Your thoughts can derail your performance—but only if you let them.
Here are some common thoughts at CrossFit boxes all over the world:
“I can’t wait until this is over. I can’t sleep the night before a competition.”
“The countdown: There’s no turning back. These are the most stressful 10 seconds of my day.”
“The clock gives me instant anxiety, and it takes me a minute or two to get my focus back.”
“This is exciting!”
“Let’s do this!”
“I love to compete!”
What determines whether an athlete gets stressed or psyched before a competition?
The answer is in the six-inch CrossFit box between their ears.
As a mental performance coach, I see the mental game cause some athletes to break down and others to break through. I have spoken to gold medalists, national champions, world champions and CrossFit athletes regarding how they are able to access the zone-like state consistently. Here’s what I unearthed about the mentally fittest on Earth.