Last month Sport Psychologist Steven Binns, Jr. Psy.D came to Renov8 Fitness to speak about Peak Performance. We loved what he shared so much that we captured the key points of his presentation so you, too, can better understand and get one step closer to improving your flow and performance.
Flow and Peak Performance
- Peak performance is when a person performs to the maximum of their abilities.
- Flow is an experience of intense focus on the activity with awareness on the action, low sense of self-awareness, a sense of control, transformation of time (time was slow or time passed quickly) with all activities and feelings happening simultaneously.
- Peak performance and flow take practice and time.
- Flow states are usually not a lengthy experience but rather short periods where distractions are kept minimum.
- External pressure, like a time limit or crowd of people watching, can increase or decrease focus, which affects performance.
- Paying attention to automatic self-talk messages can affect performance. Being aware of the messages one says to oneself, before, during and after a particular activity can reveal areas of growth and areas of strength.
Having a mental preparation plan weeks or months before an event is likely to give an edge over competition who may not have had mental training.
Ironically enough, yesterday I experienced a moment at the gym in which I paid attention to my own self-talk. I was feeling sluggish and fatigued mid-workout and suddenly remembered Dr. Binns' presentation. I made a decision to shift my negative mental state into a positive one so I could successfully perform the back squat at 78% of my max for 7 rounds. You can read that experience HERE in one of my Facebook posts from yesterday.
When have you been self-aware and able to make a positive change?