Top Mental Tips For Getting Back Into Competition Mode

When the whistle blows and it’s time to showcase your strength, you can rock it.


With each passing day, we move more and more into what people have coined as “The New Normal.” What does normal mean exactly though? As an athlete, life is NEVER normal. Awkward training hours, long days where hanging out with friends and relaxing just doesn’t happen, and pushing yourself harder than the average person does on a daily basis. Even though times may feel a bit different now, we know that athletes all over the country can adapt, break more records than anyone ever thought possible, and get right back to the swing of things. At the end of the day, when you’re an athlete who loves to compete, you’re always going to find one way or another to make fitness happen and go after whatever goal you want to accomplish. That is just how it is. 


If you are trying constantly to find that tenacious mindset you love to have but can’t, the team at BANDZ put our heads together and came up with some awesome tips for getting zoned in when you have a competition right around the corner. When you can push further than you ever thought possible, we’re beyond happy.


Rehearsal Time


When you are a musician preparing for a gig, you rehearse. When you are a business owner preparing for a huge meeting, you rehearse. When you are an athlete preparing for a competition, you must do the very same thing. Visualize how you want to perform and execute your plan. Once you can do this, all of the pieces can begin to fall into place and you can set expectations. An important key to remember, things will never go 100% perfect heading into a competition so do your best to be flexible and focused on where you want to go.


Trust Yourself


As an athlete fueled by confidence, as soon as yours is tarnished, it is tough to get back on the horse. This is a feeling that everyone goes through at some point but you need to remember that is a normal feeling. If you know you put in the work preparing, visualizing, and training then there is no reason why you can’t make your dreams a reality. Trust your workouts, your steps along the way, and most importantly, YOU. When it is your time to show what you’ve got, no one is going to do those pull ups for you, so believe in yourself.


Focus On The Process


When training, there is a process that must be followed and you need to trust it. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself, patience is always key. Stay in the moment, don’t think too far ahead, and focus on putting in quality. Eyes on the prize throughout the course of an event is what wins competitions.


Transition From Life To Competition


When competing, it is so wildly easy to just think about all of the things you have going on in your personal life. The thing is, when the spotlight is on you, you need to just let all of that go. In that moment, you are no longer an average joe. You are an athlete who is going toe to toe with another athlete. You need to drop those worries and focus on completing the tasks that you love doing at the end of the day. Whether that includes knocking out squats or taking the first step off of a starting line, you are facing your goals in the eye and need to make that your mission in that moment.


Manage Your Expectations


At least once in every athlete’s life, they feel the need to be perfect or have a simply flawless day to accomplish their goals. That is flat out not realistic. No one has a dream day and doesn’t feel pain while competing. It takes guts 10 out of 10 times so it is crucial to understand that. Perfect may not happen but a true hard fought effort can happen every single time, that is a guarantee. As a team composed of athletes, we've been in numerous competitions where things go wrong, but the part that never changes is when someone needs to put their best foot forward and go for it. Keep those expectations in check but still set goals that are worth getting excited about.


Look Good, Feel Good


This is an extra component that may go a bit beyond the mental game, but it means a lot to us. Looking good while competing. Bust out a new outfit that makes you feel different, get a pair of shoes that you know will give you an energizing feeling, and add a product, like a cutting-edge, epic headband to your gear. When you look at yourself in the mirror, are feeling fit, and are looking great, there is no way you can’t have an awesome day out there.


We’ve been fortunate enough to attend many competitions all across the country, fueling athletes with our headbands and providing custom headbands to competition directors, and can honestly say we love everything about it. We love the athletes, we love the people, we love having the opportunity to use our skills to help empower people to have better performances. 


If you have any additional questions regarding how we step up to the bar at competitions, would be interested in having us come out to a competition, or want to find out more about our custom BANDZ options, contact us today. The more involved we can be within the fitness community, the better!


With that being said, go f-ing get it, fam!!!!!!


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