Sabotaging your Success

Are you subconsciously sabotaging your own success? This can occur when you reach higher levels than you have previously. Success, even when it’s expected can make you feel uncomfortable. If you have changed your body shape dramatically or reached higher levels of performance you may not be ready for the increased attention you receive. Many people experience this situation and some will subconsciously sabotage their own success. They feel it is easier to go back to being average and become wallpaper once again.

Mental preparation is therefore vital for continued success. Not only preparing for how you will look or feel once you have reached your goal but also how others will see you and how the extra attention will affect you. Prepare yourself to deal with everything in a positive manner and use it as motivation to push you forward.

Once you are prepared for the extra attention you won’t subconsciously sabotage yourself because you are uncomfortable with you new situation. This will allow you to set new goals and progress even further.

A Great Training Session

Having a great training session can be elusive. The key to consistent great training is focusing on the small, simple things that make up each session. Adequately prepare through proper recovery, nutrition and hydration. Make sure you have your training log and the proper equipment required for training, nothing ruins a session quicker than realizing you don't have a vital piece of equipment.

Once you have your pre training routine in place continued focus throughout the session is much easier. Through the warm up, technique should be worked on. The more you properly practice a skill the more automatic it becomes. During the main part of the session small things will determine if the session is a success. Things like ensuring your hand placement is correct on the bar if lifting weights, making sure your shoes are tied correctly and won't come undone and controlling your breathing pattern during every exercise.

Controlling the small things is what separates ok sessions from good and good sessions from great. Some days you'll feel so good that everything will fall into place without even thinking about it. Other days will be a struggle and unless you concentrate on the things you can control they will be wasted training sessions. Reduce the difference between your best and worst training sessions by improving your focus and you can continue to improve even when things aren't going your way.

Planning and Preparation

There are some simple steps to success that must be taken. The first is having a goal. Everyone needs a goal to strive for in their training. It doesn't matter if it's to lose 10 pounds, get your blood pressure under control or achieve something athletically. You need a goal to keep you going, to remind you why you are training hard. Give yourself a time frame and measure everything.

Secondly you need a plan to achieve your goal. Great progress cannot be made without a plan. While your plan should be set out from the start it can and should be fluid. An exercise can be changed if it isn't working, a diet can be tweaked if you are not progressing as you should. Just don't stray to far away from your original plan and evaluate everything at the end of your designated time frame.

Finally we have preparation. Preparation comes in many forms, making sure you can't fail your diet because you have everything cooked, packed and ready to go. Making sure you are physically prepared for each training session by getting enough sleep and following some sort of recovery system. Mentally preparing for each training session by reviewing what you have previously done and blocking out everything else to concentrate fully on the specific exercise you are currently performing.

Once you have a goal, a plan and prepare well success will be made much easier and come much quicker than otherwise.