Visualisation is an important way to get ahead of your game in Weightlifting. It can calm your nerves before a big lift on the platform and can reinforce good technique. For 'The Best Way To Mentally Prepare For A Competition' read here.
My fellow lifter Mark Haydock would say “image you’re in the coliseum"…You rub your hands with dirt... The crowds are cheering (Gladiator style) or something on the lines of “there can be only one” (Highlander).
Obviously, you need to familiar with the films to understand the context of the visualisation here, so moving on.
I’m making an assumption, but we all have our own way of ‘focusing’ on our objective. Which, is to lift the heaviest weight as possible and as Tony Cook would say “lifting the weight is the easy part”. I would agree with him on this.
You just have to convince the mind that it's possible, as lifting the weight, performing the movement should be almost second nature (after sufficient practice and time learning the technique).
Before I Begin
For myself, I go through a series of little nuances before I attempt the lift.
I chalk up my hands, I tell myself that "you’ve done this before - it’s easy", whilst seeing myself performing the lift over and over again. I then clap my hands – like that does anything! – And I am then ready to approach the bar, but that’s not the end.
The key for me is, not to sit too long at the bar. Now this is a Pete Ready-ism that I have inherited. Whenever I watch the Olympics most pro Weightlifters spend quite a bit of time sitting at the bar in the bottom position. What on Earth are they doing? Visualising, I guess.
The only modern Weightlifter I know of that doesn’t do this is Illya Illin. He just rocks up to the bar and throws it up. No messing around, he just gets stuck in.
Visualisation is definitely the key to success on the platform or in the gym. It defies fears and concurs nerves, but the question is:
Do we apply the same techniques and routine in the gym when training?
My theory is that we don’t, as in some ways a competition is a one-time thing.
It certainly is the case in IAWA (International All round Weightlifting Association) events as it could be a year before we do that same competition again. On the other hand, if we attempt a PB in the gym and fail, it’s not so bad, as there are no limits on the number of attempts - just how much our body can take.
With that in mind the differences in visualisation or focuses in gym to competition could be down to the ‘situation’. Under competition circumstances we employ more visualisation power to perform at our best, but in the gym we know we can always return to it at any time under no scrutiny.
I myself lark about in the gym and don’t always take training seriously, especially when Mr Haydock is quoting something from a 80s or 90s film (Highlander or Gladiator again!!) And before you know it, I’m laughing uncontrollably and my focus has gone. But the important point to be made here is that, it doesn’t matter if you fail in the gym. This should be your place to practice and get everything right and do all the failed attempts in the world before you venture out onto the platform.
**Further Reading: What's The Best Way To Mentally Prepare For a Competition**
**And Confidence & Mental Toughness**
In Conclusion
In conclusion then, visualisation is an extremely powerful tool whether you see yourself as Maximus Decimus Meridius (Gladiator), or if you're just going through the motions and completing the lift to a basking crowd of onlookers.
There is an element of training in this and by training the mind you discipline yourself into that place of focus when its needed.
