Knowledge is Power: How Top Athletes Use the Science of Training Intention
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In this edition of our blog series, we’ll be highlighting an interesting set of interviews conducted with seven elite Red Bull athletes, centered around the idea of training with intention to improve performance.
We all know that training is critical when pursuing a goal or dream, and necessary to see improvements in performance. Simply put, if you don’t train, you won’t improve. However, this article looks past that statement into the mentality of training and dives into the “why” or the intention when doing the work. As the author, Will Cockrell claims, “Neuroscientists have recently found ways to measure the brain activity of athletes as they perform in varying states of engagement. The studies reveal how more deliberate focus and goal-setting can boost performance – and dramatically speed progression in training and recovery.”
To provide greater context into the evidence and mechanisms behind training intention, David Putrino, a neuroscientist, and physical therapist at NY’s Mount Sinai Health Center, shares that performance can be upwards of 30 to 40 percent higher when exercising once your brain is primed and ready to perform the tasks demanded of it. This mindset of acceptance is what Putrino is after in his own research and relates it to the factors within mindfulness of engagement and enjoyment.
Along with these factors, Putrino discusses the recent trend toward the gamification of training as a positive force to boost both engagement and enjoyment within the process, and to provide an additional framework for intention. This gamification can come in the form of apps and fitness trackers, but also through the self-directed form of what he calls setting “micro goals,” which add up to the long-term goal or ambition. These micro goals align with what mental performance consultants also refer to as short-term goals, which can increase self-confidence and allow you to incrementally measure your progress toward your ultimate or long-term goal.
These methods are only part of the full picture, and they beg the individual to understand themselves on a deeper level. What is your reason for training day-in and day-out, and what will keep you engaged and enjoying the process when the training gets tough or monotonous? This is where the creativity and individuality of the athlete comes in. To dive deeper into this idea of creativity and individuality, lets get into the athlete stories.
Mike Dowdy – Professional Wakeboarder
After a devastating second ACL tear, Mike struggled with finding motivation and purpose in his recovery process. He says that setting micro goals and then focusing on the small improvements helped give him a clear direction in his efforts. Focusing on the small moments and small actions helped him to realize, “What I do in that moment will pay off in competition.”
Kaylin Whitney – Sprinter
Early on her career, Kaylin struggled to let poor past performances be just that – past performances. That negative momentum would stay with her and affect her future races. Now her approach is to visualize the high-pressure situations like an Olympic final beforehand in training, so that when the big day comes it all feels familiar. In this way she’s learned to “shake off failure and bring her A game every time.”
Tim Johnson – Cyclocross
Tim is a 20-year veteran of high-level cycling, and now in his 40’s, he’s looking for new ways to find that edge as his body ages and his time is increasingly more sacred. He says the main thing helping him these days is intentional training, specifically by working as hard as possible during workouts and actively resting on the off days. Tim states, “One thing I learned about myself along the way is that if I train as hard as I possibly can, races are actually easier than my training.”
Payson McElveen – Mountain Biker
As Payson began transitioning into longer and longer race distances, sometimes lasting four hours and up, he began tapping into his own physical and mental awareness. In his longer and more difficult workouts, he shares that if he could just get started, he would allow himself the grace to stop if the effort became too much. However, after some time he realized that by just starting it created an emotional bond with the effort and he could push through. In his own words Payson says, “Don’t give up until you actually fail.”
Angela Naeth – Triathlete
Early on in her professional career, Angela was diagnosed with Lyme Disease and was affected by a host of debilitating symptoms. With time she was able to return to her sport but not without a significant uphill physical battle. Through the process of accepting her own limitations and abilities, she was able to again find joy and purpose within her sport. In her own words Angela says, “The biggest takeaway for me during this period has been the ability to focus on process and day-to-day.” Simply put, “Remove expectations.”
Jill Kintner – Downhill Mountain Biker
Now in her late 30’s, Jill is a legend in the world of mountain biking, but with that status comes a cost. Having bested all major competitions in her chosen niche of sport, she’s has had to get creative and step out of her comfort zone into other disciplines of mountain biking, and this expansion has also led to new methods of intentionality. Tapping into her own personality and interests, Jill has found a new form of accountability with technology such as fitness trackers and training logs. In this way, she can once again find competition with the opponent being her own previous performance.
Cody Laplante – Freeskier
At the young age of 17, Laplante is already one of the leading names in the world of Freeskiiing, and with that comes the knowledge of complacency at the top and the desire to avoid it. Laplante shares that the world of skiing can get boring when he sees competitors doing the same tricks on the same terrain year after year, and this has led him to intentionally approach each trick with a creative and personal spin. In his own words, “I’m always asking myself how can I flow down this simple piece of metal in the most creative way that I possibly can?” “What I love is doing something that’s so far from the borders of perfect, but still looks good.”
This is a difficult article to conclude, and the reason being that the conclusion will be different for each reader, and it should be. Simply put, make your training your own and get creative in your intentionality.
What gets you excited to improve in your craft?
As can be seen here, there are no bounds to the possibilities.