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Yesterday I had to grind through a workout that wasn't my best work. I think a lot of factors were at play.
Some background:
Most of the time I work out at work. I'm a military officer, so being fit is not only a "nice to have" but a job requirement. As such it is common practice to use part of the regularly scheduled work hours for physical training. I usually try to go at about 2-2:30p and sort of run out the clock on the work day. This is obviously dependent on work flow, but it's usually doable.
Yesterday at about 11:30 I had an obligation pop up in my normally scheduled workout window. 11:30 is usually when I take a working lunch, but yesterday if I was going to get my workout in I needed to go right away. This put me working out in sub-optimal condition: I was hungry because it had been several hours since breakfast. I couldn't eat lunch then work due to time constraints. Working out after work wasn't an option because I have a class I attend on Tuesday nights. So it was drop what I was doing and head down to the weight room on an empty stomach and with no mental preparation.
The workout was a grind. Certainly not a wasted effort, but I found myself struggling with weight levels in my normal range. I think a big part of it was being hungry, but I've worked out on an empty stomach before and been fine. Mind you, I don't make a habit of this, but it happens from time to time. I think the bigger problem was that I didn't get to mentally prepare for the workout.
Usually about an hour or so before my workout I let part of my mind wander to the workout and begin visualizing success. If I want to squat heavy, I will visualize myself doing it. If I want to bench press a higher weight for reps, I'll visualize each rep. I try to mentally call to mind how it will feel when I lift off, the speed at which I descend, and the challenge of pushing back up. It's not like I sit around and meditate about this stuff, but I do try to let part of my mind get ready for what's coming.
Also, I'm not religious about what time I work out, and with the exception of my big compound lifts, am not concerned about what order I do my workout. So I am flexible and able to adapt. I just like time ahead of a workout to mentally prepare and visualize success. I've found the more I am able to do this, the more effective my workouts tend to be.
So I wonder, does anyone else share the same habit? I'm sure some can just stroll in to their chosen venue for their pursuit of fitness and blast through it without a second's thought. I'm not like that, unless we're talking about running. Is mental preparation a major pre-condition to you having a good workout?
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