If you are looking for an article on How to Focus and How to Concentrate and
staying focused. You are in the right place.
One of the biggest challenges Athletes and non athletes face in and out of sports is
How to Focus on what you are doing
How To Stay Focused
And How To Concentrate.
It Focus and concentration has always been tough but now days its even harder then ever because video games, text messaging and email have reprogrammed the brain to have a short attention span.
DEVELOPING LASER CONCENTRATION
Structuring The Framework Of Impenetrable Workout Focus!
By:
Peter C. Siegel, R.H.
©2002 Peter C. Siegel, R.H. Executive Director/PowerMind©
You've fought the traffic to get to your gym. Feeling a bit "frazzled" - and drained - you hurry to the locker room, change, and then haphazardly move into your workout. But, you sense something's missing; that feeling of controlled power and inner drive you experience before having your best workouts, just isn't there.
And as you begin your workout, it feels as if you're just going through the motions. Oh sure, you attempt to "convince" yourself you're making a serious training effort. But you just don't experience your muscles responding the way you want them to.
It seems as if your awareness and focus is partial at best, as if you're not all there — as if that locked in rapport between your mind and muscles (which you know is the precursor to you decidedly improving), is sorely lacking!
As you progress further into your workout, you find your mind wanders; just about everything distracts you. It seems like you're fighting a losing battle this workout, and you think to yourself, "Man, what the hell; I just can't seem to get it goin' today!"
It's likely you've had those days when it seemed as if your mind and body were miles apart while you were training. And no matter what you did (no matter how hard you "tried"), you couldn't get the feeling and contraction response you wanted. Some people find these type workout days too frequent an experience, and seemingly resign to the notion, "Ahh—I don't know; it's just gonna be one of those days." Well my friend, it needn't be!
If you allow the spectrum of concerns you encounter in the outside world to congest your thinking, and impact your work out mentality, these low/no progress workouts will continue. But by employing the following pre-workout neuro/muscular priming exercise, you will channel all your power toward increasing your workout performance and muscular results. And, you'll mobilize the sensory and neurological forces which keep your mind focused each rep, and compel your advance.
Workout peak performance needn't be a chance or random occurrence; you can take charge of your mind and direct your power so excellence in training becomes your regular experience!
PRE-WORKOUT NEURO/MUSCULAR SUCCESS PRIMING
Rather than allow your mind to be filled and preoccupied with all of what you experienced during your day, before you begin your workout, engage the following process exactly as outlined. [This process primes your nervous system with sensory commands to focus awareness, generate power toward specific muscular exertion, and sustain a maximum performance emotional state.]
Phase 1: Connecting With Your Peak Performance Emotional Fuel
After you've changed into your gym clothes, go to a quiet corner of your gym (or any area where you won't be distracted), sit down comfortably, and let your eyelids close down. Take 3 l-o-n-g deep breaths, inhaling slowly through your nostrils, and exhaling easily through your mouth.
After the third exhalation, clearly envision a detailed scenario of the very last time you generated maximum performance impact during a workout:
• The time when, for you, it felt as if all "cylinders" were operating at peak efficiency levels, and it was as if your effort literally commanded the improvements you sought...
• Or, when you were so locked-in each rep of every set, you felt super charged power fueling your efforts; you felt every rep deeply working the specific muscle you were training...
• Or, when your mind, muscles, and energy seemingly fused into the moment, and a force from within drove your effort; no conscious thought was expended — the force from within masterfully pushed through every set...And at the end of your workout you felt a sense of being worked vastly superior to your "normal" workout experience...
Once you've isolated this time of your peak performance workout, clearly envision it playing out as if on a video monitor 2 feet out in front of you:
• See all factors that are involved
• Feel all factors that are involved
• Hear all factors that are involved
• Deeply physically sense all factors that are involved
And as you're replicating each of the preceding bullet points, allow the energy of this scenario to fill your legs, torso, arms, head, and every fiber within you. [*Just hold a clear focus of this scenario in your mind, and you will experience this peak energy filling you!]
And as you do, clench your right fist hard, and mentally, silently exclaim the phrase, "This me...Now!!" Hold your fist clenched for 20 full seconds (while feeling wholly filled with this peak performance energy), and mentally exclaim the phrase, "This me...Now!!" 3 consecutive times.
