re on poverty calories and still asking your body to train harder than last time. Despite this, Olympians keep their blinkers on and remain focused on the end goal.
MOTIVATION – You’re already training harder and longer than 99.9% of the population, so what’s the harm in missing ONE session? An Olympian has those days too. But through focusing on keystone habits, they create a cascade of automatic behaviours that lead them to that session.
EMOTIONAL CONTROL – Lazy days will come, and on those days it’s easy to skip your cardio and reduce your steps. On these days, you don’t need to be on for the whole day, Olympians know when and how to switch it on to get that session done and done well!
TALK THE TALK, WALK THE WALK, POSE THE POSE
Even at this elite level, we see stage confidence massively contribute toward athlete placings. Presentation was the defining factor in making the first callouts or even placing in such a stacked class. If you can’t convince yourself that you have brought a deserving package to the stage, then how can you expect to convince the judges that you’re better than the person standing next to you?
People like to tell you to “fake it, till you make it”, however, you’re not a world-class actor, you're a bodybuilder, and you’re not tricking anyone, especially not the judges. The best athletes don’t fake it, they know it. Because they have dedicated time in their prep to developing the mental fortitude that ensures they walk across that stage knowing they belong.
The best athletes know that in order to ‘pose the pose’ on show day, they need to have diversified, developed, and consistently fed their sources of confidence throughout prep. This includes:
Diligently and purposively practising your posing. Racking up hours of posing is great for your confidence, however, having the quality experience to recall is much more powerful.
Collaborate and grow. Bodybuilding can be a lonely sport if you make it that way. Work with your coach and support network to develop a data bank of confidence-bolstering statements
Practice under pressure. Become familiar with the environment you will be performing in and allow nothing to surprise you. A great way to help this is to do some guest posing, pose on a stage, pose to crowd noise, pose for longer than you expect to be on stage, or try and walk the stage the night before you compete.
4 TIPS TO TRAIN LIKE AN OLYMPIAN BODYBUILDER
Whether you’re a seasoned amateur, a bodybuilding novice, a general exerciser, or thinking of competing next year, learning from the mindset of the best of the best, will help you in the pursuit of your bodybuilding and exercise goals. Below are 4 tips to help you train like an Olympian bodybuilder:
For each prep that you do, sit down with your coach and create a set of values that accurately represent your reason for WHY you’re competing. When you face adversity, return to these values with your coach and hold yourself accountable.
When your mind begins to slip during a session go back to basics. Develop a pre-lift routine that will narrow your focus and keep your head in the session for each lift you complete.
Accept that you’re going to have days when it is hard to get to the gym. Now, be proactive and create a couple of simple and easy-to-execute behaviours that will take you towards making it to the gym. Get the snowball rolling with just a handful of snow at a time.
You have woken up and you’re not in the mood to do your fasted cardio. Good. You’re human like everyone else. Now, what is the correct emotional setting required for you to want to go running and how do you need to feel physically? Once we know this, we can engage in mental techniques to induce this state. But first, be aware of how you need to feel.
Firstly, congratulations to all of the competitors at the weekend. Secondly, to all of those people wanting to improve their training, step on stage, win their first show, or win their pro card next year, good luck, and start analysing the minds of people that are doing what you want to do. I would love to hear your thoughts on the Olympia at the weekend, so please feel free to share in the comments! If you would like help developing mental skills that will take your training to an Olympia standard, 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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