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Mental Stress and Bodybuilding
by Wycked

The importance of a sound mind is highly underrated in today's world of contest prep and also is critical in a person’s everyday lifting. If you’re a stress bag who's high strung and wound up odds are your not as big as you could be or if you’re getting ready for a show odds are your not as lean or dry as possible. On top of most likely having raised levels of cortisol coursing through your veins which is physiologically hindering your physical appearance and output, you are also so wasting so much mental energy fighting these outside forces you’re shutting down mentally.

It's not a perfect world and many of us including myself have to work our asses off to make a living. This is the first and most prominent cause of stress in many of our lives. The stress of working long hours, getting run down, worrying about finances, all add up and take a toll on your physical and mental well being. Many people that have such hectic lives neglect themselves nutritionally as well they don't eat enough or they're in such a rush they make poor food choices and go with fast food. Sometimes the odd rush meal can't be avoided but to make these choices everyday is doing nothing but setting you back in the development of your physique and to the detriment of your overall health.

Poor nutrition is the most blatant culprit for undermining one's development or ability to dial in for a show but in my opinion your mental state is just as important.

If I had a dollar for every time I heard a story about a guy or girl getting ready for a show and their significant other stressing them out, I'd be fuckin rich. It's amazing how once one person in the relationship starts to focus more on themselves and less on their partner , how much tension it creates.

Now I can only speak from personal experience but I've never done well at a show when I had the stress of a girlfriend weighing down on me. In fact I've dated and seen friends of mine that were dating girls that pick massive fights the night before or the day of a show. I've also had friends who call me up and tell me their girlfriend has thrown their shit all over the lawn and locked them out of the house while dieting. This type of stress sometimes can't be avoided but if it’s happening more often than not time to get a new girlfriend and start over, guys. Bodybuilding is a very selfish sport by its nature if you can't find someone that supports you then cut their ass out of the picture.

One thing I've noticed in my career thus far is that the most calm dude backstage at a show is more often than not the dude that wins the show. Let's look Mr. Olympia, Phil Heath for a second. Now I'm just speculating here because of course I was not back stage at The O, but my guess is he was mentally calm as could be. Think about it he's got all the pieces in place--a great trainer and nutritionist, he looks the best he's ever seen himself I'm sure, he has a supporting and loving wife, is surrounded by friends and has an air tight game plan. It all lines up perfectly, so why stress? While all are not so lucky, having the right frame of mind and a tranquil sense of peaceful confidence obviously goes a long way.

I guess the point I'm trying to make here is a simple one. Cut anything out of your life that takes you off of your desired path and fill your life with people that support you no matter what. This is real bodybuilding talk in my opinion. Fuck how many sweet potatoes you eat or if you carb cycle. Who cares? This is the real shit that matters. The mental state of most high level bodybuilders and aspiring pros is a constant battle, turmoil in their personal lives and within their relationships take stress levels off the charts. Only surround yourself with people that truly care and want to see you succeed.