The Science on Motivation W/ Dr. Lenny Wiersma – Episode 266

As athletes, the pressure to win has a very strong effect on us. The best athletes in the world are not only the strongest, or the fastest, but the ones who can keep their emotions in check during competition.

Emotions before and during competition can influence, or even define how you perform. These emotions aren’t just limited to the negative ones like fear, and anxiety, but the positive ones too. For example, too much confidence and a cocky attitude can leave an athlete ill prepared for a competition.

To get a better understanding of how emotions affect our performance, we visited sports psychology expert, Dr. Lenny Wiersma, and Dr. Andy Galpin at Cal State Fullerton to dive into the science behind motivating athletes and developing a champion mindset. Renowned and respected in his field, Dr. Wiersma has worked with some of the top athletes in different sports including several CrossFit and endurance athletes.

In this episode, you’ll learn how he helps top athletes develop a champion mindset, strengthens their emotional muscles and breaks through mental barriers. You’ll also learn how to start developing your ability to own your emotions and adopt a growth mindset around your training and life. We’ll also touch on how, as coaches, we can better communicate with our athletes and mentally give them what they need to succeed and excel.

Whether you are a competitive athlete or pursuing fitness for life, there are a lot of powerful take aways in this one. Developing mindfulness, harnessing your emotions, practicing being present and taking ownership for your performance can translate over to all aspects of life and help you inside and outside of the gym.

Enjoy the show.

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Best,

Mike Bledsoe

For more:

• Learn more about Dr. Wiersma here
• Increase your focus and performance in the gym – Dr. Lenny Wiersma
• It’s not about how you feel – Dr. Lenny Wiersma
• Books mentioned in the show: How Champions Think, Problem Athletes and How to Handle Them
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