Visualization

Miss having a barbell in your hands? Worry your Olympic lifting skills are getting rusty? Do you think your form is going out the window?  If you think Covid enforced isolation will inevitably erode all your progress, consider this.

James Nesmeth spent 7 years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. He was kept in a tiny cage, completely isolated. His health and his body deteriorated. To keep his mind from wasting away,  he developed a mental escape. Each day, in his mind, he would get out and play 18 holes of golf. He would head out onto the course without fail. He took his time and visualized each and every shot. He focused on every detail of the game; the feel of the club, the smell of the grass, the sounds of the birds. Every day for 7 years he saw in his mind each and every shot. He worked on every aspect of his game, all without ever leaving his tiny cell.

James Nesmeth was at best an average golfer before his imprisonment. Shortly after being released, he played his first real game of golf in over 7 years. Although his physical condition had suffered greatly, he shot a 74 and had taken 20 shots off of his previous average. 

Do you need to improve your clean and jerk? Need to drop faster under that snatch? Want to improve your deadlift form? You can! You may not have a barbell, but you do have a broom handle or an old hockey stick kicking around. Grab your make-believe barbell and make the mental trip to the gym. Visualize the lifts you want to work on. Go through the motions with or without the broom in your hands. Mentally load the weight on that imaginary bar and give it a rip. You won’t have to spend 7 years at it, but by the time we’re ready to open our doors, you’ll be ready for the PR board! 

They can put your body in quarantine, but they can’t stop your brain from going to the gym!

Coach Mark