What's in your mind when you workout?

[mewletter]

Here's a post to get something interesting started. When you do heavy lifting or doing compound exercises, what are you thinking during that time? Is there a self monologue inside your head to push you those gruesome reps? Here's an example of mine doing the squats.

"6 reps. Okay, last set, man. Let's do it. Down...6... keep it steady... UP!!! Okay down 5.... Keep the barbell balance... Move it straight up... UP!!! Look straight buddy! Down 4.... Focus, must keep focus. Come on 3 more. Down 3... Keep it balance, keep it steady... UP!!! 2 more! Down... look straight, focus... UP!!! Come on! UP!!! Last one and we're home run!!! Down... in control, man! In control! Come on squeeze those quads!!! Steady... UP!!!!!! DONE!!!"

Now it's your turn of 'what's inside your mind' trip when you do pumping iron

[Aielyn]

Actually, now that I think about it, I don't think there's much in my mind when I'm in the middle of a heavy set. And that's very odd for me, since I'm the type of guy who has trouble even falling asleep because his mind just won't slow down for long enough.

I suppose it's the fact that I'm turning my mind's attention towards my body, and thus I'm sort of getting myself into a kind of "zone".

[inflated]

When I am lifting I am focusing on how it feels in the muscles and how the muscles are benefitting from the exercise.

[digger]

Right before a set: scenes from selected stories on this site, especially by jaypat and {I keep changing my profile name from soccerstud to teenmusclegod, etc}. During the set it's got to be mind-muscle connection: if you're not focused on which muscle you're using and how it feels, you're not going to reap the full benefit of your lifting and you might be setting yourself up for an injury.

[Ragetiger]

Inflated and Digger hit the nail on this one. Focus on the muscles being trained. I tend to feel them growing while I'm on a two minute rest between sets. I just have to keep the moans to a low roar next time (what can I say, I enjoy the feeling of my body fighting against fabric)

Long rests benefit growth, short rests benefits hormone levels.

[WhoDunIt]

I tend to let my mind go blank, focus on what I'm doing, and limit distractions as much as possible.....oddly I drive the same way...................

[Syphon]

I think about how many reps I have left before I can relax again haha. Usually it's something like "Ok, half way done... two more, one.... more.... urrrrrrghhhhh done "

[gymgaymtl]

I like to think about some of my fave morphs I've seen here and elsewhere and imagine the reflection in the mirror (moi) is growing huge like those images with each rep.....my way of putting 'the mind in the muscle' (I wear athletic tees when I train, or cut up tees so I can see my muscles as I train them).
I'm also thinking of going a little heavier or doing an extra set, depending how I'm feeling at the time.
Sometimes when I'm doing crunches (45-60reps a set, depending on the type of crunch) I'll start counting backwards for the last 10-15 reps....seems to help fight the fatigue.....going down to '1' as opposed to counting up to 60.

[WhoDunIt]

I'd hate to think of some of the morphs on here while trying to lift, especially when using a flat bench for fear of getting boned up while laying there