Mindfullness In The Weightroom

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How often do you zone out during the workout, thinking about anything and everything outside of the gym? How many times has a song you do not like training to come on your MP3 player that you don’t even notice until it's almost over anyway. Do you ever finish a workout and, when thinking back to how it went, have trouble recalling exact weights used, feelings of fatigue, or even the actual exercises performed? In other words, how many times have you gone through your workout routine on autopilot?

We all have habits. The brain creates habits as a way to make us more efficient at the tasks we perform most frequently. They allow our bodies to do what we want them to without the brain consciously instructing. Although there are many habits that benefit our daily lives, there are some that hinder progress and therefore, maximum performance. One example of the latter can be found in the weight room.

Although the habit of exercising daily is generally beneficial to overall health, the habits that take place during the actual workout session may be one thing holding you back from the results you are looking for. There is an inverse relationship between the comfort one feels with their workout routine and the mental presence and focus one needs to perform the routine. In other words, as someone becomes more and more comfortable with what they are doing, they begin to think about it less and less, until eventually they can go through the entire workout on autopilot. At this point, progress significantly diminishes, often resulting in a “plateau”.

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There are essentially three zones for which activity, such as physical training, falls into; the comfort zone, the learning zone, and the panic zone. The comfort zone is where many people spend the majority of their time training, performing the same exercises, using the same weights, and keeping the same rest times as they have always done. This is where habits form that are often detrimental to progress. Growth will only occur when one is pushed outside of their current comfort zone, and into their specific learning zone.

The learning zone consists of exercises, weights, rest times, and other training variables that are just beyond what someone is currently comfortable with performing, forcing the body and mind to adapt, and resulting in an expanded comfort zone. However, the progression from the comfort zone into the learning zone needs to be appropriate for the individual at that specific time. If they are not ready to be progressed, over-training and/or injury may occur. This type of activity would fall into the third zone, the panic zone.

The panic zone is when the mind or body is overwhelmed by the stimulus placed upon it and, therefore, either results in no progress being made or actually taking a step backward as a protective mechanism.

Spending too much time in your comfort zone creates habits that can slow or stop progress completely. Appropriately pushing yourself into your learning zone will force you to become more mindful of what you are doing in the weight room and allows your body to change and grow. Going beyond what you are ready for can lead to over-training and/or injury.

Retake control of your progress by practicing these ways to increase mindfulness in the weight room:

• Alter training variables regularly:  This can include switching to an entirely different program or as simple as shortening or lengthening rest time between sets. Allow your body adapt to the training stimulus before changing.
• Visualization: Visualize yourself going through the workout either the night before or the morning of. Vividly picture yourself executing every lift to perfection.
• Appropriate progression: Pushing yourself into your learning zone will force you out of your current habits and require extra focus.
• Constant preparation and analysis:  Before every lift, think through all your cues and the technique. After the lift think about how well you performed that lift and what you can improve on.
• Breathing:  Focus on your breathing. Paying attention to your breathing during the lifts, as well as during the rest times, will keep your mind where it should be. Try holding water in your mouth and breathing through your nose between sets to help stay fully.

Tony Cates is a business management major at Edgewood College in Madison, WI.  He is a certified personal trainer, performance enhancement specialist, and the S&C Coach for Edgewood College Men’s Basketball.  He can be reached at catestony@gmail.com or (608) 852-7433.

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