CANADIAN PHYSIQUE ALLIANCE November/December 2020 | Page 20

is pressure always bad ?

( Adapted from Dr . Patrick Cohn at Peak Performance Sports , LLC .)
by Lesley Timbol

" The key is learning ...."

Pressure and competing go hand-in-hand . From the time you commit to doing a show , throughout prep , and to the end of show day , there ’ s pressure . Pressure is part of any sport and bodybuilding is certainly no exception .
Pressure can be external , i . e ., fans , sponsors , fellow competitors , coach , family , friends , as we don ’ t want to let others down . Pressure can also be internal , i . e ., what we say to ourselves in our heads . We pressure ourselves that we “ must ” win .
Ofttimes we talk about feeling pressured like it ’ s a negative thing . And it can be . We can become overwhelmed , lose focus , make mistakes , get caught in our head with insecurities , and so on . Excessive pressure hurts our performance .
On the flip side , pressure can also help you narrow your focus , improve the quality and quantity of your reps and sets , energize your body and activate your mind for solid mind muscle connection and execution .
So if pressure can be negative or positive , how do we steer it more often on the positive side so pressure can work for us rather than against us ?
The key is learning how to harness the pressure before show day . That means you have to practice this skill . Like training a muscle , repetition will help strengthen your mind , which will allow you to better prepare , focus , and present on show day your best package .
I ’ m sure you ’ ve heard the expression that knowledge is power . Knowing and having a strategy if the pressure begins to get to you , especially if something unexpected happens , gives you a planned “ go to ” strategy if needed .
It ’ s a “ be prepared ” mentality . If you feel pressured , you also have the power to bring
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