2 Rounds for time:
20 Shoulder to overhead, 115#(75#)
10 Toes to bar
Rest 3 minutes
2 Rounds for time:
15 Shoulder to overhead, 135#(95#)
15 Toes to bar
Rest 3 minutes
2 Rounds for time:
10 Shoulder to overhead, 185#(125#)
20 Toes to bar
Post times to comments and BTWB
What you say matters, By Courtney Shepherd, with the assist of James Gaines and UpWorthy
I guess maybe that seems obvious, especially if you’ve ever said something that hurts someone else’s feelings. Words matter. They express excitement, sadness, we tell lies, we give compliments, we spread gossip and rumor. I think it’s obvious the impact we can have with what we say to others, but what about the impact of what we say to ourselves? Do you have a mantra that instantly boosts your mood or are you constantly the bearer of your own bad news? Self talk is powerful. I can say that from my own personal experience but you don’t have to take my word for it, you can take the word of scientists.
“What’s the best way to motivate yourself to not just stay in the game, but to actually do better?
Scientists wanted to test this question, so they set up an odd little competition.
Scientists in England recruited nearly 45,000 people (a stupendously huge sample size for a psych study, by the way) and pitted them against a computer in a kind of virtual race. The players had to try to find their ways through randomized grids of numbers as fast as they could.
Each player got three chances to play this game (plus one practice round). Between the rounds, the players were given different kinds of video motivational messages (presented by Olympic athlete Michael Johnson, which is kind of delightful).
The messages broadly fell into three categories:
Category 1 was self-talk.
This is pretty much what it says on the label. In these motivational messages, Johnson encouraged the players to talk to themselves, saying stuff like, “I can beat that score!”
Category 2 was imagery.
This category of motivational messages encouraged players to unleash their inner eyes and visualize stuff — like beating the computer or getting through the number grid super-fast.
And Category 3 was called “if-then planning.”
In this case, Johnson encouraged players to come up with specific battle plans for the game. “If I start worrying about mistakes,” they might have said to themselves, “then I will calm down and relax.”
The scientists also broke each of those three categories into four different focuses.
The motivations were sorted into piles based on what the desired outcome might be, like “focusing on staying calm,” “remembering the instructions,” or “thinking through the process of playing the game itself.”
Then the scientists collected data on all those different factors, put them through their science-o-matic data analyzer (note: doesn’t actually exist), and lo and behold … results popped out!
So which approach won?
It turns out that saying “I can do this” (either in your mind or out loud) is a game-changer.
Both the self-talk and imagery-motivated players did well, especially when they focused on the outcome they wanted or the process that could get them there. But self-talk not only helped players do better — it made them feel that they were doing better, which is key.
The scientists pointed out that their study looked at a short-duration computer game, so getting yourself pumped up before a business meeting or track event might require a different strategy. Plus, everyone’s brains work a little differently. What might work for one person might not work for everybody.
But the scientists on this project think this work could help people design better interventions to help people stay motivated.
You can always follow in the foot steps of Jessica, the girl in the YouTube video. You might feel a little silly, but go on over to your mirror and tell yourself that you can do this. Or channel your inner Little Engine That Could (“I think I can, I think I can”). Or maybe announce to the world: “I’ll beat that darn computer this time.”
It might just work.”
(For full article, Scientists tested 3 ways to psych yourself up. One was the clear winner, click here.)
For me I have two things that I do that change my game, whether it’s before a lift, before a workout, in the middle of a workout, before I give a lecture to a crowd of people. . .
- I smile
- I say “I got this”.
Find you personal mantra, find your self motivation, say positive things to yourself, be your best and loudest cheerleader!!
