Coach's Corner
Tips from Leo Totten

Train Your Concentration
06.2000

On my most recent venture to York Barbell, I picked up a book (yeah, that happens all the time with me!) on weight training (of course!) There are tons of books on weight training out there but this one really intrigued me. The book is called "The Complete Keys to Progress" by John McCallum and edited by Randy Strossen. I remember back to when Strength and Health was my "bible" and I always anticipated the next issue every month. One of my favorite parts of this famous magazine was the article by John McCallum called the Keys to Progress and now there is a book with virtually ALL of his articles compiled into one book! I was in heaven!

Many of the chapters in the book deal with bodybuilding, but several of the pages dealt with lifting info for everyone of any strength sport. The one chapter that caught my attention right away was the one called Concentration. It had three parts to it, so I won't go into detail, but it brought home several points that need to be reviewed. This is something that seems to be taken for granted but is one of the most important characteristics that separates the good lifter from the great lifter.

Too often, the lifter is going through his or her workout and is only "going through the motions". The stereo might be blaring, conversations going on about Saturday night's heavy date and many other distractions from the task at hand. If you are going to do something (anything for that matter), then it is worth doing it right. "You've got to learn to concentrate on what you're doing to the exclusion of everything else. You've got to learn to concentrate on the exercise you're doing to the point where you don't see or hear anything else. You've got to learn to concentrate so powerfully that you're in a state resembling auto-hypnosis. You'll progress by leaps and bounds once you learn this trick."

This concentration and focus takes some practice to achieve but can you imagine the difference it would make in your training if you put that kind of exertion and concentration in every rep! With practice, you will be able to turn it off and on, too. In between each set, you should be able to "turn off" the concentration and focus and be able to relax. Then turn it back on again for the next set. If you tried to keep the intensity up constantly, you would burn off all your adrenaline and be back to square one.

Develop a pattern or a rhythm to your lift. Do the same thing everytime as you approach the bar. One lifter I know has great technique and great focus with lifts up to about 80%. He approaches the bar with confidence and takes only about 5 seconds after he grabs the bar. However, after the weight gets a little heavier, he changes his "rhythm" and takes up to 15 or 20 seconds to try to "concentrate" over the bar but instead is thinking too much. This leads to "paralysis by analysis" instead of letting the body do what its been trained to do both mentally and physically. The result is often a missed lift. Why would the pattern need to change? Keep doing what works for you. Keep focusing on every lift with the same concentration and you will be amazed with how your lifts improve and your confidence grows!