Mental tricks that will allow you to run better
Sport And Fitness / / December 19, 2019
Today I would like to share another interesting study, but this time the exercises are not physical, but mental. Usually the scientists say about the feedback - the more physically active people, the more vivid and plasticity of his brain (there is a huge amount of research on this subject). This article is about the feedback.
How many times criminal's voice whispering to you during the race, it is not necessary to drive so fast, because nothing is going to happen, if you slow down a bit, if not entirely stop, right? This is especially true of amateur runners, who do not apply for the prizes and new world records. Why poke fun at your body, if you can just get away and everything all the suffering will cease immediately. It's tempting, is not it? The demon of temptation is especially strong in the end, when neither moral nor physical strength is almost gone.
It is scientifically proved that the performance, when the forces already on the wane, no longer depends on our stamina or physical strength and emotional state.
Thinking - this behavior, and in order to achieve the best results, you need to work not only on appliances running.
Positive affirmations help is not always, and the constant repetition of the mantra, "Yes, I can!" May not cause a surge of strength, and a sense of the absurdity of the situation. And here it is not that you have repeated that something is not right, because many of these mantras help, and how you perceive it.
The main goal - to switch to the "result-oriented" to "Process-oriented." That is, while running you do not have to think about the targets set (hell, I again turned to run out of 50 minutes for 10K!), And concentrate on what is happening at this very moment, that is in its running. PhD and sports psychologist Stan Beecham believes that constantly thinking about the result, we exclude ourselves from what is happening right here right now.
Being positive is critical. A recent study called negative thinking one of the main barriers to the runner. Strong athletes are strong not only physically, but also psychologically. They do not even allow the thought that something could go wrong. They use their thoughts and their training in order to strengthen confidence in themselves and their strength.
focus tool
So, the first thing you need to do - identify tools that will help you focus on the process rather than the result. They should focus on your weaknesses. Usually it is a synergy of psychological and physical actions, which ultimately should lead to the desired results. Try a daily 5-minute visualization of success (ran the entire distance without stopping even once or continuously desired pace); every week there are jogging acceleration at the finish line (if you have problems with the last meters of the race); clearly follow the schedule, if your main problem - shirking from training.
It is especially important to choose your own focus tool: word, phrase, or action that could drown out the destructive vibrations and keep your focus on the "here and now". In some it may be a meditation on the breath, someone starts to watch your steps, someone - a focus on your heartbeat, and so on. You might have to go through a lot of options until you find one that works in your case.
Critical thinking
It is important to remember, and to remind myself each time during the run time that are not able to 100% control your tempo run, but you can action that can improve your results and achieve the desired tempo: train hard, not to hurt, do not forget to bring your water to a competition and etc.
The control
Sometimes, just before the race you start to feel tired treacherous. It seems that the forces have not left even one kilometer you will finish definitively. This is a normal reaction, because our brain receives from the body of chemical and electrical signals sent by our muscles, and draw the appropriate conclusions - we were tired. However, many studies have proven that our mind is able to overcome the physical fatigue, as often such a state is a product of our emotional and psychological state, and not the result of physical exhaustion. This is exactly the case when the first signs of severe physical exercise our inner "I" He starts to moan and persuade us to give up and lie down to rest, because the forces have nothing on left.
Think of fatigue as a sign that you need some positive psychological reinforcement.
In 2012, a study was conducted, during which for two days was a competition cyclists and computer. They had to pass two tests. In the first case, the cyclist said that his competitor is going at the same pace as he did, in fact rival go faster. The second - that the opponent is going faster than they are. When the cyclists thought ahead of their rival, they throw up their hands and they began to doubt that they can win. But when they thought that the chances are, they showed their best results. Thus our brain, not the body, decides what we can do, and what - no.
And on this we propose to play modern research. If earlier it was believed that before exercise (especially before long races) the runner must be well fed and well rested, but now there has been an opposite trend. Some trainers advise their wards to exercise willpower to run on an empty stomach and tired legs. Such workouts stimulate our body's ability to adapt, which is very useful during challenging endurance races.
Recreation and freshness - it's not always a good thing. For example, soldiers are taught to operate on the verge of mental exhaustion, forcing to perform grueling forced marches, despite the fact that they have not slept almost fall down to the feet with fatigue. No need to come to this embodiment is as fanatic. If you are very tired at work, or you have had a sleepless night due to a sick child, exercise should be postponed. Fatigue in the body should be called only regular physical activity (previous workouts). Yes, the results are not as impressive as we would like, and during these workouts you will hate one and all, but during the competition this brutal method will pay off in full. And it is advisable not to go for such feats coach unattended!
An interesting variant of exercise, right? ;)