Phase 2: Programming Laser Focus For Your Upcoming Workout
Next, experiencing this peak performance energy freely flowing through you, keep your right fist clenched, and shift your focus so you're mentally projecting a detailed scenario of yourself performing a specific exercise for the body part you'll be training. And as this impression becomes clear and distinct, imaginatively step into the picture so it's as if you're actually engaging the set...right then and there!
And, looking through your eyes as this peak performance workout impact, feel the accompanying heart rate, body temperature, breathing rate, and the specific sensation of the muscle you're working with each rep you perform. F-e-e-l the bar or handle you're gripping, and experience the body part respond exactly as you know it would if you were actually performing this set in real life.
When you've imaginatively completed this set, deeply, mentally exclaim the phrase, "This me...Now!!", and feel this sentiment resonating through you as you mentally exclaim it.
Then, continuing to keep your right fist clenched, use the same procedure just outlined, and experience yourself performing one set of the next exercise scheduled in your workout. Continue on in this manner until you've mentally envisioned yourself performing one set of each exercise you'll be performing in your workout.
Phase 3: Returning To Your Full Awareness
After you've mentally completed this ultra-success workout visioning (which encapsulates you generating a mega-degree of locked-in exertion forcefulness), s-l-o-w-l-y unclench your fist, let your eyelids open, take a deep breath, and s-t-r-e-t-c-h. Then, begin your workout, making sure you warm up properly and thoroughly.
I encourage you to perform this process before every workout, for in so doing, you ensure all your energy, emotional power, awareness, and conviction are singularly focused and channelled toward maximum impact.
Through this process, literally you're giving your subconscious mind the command, "OK, now direct energy into these specific success actions, and toward these specific results!" Your nervous system is then comprehensively primed for performance and exertion mastery.
Phase 4: Pre-Set Laser Focus Priming
Before you perform each set, gently close your eyelids down, and clearly envision yourself doing one full, masterful rep of the exercise you're about to perform. Then, mentally exclaim the phrase, "This me...Now!!"
This will help to keep your subconscious lasered and focused toward generating complete contraction exertion with the muscle you're training. [*It's should take you 6-7 seconds to perform this pre-set priming routine. And this time spent before each set will provide you truly striking performance, and muscular improvement benefits!]
Phase 5: Staying Locked-In Each Set
Having performed your pre-workout, and pre-set programming (as outlined) if during your workout you experience your mind wanders, or becomes distracted, do the following:
• In a controlled fashion, put the bar down, and bring your set to a halt.
• Close your eyelids down, clench your right fist hard (activating the peak performance energy state outlined in Phase 1).
• Clearly envision yourself doing one full, quality rep of the exercise you're performing.
• Once you've mentally completed this rep, mentally, passionately exclaim the phrase, "This me...Now!!"
• Then s-l-o-w-l-y unclench your fist, let your eyelids open, inhale deeply, stretch, and proceed to reengage your set.
This process will serve to re-zone all of you into performing masterfully and maximally with the exercise you're engaging.
And each time you perform this refocusing strategy, you strengthen the neuro/muscular link inciting maximum workout impact.
Perform this Phase 5 strategy as soon as you sense your focus has shifted. This will keep you on track with exerting a peak power/impact force throughout your set, indeed, throughout your entire workout — with every rep, every set, right on through to the end of your entire workout.
And so go now, and use your capacity to induce - and sustain - locked-in laser focus to make every upcoming workout, your best workout...ever!
Requested post article blurb:
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Author, seminar leader, and clinician, Peter Seigel is the country's foremost sports and peak performance hypnotherapist. A prolific writer (over 150 articles published in 30 different magazines), he's known for his acclaimed confidence building, and success motivation programs. Visit him at www.incrediblechange.com for more information about his "Stayin' On Track©" workout motivation program, and his newly released "Diet Support Friend©" program.
Note from Chris Cady:
Nationally prominent self help author, seminar leader, and personal change specialist, Peter C. Siegel was America's foremost sports and peak performance hypnotherapist. Unfortunately Peter has passed away but his work and his spirit live on.
You can review his acclaimed self help - personal success development - mega-confidence building programs at www.incrediblechange.com, or you can call 775-425-5847 to order programs or speak with his protegee, sports hypnotherapist Chris Cady
The unique, results guaranteed assurance Siegel attaches to each of his programs…continues to stand the test of time!
