Mental Health is for EVERY Athlete | How To Relax While Sprinting
I am lucky as a Be-Activated Practitioner to boost athletes performance in a big way. By activating muscles, I bring the body in a relaxed state so that the athlete feels good and grounded. Relaxation is crucial to you running quicker and getting quicker times as all performance starts from a relaxed state. And so just as how an athlete feels is integral part of performance, I wanted to talk a little about mental health. I am no psychologist band do not work in depression. I am interested in how mental health can improve how a human body performs. Mental health is for everyone. It is not just for those in mental health problems. It's like eating a good nutritious diet. Everybody should be looking inside themselves to grow as a person and look at ways to relieve stress in our lives. But if mental health is for everyone then that means mental health is for all athletes as well and there are 3 reasons why great mental health is integral. 1. Athletes have challenges in life just the same as everybody else. How they react to those challenges dictates their life. React badly and this increases stress which will weaken any athlete and cause injury. 2. Great Mental Health actually increases physical strength. So you're sure to see the difference with your weight training. 3. If we start to see mental health as integral to sport performance then we can nip any ,mental health problems in the bud before they escalate. Athletes will start to see any negative way of thinking and address them.
It's important for coaches and athletes to improve themselves and that means growing as individuals.
In this clip from an interview I did earlier this year, I go over the trap of hard training and the impact on mental health with Kestor Welch, an athlete I coach and activate. Training hard is considered to be integral to sports performance but when it becomes a slog and a struggle, you must stop, find out why and change your approach to training. Recently, an olympic gold medallist confessed in a newspaper that she could not go on with "this Slog" (her training) for a year longer. This was afetr she heard that olympics had been pushed back to 2021 as a result of the coronavirus. It is absolutely imperative that this mindset is held inside your own training if you are an athlete. It doesn't matter what calibre of athlete you are. If you do let your training become a slog then you are hampering your abilities as an athlete and you are making yourself miserable and unhappy which will have adverse effects on your mental health. The problem is that the "Train Hard" philosophy is the main culprit of this very harmful mindset and it is a philosophy that is riddled with misunderstandings about how to acquire true human performance. It has a long lasting impact on the general health of the athlete.
Kestor is also the host of The Next Generation Podcast. A channel dedicated to helping the youth of today navigate the world we live in for a better future. you can support the channel here
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIwTXqMbwlaszVGz3Wdw-YA/featured
You can find the full interview here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A7uVC7Ww6w&t=2511s
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT40VKzvPRM
So what is the key to a great block start in the 100m or 200m? #Blockstarts are the foundation of any form of #sprinting. Get a good start and this sets you up perfectly. So sprinters, you're in the blocks, you're ready to go and blast out and dominate the race. What should you be thinking about? Keeping low? That first step? Well no. You should be thinking very little because the present moment is more important than anything you've got to do. This will be the foundation for your sprinting technique. So when you're called to your marks, you should be taking a few deep diaphragmatic (belly) breaths as you get into the blocks. To learn how to breathe correctly, go here. This is a veyr under appreciated but crucial skill. Link to correcct breathing technique at the end of the description. As you wait for the set, you should be breathing and in the present moment. When you hear set, you should be calmly waiting for the gun. This is where you will be at your most powerful and this sets you up for a great race for you. Relaxation is crucial to optimal sprint performance and is severely underrated in sprint training.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRu7wTbEPxM
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aXOWk9cGM8
THIS Means You're Overtraining
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In this eye-opening video, we delve deep into the often overlooked aspect of athlete training: the critical balance between intense winter workouts and the essential need for adequate sleep. As athletes push their limits, understanding the impact of overtraining becomes vital for maintaining peak performance.
❄️ Winter Training Tips: Practical strategies to balance intense training with rest.
? The Power of Sleep: Discover how quality sleep can transform your performance.
? Special Resource for Sprinters and 400m Athletes: Don't miss out on my exclusive online relaxation sequence! This program is meticulously designed to prepare you for a race, helping you tap into your flow state for optimal performance.
Check it out here: https://hamstring-injury-rehab-and-beyond.teachable.com/p/relaxedsprinting
? Are you ready to train smarter this winter? Watch the video to unlock the secrets of balancing intense training with the restorative power of sleep.
