I’ve definitely noticed a mental side to my training. I do TR workouts with Zwift following on, and of course what’s happening on Zwift has nothing to do with what’s happening on my TR workout. Nevertheless:
If Zwift is showing a dry sunny scene, it is easier than when Zwift is showing darkness or rain
If I’m going downhill on Zwift, it’s easier than uphill
If I’m reeling in some random Zwifter it’s easier than riding by myself or being passed
This is true despite me knowing that the Zwift screen has nothing to do with what my legs are doing. It’s all auto-suggestion. My next task is to work out how to use this on the road, when climbing a hill and being passed…
I’ve been watching and re-watching this video for years - it’s really helped me understand how to become stronger mentally while cycling with a “mental toolkit.” He presents the information in a really comprehensible way, check it out:
@Captain_Doughnutman, building on “Mindfulness” and the Headspace app (both topics covered in the below book), I’ll suggest another book I just finished. I’ve also read How Bad Do You Want It and Endure, but the following is a bit different and I enjoyed the insight. It goes into how the different parts of the brain and your thoughts work (or more accurately, fight with one another). Then it teaches you tools to overcome that. I liked the understanding it gave me and today used some of those tools during hard intervals to great success (Bashful +6). There are certain chapters/topics you can skip if those issues are not relevant to your situation. It’s also available on audio through Amazon. I listened to it recently on a couple of long car rides for work.
I’ll also add that as I’m reading the books I take notes on my phone. Then I can refer to these notes before hard workouts or races. I’ve done this now with all three of those books.
I’ve done a ton of reading on the brain over the last few of years and it’s both overwhelming and comforting(?) at the same time. So interesting. And before that, a not-so-deep dive into “mindfulness” and everything connected to that. A couple years I ago I even did a 10x experiment which led me to meditate for ~3hrs a day for a month. That was interesting and with some residual effects (focus on breath, etc). I’ve read studies about people with decades of meditation practice whose normal state of mind is the same as a novice during meditation; in other words, the long time practitioners are always in a state of calm and serenity. SERENITY NOW!
I think there are general mental (and physical) practices one can do which will help create a general relaxed state around cycling/training/racing, but then there are personal hot spots which we have to figure out ourselves those things which will get us through. This is kind of a weird thread, but I think it can be valuable.
Perhaps I should be asking ad execs how to best control the brain instead of a bunch of bike riders!
I’ll go one better – I just take a pic of the noteworthy page!
Nope, that’s too much “cognitive overload” before a race or hard workout. You need a few quick words or a sentence that drives home a point. Which one works will depend on the day and your mood. But one will always stick and seem most relevant. Not a picture of a page you have to zoom in then read, that won’t work. Examples:
Race:
When it comes down to two guys on a bike, the real secrect weapon is knowing you have another gear if you willing to dig deep and use it
The guy in front and on your wheel are suffering just as much, How Bad Bad Do You Want It!
Toughness does not consist of any kind of superhuman imperviousness to pain or fear. Instead it takes the form of a steadfast refusal to except in oneself the wimp that exists in all of us.
Workout:
This will hurt, but no more than before.
You’ve been here, in the pain, and pushed through it many times
Your brain can only offer suggestions, it CANNOT make you stop, only you get to choose!
Good… pain, burning… I’m finally at a point where I can train mental toughness.It took you long enough brain!
Well…I was referring to when I’m reading the book, snapping a pic and then returning to it later to dissect it and pick out the meat, boiling it down, as you said, to a few courageous slogans and war cries. In the past I’ve printed out motivational reasoning stuff like that and taped it up in front of the trainer.
Even on hard slogs when I can feel the brain start to head for the door, I’ll start asking myself questions like, “Why are you even doing this?”…so I can win…'Why do you want to win?"…etc. It’s usually in the longer semi-intense type workouts where I can still think is when I seem to get in the most trouble. Any workout where I can’t speak usually doesn’t involve the brain.
Somewhere on the forum there’s a user pic who painted ‘HTFU’ on his MTB bars. Whatever gets the job done!
I see these books as hardware stores, and I’m just shopping for tools. And I try to put as many tools in my toolbox because I never know what I’ll need. So I need quick assessable pieces, and that’s how I use these quotes.
I even have quotes for when I’m not motivated to train, or during a long rest interval when I want to cut the workout short or reduce intensity
somewhere someone is training and didn’t stop early and didn’t reduce intensity… and when you meet him at the race he will beat you
It sounds simple, but I break down the session /race in to parts and don’t consider the whole, so it’s less overwhelming. This has worked for 24 hours solo and 10 mile TTs.
I kind of have a theme/ mantra for each section and that helps to fuel the notion that it’s a journey that’s going to end.
I know alot of people swear at their legs, but mine won’t work unless I’m nice to them. The night I won a TT Championship I had to promise them chips (fries) to get up the final hill hahahaha!!
I do find I have had to work hard to get past mental blocks to progressing with skills on a MTB though. Lee McComack has helped massively with that, but I still thinking could improve my mental approach somehow.
@MI-XC, this is a really good idea. I’e never considered writing notes like this and have always relied on hopefully remembering one phrase to use as a mantra during the suffering. I like your approach and may borrow it.
Hi guys, I’m looking for some volunteers for a cycling hypnosis/mind based resource I’m putting together and I wondered if any of you would be interested? All I need is an hour or so of your time for a call to get some more detailed info about what issues cyclists in different disciplines/levels may commonly encounter and in return ill give you the resource (which will be pretty detailed) at no cost.
Im a Clinical & Performance Hypnotherapist based in the UK and would be very grateful for your input!!
