Lifting with emotions. Good or bad?

Ask yourself this question "Do you psych yourself up before attempting a heavy weight?" If you answer yes, then you and I have something in common. Let me first state that using weights to release stress is a healthier outlet than perhaps to drink your sorrows away or to resort to violence. 

PRO

By psyching yourself up before heavy attempts, the body releases adrenaline (epinephrine) which turns you into a raging beast, which is handy in emergency situations where you have to "fight or flight", such as facing down an armed robber or running away from the said robber safety first. When adrenaline is released to the bloodstream, the body reacts instantly, the heart starts racing, non-emergency body functions such as digestion ceases, glucose levels in the blood rises and oxygen supply to the brain and muscles are elevated. Most people report a super-heightened sense of awareness of their situation and becoming oblivious to pain. 

So how are we able to produce adrenaline as and when we like, like flipping on a switch? There are a number of ways we can do so. I am sure that some of you have watched videos whereby lifters get slapped on their back/face and the reason is simple, pain causes an elevation in epinephrine. However, unless you are sadistic by nature, I would recommend another method to release that extra burst of epinephrine, and that is through breathing. The theory is that during an intense training session, our breathing is often too shallow, leaving our cells deprived of oxygen and placing our body behind the power curve. So what we should do is to match our breathing with our motion. By ensuring that sufficient oxygen is in your body, the body is more prepared for max effort attempts. 

Besides breathing, another popular technique to create an adrenaline rush is through visualization. Think of situations that trigger powerful emotions, such as anger and stress, which is why people find themselves lifting heavier weights when angry or stressed. 

However, the best technique to release adrenaline is through training. Epinephrine is temporarily elevated when we exercise at very high intensity, which is why it feels so good to undergo an intense training session. Therefore by lifting at near maximal weights (80%-95%) at low reps, not only does the body adapts to heavier weights, it also enable you to trigger the adrenaline rush when needed.

CON

Although the thought of tapping on the adrenaline rush like a switch is appealing, long term excessive release of epinephrine can lead to health problems and also, the body will get used to it. That is why Twain kept asking me to only pscyh up when necessary. I shall draw on an analogy that most readers can understand. We all know why people tend to smoke more after a while, it is because the body adapts to the dosage and in order to get the same sensation, they will have to smoke more sticks (please pardon me if I am wrong for I do not smoke but I am under the impression that this is why so correct me if I am wrong). Similarly, the body will get used to the elevated levels of epinephrine and it will get harder and harder to psych yourself up. So now what?

Now imagine you are a pro boxer out clubbing. You accidentally bumped into a dude with his hot girlfriend. He took a swing at you and missed because he is intoxicated. You on the other hand, being a pro boxer, is likely to have faced heavier punches during training. Instead you are focus and collected, and you knock him out with a well-placed punch to his face. So the point I am getting at is that, when you are angry, you tend to behave recklessly and when it comes to lifting, you tend to throw the form out of the window when attempting max efforts. I myself do that so I am forcing myself to focus through the lift and not let my emotion run wild and cause me to sustain an injury.    

   

One thing I learnt from Bryan, besides keeping his face expressionless so no unglam photos are taken, is that his lifts are planned. So when the progress is planned, each attempt is calculated and logical in a sense. Of course progress is not always linear, however with proper planning and using of formula to estimate the max weight, one is able to make the max attempt safer and in a more controlled manner for himself/herself.

So my advice on this lifting and emotion is to take Twain's advice and to psych up when needed (meet day), else just plan your lifts properly so we can stay injury free. To quote Sam, "It is tough to replicate an emotional state before a lift. If you cannot summon that rage or emotion before the lift, it will seriously affect your lift (Emotions are hard to replicate being the original quote from Ben Rice). Rage is good but meditation is better. Rage is summoned. Meditation is cultivated. You can cultivate your body/mind before a lift whereas emotions may not be as easily drawn upon. 

Formula for Max attempt = Weight used * Reps Performed * 0.0333 + Weight  

Stay safe brah. 

Song of the day: Ready for war (instrumental) by 50 Cent