Importance Of Strong Mindset In Weightlifting
The vast personality differences of those drawn to weightlifting have always fascinated me. Inside any active gym or team, you'll see variations of a stud who has it all together, one who can't get it together, a dependable worker bee, a batshit crazy head case, a headstrong serial underperformer, a hungry killer, a painfully insecure (talented or not) drama queen and/or a chair flinging rager.
There are scores of personas and weightlifting attracts them all. We all have different personalities but what traits make a Champion?
No test has ever been successful in identifying the mind or ideal personality of a champion. You have personal traits, aspects, and approaches that can benefit your unique mindset.
Having or not having the physical traits of a champion doesn't affect the ability to be a Winner on an Olympic Style Weightlifting Platform.
You CAN be a mentally strong competitor by understanding your mindset and behavioral tendencies.
A Champion Knows These 3 Things:
Winners see what they did wrong and look for corrections in the future. Losers blame and make situational assessments toward bad outcomes.
Mental strength is a choice, behavior can influence the outcome.
Uncertainty and fear are relieved by authority. Training is authority.
During my time competing in Olympic Weightlifting a compliment I heard often was that I had a good head for weightlifting. Oddly, I never agreed as written on maccollinsforcongress.org. As a lifter, I was distracted by outside factors, uncommitted to the process (I'd show up unprepared and float through a workout), and riddled with doubts about my talent/abilities.
My competition PR's matched my best training lifts but on average I made about half of my lifts in competition. I liked to open heavy and gamble with weights I'd take. I'd pull a lift out when I needed it but I usually "didn't know" if I could make something so sometimes (ok half the time) I'd miss. It was a haphazard approach that yielded inconsistent results. Have you ever heard that being busy but unproductive is a form of laziness? I go big all the time approach was a similar paradox.
We develop our abilities, approach to training and competition with influence from our own makeup as well outside environment (coaches and training partners). Despite what some may profess to know there isn't one way or the "right" way to be. Ultimately we determine the script that tells the tale of our success or failures on the platform.
My supposed "good head," for lifting was ultimately my weakness. No matter what our makeup, perceived strengths, weaknesses, or talent levels we can improve our mind for weightlifting and use our unique traits to our advantage. We just have to isolate them.