Awareness is control. Your Best self is realized when actions are completed with purpose, without self doubt, and in a state of present being. And if this is true, then living without purpose, doubting our abilities, and not being present during performance is keeping us from truly excelling. An athletes mentality is just as important as their physical ability, therefore we must learn to harness the power of our consciousness. The following tips are easy to implement and have helped me keep reality in perspective and goals in sight. While the development of increased consciousness and awareness is a HUGE topic, the first step is always understanding and then small interventions. YOU CAN ACHIEVE INCREASED CONSCIOUSNESS!
We are at a time when Sports Performance is taking a new turn. The turn is not towards crazy new training methods or nutritional supplementation but a turn inwards. Looking inwards towards ourselves and leveling up consciousness, is having a profound effect on the feats of athleticism for the best athletes in the world. The concept is called "FLOW" state, where all the judgement and limits that keep us from going bigger and faster simply are washed away. Flow began to be studied by sports psychologists in the late 90's as athletes began to expound on their subjective feelings of ease and confidence during extreme feats of athleticism. The feelings that were being described had striking similarities to those found during meditation and mindfulness practice. Since then, Companies like Red Bull have invested a lot of money into working with athletes on their levels of consciousness in coordination with the mastery of their craft.
DR. Daniel Siegel, Author of The Mindful Brain, noted that the benefits of emotional regulation, improved thinking patterns, reducing negative mindsets; work in conjunction with increased bodily function when Mindfulness and Meditation are practiced.
The First Meditation is simply one of awareness. In the arena of training and competition we sometimes feel overwhelmed, alone and otherwise disconnected. Self Doubt is all these things manifested in our minds. Doubt is fear caused by our lack of awareness. This meditative practice is to be done with your eyes open, mind focused and fully engaged with the world around you. Awareness of the present state goes like this...
-Look around you, and understand the place in which you are existing at that moment. This is your physical self at this moment and in this place. Note the room you are in, the people and objects around you.
-Understand that your body is an important part of this place, you are a link in the present chain.
- Bring attention to your body, the aches and pains, the way your feet feel on the ground, the temperature, the light which allows you to see and perhaps not see certain things .
-Expand your awareness if possible. Expand your awareness to what is happening outside of your current location, to the roads, building, fields and bring an appreciation for their connectedness to you standing at this location.
Now its time to work, Bring Attention to your Breath. In all my years of meditative practice, one of the most simple ways to harness the power of mind has always been to simply, BREATH! Are you an athlete that is stricken with anxiousness, bowel disfunction, chronic pain or constant fatigue? If so, There is a high probability that you are spending way to much time in the sympathetic nervous system. By harnessing the power of breath you can decrease your heart rate, improve your mood, boost testosterone production, and quell irritable bowel syndrome. Here is how you can up your game with simple breathing meditation...
-With your attention pulled away from the world outside and directed inward, begin by taking a deep nose breath.
-Pull your diaphragm down into your belly as you pull nourishing oxygen in through the nose and down into the deepest parts of your lungs.
- Push the heated CO2 out through the mouth, expelling all tensions and fears.
-Breathing in cadence can be done by counting your in breath, hold for the same amount of time and then release with control . In practice you can perform a 3 count in , 3 count hold and 3 count release. Moving from there to a 4/4/4 then 5/5/5 helps to focus more and more on the breath and the feelings you get when O2 nourishes the body.
Now it is time to not Fear pain, But Bring it in closer and let it pass through you.
Experience is about acceptance, adaptation and growth. As athletes we know that for every challenge accomplished, there are 10 more that emerge before you! A meditation of acceptance is the key to achieving the FLOW state, moving past pre conceived limitations and becoming great.
-Begin with a present state of awareness, focusing on the work you are undertaking and the breath and energy that you are expending.
-As pain or Fear come to your consciousness, say in a heavy set of thrusters or when life throws a curveball at you, do not push it away, bring it in.
