Both of these activities, working and reading, are practices that improve your ability to do a focused task for a longer period of time. But there are still a lot of people who are resistant to the idea that you can train yourself to be more focused and present — things we know are good — by practicing being focused and present.

Here we want to talk a little more about the tried and tested mental strategies you can employ to improve your strength.

A post shared by IWF iwfnet. What Is Mental Training? And just like spending ten to twenty minutes training a body part eventually makes it stronger outside of the workout, intensely training your focus improves your ability to focus throughout the day. This is a fundamental part of your physical training that many people ignore.

Michael Gervais , a sports psychologist who has coached Olympic athletes, weightlifters, and daredevil Felix Baumgartner. But if you stick with the discomfort for a few weeks it gets easier, it gets more pleasant, you can do it for longer, and you notice the benefits creeping into your day.

He adds that in strength sports, having more clarity and presence of thought helps to not only increase the frequency of flow states, but also adjust to nuances with greater accuracy and greater output.

One study published in the Journal of Clinical Sports Psychology found that athletes who practice mindfulness techniques reported that they were much more motivated to exercise and were more satisfied with their workouts than the control group.

A post shared by Lisa Haefner lisahaefnerphoto. One Thai study found that just four days of mindfulness training lowered serum cortisol the stress hormone by twenty percent 2. A randomized control trial published this year had similar conclusions. The more thoughts running through our heads, the more anxiety we have, the harder it is to sleep.

Getting better at calming the mind has measurable effects on not just our ability to fall asleep, but the quality of sleep we enjoy. A post shared by Katrín Tanja Davíðsdóttir katrintanja. Pain management No one is saying you should ignore pain or exercise through pain.

However, there is research that has shown that particularly for older adults, mindfulness could be useful for chronic pain like low back pain and arthritis. One study even found that it reduced pain when the researchers were jabbing subjects with hot probes when compared to a variety of placebos.

Lack of motivation which is always coupled with the failure to see results is most often the reason people quit before they reach their goals. The focus required to treat a workout as practice will help you see the tangible results of a developing body whether in form or ability that fuels the feedback loop of motivation and results.

Lastly, the workout should be a means to an end not an end all unto itself. There should be a reason why you are doing what you are doing. Yes, it is important as described above, to stay focused on the workout itself, but not without the framework of an end goal.

In open water swimming, athletes focus on a landmark on the horizon to keep from getting pulled off course. This holds true with your workouts as well—make sure you focus on your long-term goal to keep from getting sidetracked by the ebb and flow of daily pressures, and to ensure you are doing the appropriate work to reach your destination.

Compare this to one of those cardio boxing classes taught at one of those big box gyms where the instructor is yelling at everyone and just making people with sloppy form do a bunch of burpees for the sake of doing them. If you are not focusing on developing skills, you will likely plateau and or lose interest in whatever your initial goal might have been.

Getting better at exercises like the plank and pushup help you do more work in less time; becoming more efficient, burning more body fat, and building more muscle. The goal should be to turn your body into a more efficient machine.

No one gets better from sloppy form. In the long run sloppy form can hurt your progress. If you need help getting started, here are some plank and push up progressions to help you get stronger and improve your pushup:. These progressions will help you improve in a multitude of areas, and they will make your body stronger and more efficient.

I like them because, if done with mindfulness and focus , they will let you practice practicing by focusing on focus. Keeping this focus will get you so much closer to your fitness goals and enhance other aspects of your life!

When you remove toxins from your body, you can improve your overall health and well-being. Loving your body can be a challenge, especially in a world where there are constant messages telling us that our bodies are not good enough. However, learning to love and appreciate your body is an important step towards leading a happier and more fulfilling life.

In this blog, we will be discussing 5 Tips for […]. Skip to content 5 Ways to Improve Your Focus During Your Workout Home Fitness News 5 Ways to Improve Your Focus During Your Workout. Eliminate distractions during your workouts. Dedicate this time to yourself and put all your effort into the workout.

Treat your workout like a practice.

Roberto on June 16, at pm. David on June 16, at pm. I hope this helps. MUKUNT on September 25, at am. Hi David thanks for clear explanation about how to focus in gym…. Frank on June 21, at am. Adelino da Graca on June 28, at pm.

Very good tips. Thanks for sharing! Joseph Tarlue on July 2, at pm. Great article bud thanks for the advice!!! Then, rather than being laser… Overcoming Mental Barriers In Bodybuilding - […] De las Morenas, D.

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Getting better at calming the mind has measurable effects on not just our ability to fall asleep, but the quality of sleep we enjoy. A post shared by Katrín Tanja Davíðsdóttir katrintanja.

Pain management No one is saying you should ignore pain or exercise through pain. However, there is research that has shown that particularly for older adults, mindfulness could be useful for chronic pain like low back pain and arthritis.

One study even found that it reduced pain when the researchers were jabbing subjects with hot probes when compared to a variety of placebos.

Less pain, less cortisol, better sleep, and better eating makes for better recovery. That much is hard to deny. But as discussed above, improving your focus can also lead to better workouts and more PRs.

Do it for ten to twenty minutes once or twice a day. It will be hard, then it will be easier. The most important thing is to not get upset with yourself when the mind wanders. Noticing your mind has wandered is noticing your thoughts, so you could think of it as a victory.

Look for them on the App Store. Nothing is left to chance when I walk into the gym. Find a training partner who is in sync with your psyche and who can help you get the best out of yourself. A good training partner will know precisely when to assist and how much assistance to give in order to barely keep the weight moving.

I prefer to train when few people are in the gym. Even if the place is packed , I pay no attention to the other bodybuilders except for my training partner. No eye contact. No talking. With my one-set approach to training, I rarely train longer than 45 minutes per workout.

Sure, my leg workout could take an hour to complete, but that would include warm-up sets and stretching for the quads and hamstrings. Force yourself to assimilate these ideas into your training. Remember, to be a bodybuilder, you have to be mental.

Stretch your sleeves with tips from the man who commands his muscles to grow. Close Ad ×. I want content for: Both Men Women. Facebook Twitter Youtube Pinterest.

Sure, my leg workout could take an hour to complete, but that would include warm-up sets and stretching for the quads and hamstrings.

Force yourself to assimilate these ideas into your training. Remember, to be a bodybuilder, you have to be mental. Stretch your sleeves with tips from the man who commands his muscles to grow. Close Ad ×. I want content for: Both Men Women. Facebook Twitter Youtube Pinterest.

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Workout Tips Top 10 Fundamental Movements of All Great Exercise Find a Workout Partner Find a training partner who is in sync with your psyche and who can help you get the best out of yourself.

Focus On You I prefer to train when few people are in the gym. Keep Evolving Force yourself to assimilate these ideas into your training. Topics: Bodybuilders Bodybuilding Build Muscle Burn Fat Health Mental health Overnight expert Power Strength Training Training tips Workout.

Written by Dorian Yates. Related Articles. Pro Tips Boxing Promoter Kalle Sauerland Always gets in His Workout. Start with a few minutes a day, and increase the amount by five or 10 minutes every week until you reach your goal.

And since several studies have shown that it takes about six months to start reaping the cognitive benefits of exercise, he reminds you to be patient as you look for the first results — and to continue exercising for life.

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