Visualization

I wrote this on November 22nd, 2023 shortly after finishing my heavy set of squats from that day’s workout. The story tells itself, but I will reiterate the moral of the story to drive the point home: visualization of your desired outcome in any given situation makes a difference. If you don’t believe me, you’ve never tried hard enough.

Walking up to the bar, grinning.

The first two sets had felt sluggish, heavy even. 

But that’s the way we like it.

The last set, that’s where it’s at. That’s when you’ve knocked off the rust from the week before and finally remember how to squat; that’s when all the other shit in your head has receded for the time being to allow your focus to shift to the only thing that matters: your lift.

I walked up, grinning, not because I was thinking about how hard the last two sets felt; nor was I thinking about how grueling the 20 reps were going to feel; I was grinning because I knew I was about to hit a PR of 20 reps at 265#, 35 pounds heavier than I’ve ever done before. 

I was grinning because I knew I had it in the bag; I had been visualizing this weight since last week, when I got 14 reps at 245. I was traveling and had no spotter so I allowed myself to take it easy. But this week I had no excuse. I had a spotter, but they were a ways back – I wasn’t going to fail. I wasn’t going to need spotter rails or an assist.

My mind was made up, and I was thrilled with the outcome before it even came to fruition.

That last sentence could not be more true. Rereading this note, I can still recall this day quite vividly. I was walking around with a giant shit-eating grin on my face before I even touched the bar. I knew it was going to be hard work, but I also knew that I would accomplish my goal, and was thrilled about it ahead of time.