Overthinking Means Underlifting
Does the inside of your head look like a pinball machine when you’re lifting?
Here’s how to get your s%!t together.
Pick a single cue for the lift and try to stick to it for the entire session.
This cue needs to address the most important problem you have—the most fundamental and/or earliest in order.
Reduce that cue to 1-2 simple words at most.
Then repeat that cue continually in your mind like a mantra in meditation—improve that focusing effect by timing the cue with slow, controlled breathing to also encourage relaxation.
Finally, don’t watch video of yourself between sets. Don’t even touch your phone. Keep your rest periods brief by not sitting down. And if it helps, listen to music that improves your mood but doesn’t get you overly excited.
Prioritize errors in order of first & worst: The most basic ones and earliest-occurring. Correcting these will improve a lot of more minor and subsequent problems, and not correcting them will prevent fixing other things.
Sometimes your cue doesn’t even need to be technical. If your biggest problem is fear or a lack of confidence, maybe your cue is just: Strong.
An entire sentence isn’t a cue—that’s an instruction or explanation. A cue is a reminder to do something—it needs to be quick and simple.
And always remember when the pressure builds up too much: It’s just weightlifting, You’re not curing cancer or saving the world from a fascist dictator. Take a step back and remember this is supposed to be enjoyable.
Here’s how to get your s%!t together.
Pick a single cue for the lift and try to stick to it for the entire session.
This cue needs to address the most important problem you have—the most fundamental and/or earliest in order.
Reduce that cue to 1-2 simple words at most.
Then repeat that cue continually in your mind like a mantra in meditation—improve that focusing effect by timing the cue with slow, controlled breathing to also encourage relaxation.
Finally, don’t watch video of yourself between sets. Don’t even touch your phone. Keep your rest periods brief by not sitting down. And if it helps, listen to music that improves your mood but doesn’t get you overly excited.
Prioritize errors in order of first & worst: The most basic ones and earliest-occurring. Correcting these will improve a lot of more minor and subsequent problems, and not correcting them will prevent fixing other things.
Sometimes your cue doesn’t even need to be technical. If your biggest problem is fear or a lack of confidence, maybe your cue is just: Strong.
An entire sentence isn’t a cue—that’s an instruction or explanation. A cue is a reminder to do something—it needs to be quick and simple.
And always remember when the pressure builds up too much: It’s just weightlifting, You’re not curing cancer or saving the world from a fascist dictator. Take a step back and remember this is supposed to be enjoyable.
