Your mindset is everything. It’s what separates the strong from the weak. A beast doesn’t get caught up in negativity when they are putting in work in the gym. That’s the time when they feast on positivity and strength! To support your mindset and help you function at the top of your game, here are six tips to kill negativity and help you push through the hardest workouts.
1. Pre-workout ritual
The first step to ensuring you have a kick-ass workout is to invoke your pre-workout ritual. This is the time to get in the zone and leave your petty, everyday problems behind you. The gym is no place to be worrying about whether or not you are up for a promotion, if you remembered to pay your bills on time, or if your friends secretly don’t like you. No, the gym is the time to push everything aside and set your inner animal free!
The easiest way to do this is by developing a pre-workout ritual that allows you to set your focus on the training ahead and lose yourself in the process. This could be listening to your pump-up playlist, watching motivational videos, dynamic stretching and mobility work (yes, beasts should still warm up!), or a combination of all of that. Most of the time this ritual also involves taking your pre-workout supplement, like Blackwolf. This ritual should be the same day in and day out to really allow yourself to focus. Clear your mind in whatever way is necessary.
2. You vs You
Once your pre-workout ritual is on point, you need to focus on not allowing negativity to creep back in as you go through your workout. The one thing that you have to remember is that there are no competitions in the gym except for the one you have with yourself. Forget about whether or not someone is stronger or leaner than you. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you know you are getting better than you were previously. If you used to lift 225 pounds for 4 reps and you get 5 on your next workout, you have beat yourself, which is the only battle that matters.
Do you think a wolf worries about what other animals are thinking and how they compare to him? No! A wolf portrays confidence regardless of his surroundings. Your pack and you are the only things that matter. Treat the gym just like this. You need to focus on what you are doing and ignore the rest of the people. This allows you to focus on the workout at hand and avoid negativity from seeing somebody that you think might be better than you.
3. Music that pumps you up
This is a simple tactic: Put on some music that really gets you pumped before your toughest sets. I don’t think listening to pump-up music for an hour straight is effective. Instead, listen to your average everyday playlist throughout your workout and save specific songs that you know get you going for your toughest sets of the day. This is a great way to ramp up your intensity and reset your focus to avoid any negative thoughts.
4. Don’t overthink anything
Let the animal instincts take over. Thinking too much is the enemy of intensity. Thoughts make you question your skills, your strength, and your desire. Instead, leave the thinking for outside the gym. While you are lifting, you are there to move weights – that’s it. Keep your motivation high and attack the weights. Overthinking anything in the gym is a sure-fire way to lessen your intensity and allow negativity in. Keep the “You vs You” mindset and listen to your music. Other than that, there is only one thought that needs to happen.
5. Visualize your success
This tip is scientifically backed: Visualizing your success with mental imagery before your set enables higher rates of success! Here is the 4-step process that has been researched and shows positive results:
1. Visualize the coming workout with your end goal in mind.
2. Visualize yourself achieving that goal – i.e. completing your toughest set.
3. Prior to your set, visualize what the successful lift will look like and make your body repeat this visualization in real life.
4. Replay your successful lift after completion.
This 4-step process will allow for more success and keep your mind away from any negativity before a tough workout.
6. Conquer with your imagination
Another visualization technique is to use past stressful situations or hypothetical stressful events before a set to pump you up. Imagine a time where you needed adrenaline to push through the stress. Imagine that you need to hit this lift to save your own or your loved one’s life. It sounds crazy, but this kind of visualization will create an adrenaline rush and allow you to push your intensity to the max. When your adrenaline is high, negative thoughts are almost impossible. Fight or flight, and I know the beast inside you wants to fight!
Try Blackwolf for yourself
Using these six tips will ensure that you have a great workout and that negativity won’t spoil anything. Stay positive and let the beast inside do the work required to become the alpha!
