Don’t miss out on Updates : Make sure you follow First Pull on Facebook and Instagram for daily pictures and advice You are responsible for your success. You are also your own worse enemy. Seeing athletes miss lifts because they thought too much during the lift has been my pet… Read More »Paralysis by analysis : Stop thinking and start improving!
Don’t miss out on Updates : Make sure you follow First Pull on Facebook and Instagram for daily pictures and advice The more I coach and the more people I coach progress, the more I realize how important it is to have a strong mind in weightlifting. My definition of… Read More »Get your head on straight : Making progress and keeping a strong will to progress
In my last article about how to be a successful weightlifter, I talked about how I think that having a strong will is probably the most important psychological trait to possess for success. If you look up synonyms of ”Will”, you will find the following : Intention, decisiveness, craving, purpose, self control and self discipline. Wouldn’t you agree that to be successful in weightlifting, you have to be driven by the desire to improve, make the decision/have the intention to work hard but in a smart way, have the self discipline to follow your plan, have the self control necessary to remove or modify anything that can disturb your performance (including some aspects of your social life)? I would like to offer my thoughts on improving motivation towards training.
Read More »Sport Psychology corner : How to enhance motivation towards training for higher results
Akkaev, Credit @ Macklem
Weightlifting is an amazing sport, but it is also an incredible test of one’s character. The lifts will expose your physical and psychological weaknesses quicker than you can think. There is a natural tendency shared by many to talk about all kind of things related to weightlifting in such a precise way that the bigger picture of human performance, where those things should be applied, is often forgotten. A simple question, such as ”How can you be a successful weightlifter?” is thus left without its logical answers. We want to hear about technique, recovery or programming, and what we forget are the core principles of success and that they may not even be related to lifting.
My undergrad in Kinesiology made me familiar with many sciences that are relevant to the understanding of sports in general, including weightlifting. I already had some prior knowledge, but I was able to learn even more about biomechanics, exercise physiology, anatomy and of course, the neurosciences of movement. One big deception was the sport psychology class although you will often read the same generic and generalized stuff online. This article is about making sport psychology actually work for weightlifters and coaches. It is a bit different than what I usually write about, but still pretty useful.
Read More »The low down on sport psychology : Making it work for us.
The road to success in weightlifting is a rocky one. Physical attributes – such as strength, flexibility, coordination or neuro-muscular qualities- and technical abilities – or how the person uses his physical attributes to produce actions- are often discussed. When it comes to psychological abilities or issues, little is discussed. Understanding your athlete’s or your psychological profile – for lack of better terms- can help you and them achieve greatness. Below is a generalization of what you might expect from coach beginners or more advanced athletes.
Read More »Importance of the development of psychological traits for success in weightlifting