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Remember, training hard is just one piece of the puzzle. Tune in to discover how you can achieve your athletic best by harmonizing intense workouts with the rejuvenating power of sleep!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sEMG4I-0o4
In this video, I explain the benefits of relaxation for athletes and this is expecially useful in the times of enforced rest such as injury. Right now, at the time of this recording, we are in the middle of the coronavirus outbreak and self isolation has been forced up on us. This has caused many training sessions to be cancelled and athletes have to do what they can in terms of fitness in-house.
If you are a sprinter getting ready for the summer competitive season (if it happens) then this is not helpful and for a lot of athletes and especially sprinters, this becomes stressful as they fear their fitness levels will drop from a standard that they expect of themselves. This puts a significant impact on the incoming season. For sprinters, the training they must do is specific to the track and any other surface (grass, concrete) does not convert well to the track. So, in a sense, sprinters are at more of a disadvantage than any distance runner.
So what can sprinters do in a period of enforced rest? What can an athlete do if injury is forced upon them as it often is?
During any period enforced rest, it's important that any sprinter adapts and thinks outside the box. They must look to other areas that they had not considered before or not had time to try. When you're a sprinter, you're not thinking like this as you're too busy training. A period like this is an opportunity to get ahead of your rivals. Whereas most athletes will see lockdown or injury as a negative, you should see it as something to learn from. Your should be asking yourself the following questions?
How can I help my body be more athletic?
Is there anyway of improving my flexibility or mobility?
More importantly, How can I train myself to be more relaxed?
Do I really know what it feels like to be relaxed?
This is the time to question whether you can bring in relaxation in your most important race? This can be trained outside of sprinting by looking at what stresses you out and makes you tense up.
In this video, i explain how to counter these thoughts and turn it to a positive.
If you're a sprinter and you would like 1-1 help (either in person or by skype) with incorporating relaxation into your sprinting, then Be-Activated session will be beneficial to you. During this hands on muscle activation session, you will feel relaxed, loose and flexible. Email me at andy@thegreatathletenexus.com so that we can book a session.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7-jxyqumUk
?3 Common Tightness Traps That Ruin Your Race | The Great Athlete Tip
Tightness is the enemy for sprinters and 400 meter athletes. It disables power and flexibility and therefore speed. In this video I explain the 3 most common tightness traps that ruin athletes races. Once you identify these traps, you'll be able to relax for your sprinting and skyrocket your ability.
? Pre Race Relaxation Sequence - The Starter Program ?
Get started on your journey to peak performance with our Starter Program. This program features pre-race self-massage techniques that will help you relax and prepare for your race like never before. Say goodbye to pre-race jitters and hello to race-day confidence.
? Get Started with the Starter Program Here
https://hamstring-injury-rehab-and-beyond.teachable.com/p/relaxedsprinting1
? Pre Race Relaxation Sequence - The FULL Program ?
Ready to take your performance to the next level? Our FULL Program offers a comprehensive guide to relaxation techniques, race preparation strategies, and insider tips to avoid the common mistakes that can sabotage your race. It's your secret weapon for consistent peak performance.
? Elevate Your Performance with the FULL Program Here
https://hamstring-injury-rehab-and-beyond.teachable.com/p/relaxedsprinting
? What You'll Discover in These Programs ?
Self-Massage TECHNIQUES: Learn how to use the power of self-massage to RELAX your body and mind before a race.
Common MISTAKES to Avoid: Identify and steer clear of the pitfalls that often hinder race-day success.
Race Preparation Secrets: Gain insights into effective race-day preparation to ensure you're at your best when it matters most.
Don't miss out on the opportunity to enhance your sprinting and 400m racing performance. Whether you're just starting out or striving for that personal best, these programs have something for everyone.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOyeI05Seu4
Disclaimer: I do not deal with #mentalhealth issues. If you feel you need help in this area, please seek out a qualified practitioner who can help you. However, I do help athletes, and specifically #sprinters , without mental health issues and I do this by promoting good mental health.
In society and the media, we only deal with mental health when it becomess a negative impact on the individual. This becomes difficult to rectify when it has already appeared. I'm all for nipping it in the bud before it becomes an issue. Prevention is always better than a cure. As a health and fitness professional, prvention is part of my job description.
I would like to promote good mental health like improving your diet. We eat to stay healthy to improve performance but also to prevent disease and other problems occurring. Good mental health should be the same. It should not fall to athletes with mental health issues to improve mental health. Healthy athletes should improve their mental health too so that they have the tools and mindset to overcome any obstacle in the future and to set an example for future generations.
