| Focus June 1, 2005
|
Monica Brant is one of
the most popular female competitors in the world. She took second at this year's Figure
International, which is held in conjunction with the Arnold Classic.
(photo March 2005 by Doug Schneider) |
|
The Mind of a Champion
A few years ago at the
Olympia Expo, I had an opportunity to chat briefly with Monica Brant. Monica is probably
the world’s best-known fitness and figure competitor – more or less the female
version of Arnold Schwarzenegger in terms of celebrity and power in the physique world.
Our conversation quite quickly led to her soon-to-be-released DVD, which she ended up
trying to sell to me. I remember the conversation vividly, because when she talked about
that DVD I saw in her eyes and heard in her voice such seriousness that I thought to
myself, "If this woman approaches her training with anything close to the intensity
with which she’s talking about and trying to sell this DVD, it’s no wonder
she’s a physique champion."
In fact, I’m pretty sure that the mental intensity she
has is one of the things that helped make her a star. I’ve learned over the
years that, along with good genetics, the mind is one of the most powerful tools a
physique competitor has. It may even be the most powerful tool.
If the mind is weak, no matter how great the potential, a
person will likely never become a champion. If the mind is strong, however, anything can
happen. Schwarzenegger was probably the strongest-minded competitor the physique world
ever saw and one of the greatest bodybuilding champions ever. He’s still revered
today even though he hasn’t competed in 25 years. In various books and articles he
talked about the importance of using the mind to succeed, and if anyone knows about
success, it’s him. After bodybuilding, Schwarzenegger went on to become one of the
world’s biggest movies stars and now he’s the Governor of California.
What I’m saying is not new – decades ago
legendary trainer Vince Gironda wrote entire articles about the minds of the champions he
trained and observed. In an article called "Building Muscle through
Concentration," Gironda wrote, "All of the champions I have observed have one
shared quality – an unshakeable belief that they will succeed."
Gironda knew training and nutrition better than probably
anyone else, yet he still never underestimated how important the mind was for achieving
success – not just for top-flight competitors, but for everyday people he trained
also. In one of his courses called "A Muscle Has Four Sides" he wrote, "I
will tell you now what the secret of success really is. Believe that the course I give
will work, and it will. If you have doubts, and don’t put everything into it, then
you will find it won’t work."
No matter how clever Vince’s exercises were and how
precisely he outlined set and rep schemes, he knew that if the person’s mind
wasn’t into the program, they’d never succeed.
But despite how much Gironda or even Schwarzenegger talked
about the power of the mind, many people didn’t, and still don’t, listen to
their good advice. Too bad, because the mind is crucial to making progress, but it’s
often overlooked in favor of the latest diet fad or training routine. As a result, people
fixate on precise numbers of sets and reps they should do in the gym, or obsess over how
many grams of carbs and protein they should eat, when, in fact, they should consider how
important the mind is in obtaining the results they really want. Instead of counting sets,
reps, and grams of food, they should be focusing on their minds first. As I mentioned
before, the mind is one of the most powerful tools a competitor has.
So, next time you’re watching a top-level fitness or
figure contest and you watch as the champion gets crowned, know that they don’t just
have a good body, they likely have a good mind, too. Start developing yours, if you
haven’t already.
...Doug Schneider
das@seriousaboutfitness.com |
