My Mantra

Today was Hamstring and Glute day, but because The Blood And Guts tryouts are in less than 2 weeks I'm practicing my 60 Second Flexed Arm Hang at least 3x a week since this is what I've been struggling with. So I go into the gym pumped with positive thoughts and energy I need to accomplish my first task. My goal is 50 seconds today. I reach up, grasp the bar shoulder width palms facing forward and pull my body up towards the bar finishing with arms flexed and chin comfortably 2 inches above the bar. I tighten my back and prepare for the 50 seconds I will hold myself in the position. The first 30 are always easy, then my grip starts loosening around 40 seconds and my body starts to fatigue. In that moment when I want to release and drop, I tell myself, "YOU'RE POWERFUL!" I stay for another 10 seconds and reach my goal. It was weird because I've never thought of having my own mantra until that moment. In the past, I've always told myself I was strong, that I could complete the task at hand. But I've never said, "this statement should be my mantra". And then during that hang it just came to me, and it was exactly what I needed. I once had a volleyball coach in high school who strongly believed in practicing mental imagery before our matches. I always thought she was such a weirdo! But now, as I've gotten older and really into my sport, I understand and believe its crucial to success. We must believe we can do it, and picture ourselves in motion and in accomplishment. It's such a fantastic tool, and it all rests within ourselves. One of my favorite bodybuilders is Kai Greene. He practices mental imagery and employs his own mantra. I especially love one video in paticular. Kai is staring at the dumbbell, you can see in his face total concentration, then he says, "I'm going to move you!" sternly. It wasn't even a question to him that he'd complete the task at hand. He went on to explain at the end of his video that he tells himself he will do it and pictures it all before even beginning. Another favorite athlete of mine who uses this technique is Georges St. Pierre. I love watching him in the ring. No doubt before he even won the fight he imagined himself doing so. And so, now, I go out into the gym world not only with my mental imagery technique, but also with my new found mantra, "I'm powerful!"