In competitive strength sports, mindset can often be as important as physical strength — it can sift elite athletes to the top of the leaderboard. Similar to improving physical performance, cultivating the mental aptitude necessary for competitive success requires time, practice, and experience.
On Oct. 17, 2023, the reigning World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion Mitchell Hooper published a video on his YouTube channel wherein he discussed sports psychology in competitive strength sports with 10-time CrossFit Games athlete Noah Ohlsen. Check it out below:
[Related: 2023 Rogue Invitational Live Results and Leaderboard]
The conversation opened with how to maintain composure during a competition. At the beginning of his competitive CrossFit career, Ohlsen felt there was a specific way he was supposed to approach competition and would psyche himself up before taking the field:
I would imagine I was a caged animal like a bull stomping my feet back to get myself really fired up.
Although this heightened intensity helped Ohlsen rip through a workout, it also created mental friction if his performance fell short of his expectations, taking the fun out of competing. Over the years, Ohlsen shifted to focusing on the bigger picture, including gratefulness for the opportunity to compete at the highest level.
Happy but hungry is my mantra now.
Ohlsen’s new approach turned out to be a win-win scenario. It helped him enjoy competitions and simultaneously elevate his performance. “If I was always miserable, uptight, and anxious, then I probably would have stopped [competing] a long time ago,” said Ohlsen. “That’s way less enjoyable.”
Hooper admitted his conscious effort to calm himself down before a competitive event. That’s second nature for Ohlsen at this point in his competitive career. The 2023 CrossFit Games was likely Ohlsen’s final Games as an Individual athlete.
The tipping point for Ohlsen’s competitive psyche came when he won silver at the 2019 CrossFit Games behind five-time Fittest Man on Earth® Mat Fraser. Before that, Ohlsen was convinced that he had lost his edge and that that was going to be his final year competing at the highest level. Ohlsen stepped on the field, fully zoomed out, and found a deep appreciation for the experience.
Letting go of all that anticipation and anxiety can be very freeing and allow you to perform better.
Hooper and Ohlsen respectively competed in the strongman and CrossFit competitions at the 2023 Rogue Invitational from Oct. 26-29, 2023, at the Dell Diamond Stadium in Round Rock, TX. Hooper scored the overall win by two points over two-time WSM champion Tom Stoltman. Ohlsen finished in 10th overall.
Featured image: @nohlsen on Instagram
The post Noah Ohlsen and Mitchell Hooper Breakdown Competitive Strength Sports Psychology appeared first on BarBend.
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