My Exact 4-Step Mindset Prep Formula For CrossFit Comps
Today I’m going to unveil the four stages I always take athletes through before they have a competition.
Naturally, there are some things I add on if required, but these are the essential steps that are always included.
Most athletes rely on luck as their pre-lift routine, and luck isn’t a strategy.
This is why so many athletes feel like they didn’t give the best they possibly could. They end up disappointed and frustrated at their poor showing.
‘Fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ and all that…
So I developed these 4 steps to ensure athletes perform at their best.
Flip Expectations Into Intentions
Expecting an event to go a certain way - good or bad - is a recipe for disaster.
This is because the outcome of an event is outside of your control.
You can only control the inputs.
Step 1 is to set a goal for the comp e.g. finish on the podium
Step 2 is to identify what you need to do to attain that in the smallest possible details. This might look like…
Finish in 4th or above in every event
In event 1: hold a 1:45 row split, perform quick singles on the C&J
In event 2: etc.
You want to enter every workout having a specific plan you can deploy.
From Intentions Come Character Skills
The ultimate input is your character. This is made up of personality (fairly fixed) and character skills (trainable).
Ideally, you will have trained the relevant character skills for the past few months in your training sessions, and therefore know what you need.
But if you haven’t done this, you can still get great value from this. Here’s how.
For each of your events, identify the intentions which will have the biggest effect on achieving your goal.
Then, know what type of character skill you need to display to achieve this.
For example:
I must display patience in my C&J’s by sticking to quick singles.
Mentally Rehearse Your Events
Visualisation is the most powerful tool you’re not using.
When you visualise a CrossFit event, you’re preparing your mind and body for the difficulties it will encounter.
You take away a lot of the unknowns too.
You will perform your best in a known environment where there’s less perceived threat. From a deep rooted perspective, you need to feel safe enough to get your body to a place where it’s completely vulnerable.
When visualising events, encounter them in as much detail as possible. You want to get to a point where you feel as if you’ve already been at this comp.
Hope For Failure & Difficulty
The best thing that can happen to you as a CrossFit athlete is that you give your absolute best and you fail.
Hear me out.
If you gave your absolute best and won, you wouldn’t know where you needed to improve.
The goal is growth, not success.
In order to grow, you have to encounter failure.
Ironically, the more you go toward hardship, rather than staying away from it, the better you’ll perform.