But good mental health leads to improved sports performance. Good mental health simply helps you to run faster. Your body thrives on postive energy. This is something that is not promoted in athletics and coaching for some reason and it is the simplest way to raise the levels of performance and ability in an athlete.
Good mental health means feeling good and feeling good will help you become physically stronger athlete.
This is where Be-Activated comes in. When all your muscles are #activated , your body is in its natural state. It's also in its parasympathetic state which means you are relaxed. It also means you are in the present moment.
Be-Activated is a muscle activation service that essentially gets the athlete out of his/her head. What's great about it is that the athlete feels the difference inside the session and pre and post muscle tests show them how the body immediately reacts to the change in state.
Posture normally improves. The athlete usually feels a lightness and an increase in energy. A feel of looseness as well as increased flexibility in hips and shoulders
This is essential because not only does the athlete feel a physical almost immediate benefit but he/she will have leanr how thier body functions and how quickly and easily they raise their ability and potential.
Contrary to popular belief, physical change can happen almost immediately. It's habits that take longer to change. The athlete would probbaly need repeated sessions and homewrok to make the powerful changes made in the session permanent but what's great is that they know how good they can feel and how important it is to their performance.
If you're an athlete, whatever your calibre, who lives near Somerset, Uk then you should get in touch for a session. You can do so at this link. http://www.thegreatathletenexus.com/contact/
If you would like to test yourself right now and see for sure if you are performing in peak state then you can try these simple muscle tests. Failure to hold these muscle tests without effort will mean your body is peeforming well below its capabilties and you're leaving yourself open to injury. This means you would benefit from Be-Activated and you should definitely get in touch. You can get the muscle tests with this link
http://www.thegreatathletenexus.com/
(scorll down past the videos to get to the instructions)
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7zsA6p63KU
(Don't let the flowery 80's sofa put you off. This video was shot in 2019 - not 1985 ;) ) Core has been a hot topic for some 2 decades now. You might have been to a physio or trainer who said "you're #core is weak. You need to strengthen it." This is quite common and even as an #athlete, I've had that diagnosis given to me.
But I'm going to question this hypothesis. Just because you can't perform a core exercise well might not mean your core is weak. It might just be shut down. In other words, it might not be be doing it's job properly. It's not a question of weakness or strength, it's more to do with compensation patterns.
The core often is not the problem. In fact it might be one of the best employees in the business (if we think of your body as a business) as it's actually doing more work than it should. And when it shuts down, it's akin to an employee holding up a hand and saying:
"Hold on. I can't work like this. I'm sick and tired of pulling other peoples weight here, I refuse to work unless you give me a hand."
The thing is the core is doing the work of other muscles, namely the muscles of the hips, who for a number of reasons, are the first muscles to switch off in the body. When this happens, other muscles pick up the flak of the deactivated muscles to keep the body functioning
In this video I'll go over why the core shuts down and the consequences for your performance when it does. I'll also demonstrate a super quick way of upgrading core performance that will shock you. This is an activation I use in the Be-Activated method.
If you are an athlete, you'll want to watch this as it will make sure your core is working optimally.
This video demonstarates the power of Be-Activated and if you're athlete who lives near Somerset, UK, you should book in a session with me as we will identify compensation patterns of your body and activate those weak underused muscles.
For more info, go here.
http://www.thegreatathletenexus.com/about-me/
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWlnbt3s4Fo
Always stretching your hamstrings? Before doing so again, watch this video because it will teach you a better way that is more natural for the body. Be-Activated is a muscle activation method that uses a simple concept. Relax the body through breathing, drop the stress levels and your body will respond in the right way for you. In this video, I demonstrate this with a simple hamstring flexibility test and then show you the changes that insufficient and correct breathing instigates on the hamstrings. This video will teach you how important breathing correctly is to your performance as an sprinter or athlete of any distance or event. Hamstring flexibility can change in just a few seconds just by altering the breathing patterns. It also shows how bad breathing, which is more common now than ever before, can limit your flexibility drastically and this can hurt your speed, power and endurance as well as leaving you open for injury.
You can learn the basics of breathing with the use of this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRu7wTbEPxM
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If you found that the info in this video or any of my other videos have been valuable to you in your sprinting or 400m and you feel it's worth a donation to this channel then you can donate in the link below. This is very much appreciated. Thank you for your support regardless.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbgViAErP5I
Just apologies for few things I got wrong in the previous video.
Here is that video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOvCh1S7UFg&t=288s
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtAeB5CN6qU