Written by Team MD
26 October 2016

16NN174-JUSTIN

The Correct Mindset for a Workout

Justin Compton Explains

 

 

 

At 27 years of age Justin Compton is a young gun among his competitive peers and has made rapid progress since earning his pro card in 2012. Here he discusses how mental preparation determines gym performance.

 

 How do you mentally prepare for a workout?

 Ten minutes before a workout I take time out to mentally prepare myself for the torture I’m about to inflict on myself. In my mind I map out in what’s ahead of me in terms of exercises, sets, reps, poundages. From then on it's like it's all locked and loaded, no backing out; all that is left for me to do is pull the trigger. Sometimes those 10 minutes will take place in the car park, sometimes in the locker room, but I always take that 10 minutes. I just feel that by having that mindset going onto the gym floor, by actually thinking and calculating what I have to do in a workout, will make the session more productive. The bottom line is I have the workout on lockdown before I start.

 What happens if, for one reason or another, your energy levels are low and having set yourself a 12-rep target you’re done at eight? Does that sidetrack you?

 No. I don't get down about it or try to persevere with the risk of hurting myself. I just accept that’s it’s one of those days when I'm hitting the wall. What I'll do is continue to failure or ask for some forced reps and reduce the weight for the following set. As long as you go to failure and fatigue the muscle completely you're doing the job, whatever your energy levels. On the other hand if I set myself a target of say 10 reps and then suddenly find I have a strength surge and go past the 10, I’ll keep going until I reach failure. Then I’ll add more weight to the next set.

 Any other mental aspects of training?

 During every set I really concentrate on each stage of the movement and what I’m trying to accomplish at that point. I visualize what that exercise is doing to the muscle I'm targeting. I get into a habit of fusing my thoughts with the movement. I also do a lot of flexing of the muscles being worked between sets, so that I’m constantly aware of the function of the bodypart I’m training and what effect I’m trying to have on them.

 I for the most part use a rep range between 10 and 15. That highish rep range means you get the blood flowing better and for longer, which leads to a greater pump.

 Although you use free weights, you're quite a proponent of machines?

 Machines enable you to isolate the working muscle more by taking secondary muscles out of the game. For instance on many back exercises the biceps and forearms will come into play, and that alleviates the workload on the lats which you are trying to put under maximum stress. Machines allow you reduce the intervention of secondary muscles to an extent that is not possible with a lot of free weight exercises.

 Is there a key element that you would highlight as a priority for training in general?

Yes and this element applies to all bodyparts. I believe proper technique and full range of motion are the two keys factors in making muscle gains. You must use a weight that allows you to employ those two fundamentals. I don't look at the numbers -- whether it's two plates or ten plates -- if it feels heavy, it's heavy enough. Don't go loading on impractical poundages just to make you look like a hero. If the weights you use cause you to struggle and use poor form, then that’s a giant roadblock to making muscle building progress.

 

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