-If you fight fear, you will feel apprehension and anger. Rather, accept the pain, accept the fear.
-Acknowledge the pain, give it a form in your conscious mind, put it in a box and let it be a thing that is as easy to dismiss as other thoughts in your mind.
-Once you box up your pain and fear, throw it out by reverting back to your breath.
Recycling these simple meditations is a great way to level up your performance in the gym and in your own life. Apply these simple tips to assist in getting your through literally anything. You will be absolutely stunned as to how focusing on your breath can clear the mind and help you. I believe that power lies in consciousness, in awareness. I believe that through awareness, understanding of so many things in our life that we fear can be dismissed. Good Luck and spread this message to elevate the collective consiousness.
Love,
Eric
Programming Notes 3/26-3/30
3/26
Baseline:
2X :40 Work :20 Rest
A- Lateral Barbell Hops
B- Banded Good Mornings
C- Barbell Roll Outs (to plank)
D- Banded Jump Squats
E- Divebomber Push Ups
Band Mobility-
Lateral Hip Distraction
Banded Hamstring Pulses
Banded Pigeon
Double Under Prep-
-Singles
-High Jump Singles
-Cadence Drills 3/1, 3/2, 3/3
-Double Unders
WOD:
12 Min AMRAP
50 Double Unders
10 Clean and Jerk 50/35 (5 on left, 5 on right)
5 Deadlift 315/225
3/27
Baseline:
Banded Lat Activation
Banded Bully Stretch
Banded Shoulder Distraction
400m Run
20 single Arm Ring Row
20 Single Arm KB Press
20 KB Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
20 Deadbug Ipsalateral Reach
400m Run
*Spend 5 Minutes working on Rope Climb Foot wraps and Kettlebell Snatch
WOD:
24 Min EMOM
A- Bike 15/12
B- Rope Climb 3/1
C- Rest
D- Kettlebell Snatch 53/35 X 15 Reps
E- Row 15/12 Cals
F- Rest
3/28
Baseline:
5 Min Easy Rowing
2X
20 Walking Lunges
12 Squat Therapy
12 Push Ups
12 Hip Touches
1:00 Plank
Squat Flow: Kang Squat, Internal Rotation, Hip Bridge, Ankle Roll Outs, Boot Straps, PNF, Squat W/ T Spine Rotation
Strength:
Front Squat
5-5-3-10
WOD:
3X
15 Hang Squat Clean 115/75
15 Bar Facing Burpee
3/29
Baseline:
*set 2 cones 25’ apart
-25’ Lunge w/ high knee Pull
-25’ marching high kick
-25’ elbow to instep lunge
-25’ inchworm + cobra stretch
-25’ squat + 180
-25’ Heel Walk
-25’ Toe Walk
-25’ High Knees
-25’ Butt Kickers
-25’ high Skips
-50’ Carioca
-50’ lateral shuffle
-50’ line touch +backpedal
-50’ sprint W/ 90 degree Change of Direction
-50’ sprint W/ 180 degree change of direction
WOD;
EMOM until Finished
10 Single Arm Deficit KB Deadlift on a 6” plate stack (10 each arm)
20 Toes To bar
30 Weighted Push Ups 45/15 (weight plate balanced on the back)
40 Box Pistols
*At the top of every minute, all work must stop and athlete must sprint 100m.
3/30
Baseline:
3X
1:00 Row Easy
:30 Row Hard
:30 Rest
3X
1:00 Air Squats
:30 Ring Rows
:30 Rest
Lunge Flow:
-Ankle Circles
-Hamstring Pulses
-Elbow To Instep+ Reach
-Samson Stretch
-Pigeon Stretch
WOD:
“Jackie”
1K Row
50 Barbell Thrusters
30 Pull Ups
Midline:
1:00 Side Plank
:30 Hip Extension Hold
1:00 Side Plank
:30 KB Side Bends (each arm)
