Sandi Stuart - Panic!

Why DO I panic at the end of prep? Seriously. When everything is just going smoothly ... every (or ALMOST) workout is a good one ... diet is on point. So why do I panic?  I was pondering this at 5am today when I couldn't sleep due to the impending threat of newly-instituted fasted cardio. Why DO I panic?

I think it's a conditioned response; I think that I am programmed to panic, sort of like Pavlov's dogs. In fact, I think MOST of us panic at the end.  Years of preps past, it's always push push push to the bitter end ... keep going and fingers crossed that everything comes together ... that the booty looks 'right' without having to sacrifice too much precious muscle from elsewhere on my frame.  But why? Why does it HAVE to be that way?
 
In theory, this should be a gradual process, no? This should be head-down, putting in the work, 'do the right things and the progress WILL happen.' So again, why do I panic?  Honestly, I think I do it out of habit. In the past, it's been 'hurry up and try to get the extra offseason weight off as fast as possible'. But, I've made some serious lifestyle changes and attitude adjustments over the past year, so that really hasn't been an issue. I don't ever get OUT of shape, so why do I worry I won't be IN shape come showtime?  Ridiculous, right?
 
By the same token, why do I needlessly worry that a routine element won't 'hit' onstage?  I mean, out of the thousands of times I perform that stuff, I can probably count on my fingers alone the number of times things have gone wrong beyond repair. So, why this unneccessary angst?  If I were a gambler, I'd take those odds as being strongly in my favor; I'd put money on the fact that I'm likely to do things right.  Am I really so bored that I need to invent distractions to torment myself and cause me to lose sleep at night? Doubtful. Trust me, my life is a non-stop whirlwind of activity, so I'm pretty certain the answer to that one is 'no'.
 
I vividly recall being somewhere in Georgia on the road to Jr USA's, and I was worrying about one routine element. I had to do what sports psychologists refer to as 'thought stopping'; one immediately stops the negative internal dialogue and replaces it with positive thinking.  I changed my dialogue from 'I might screw up this move' to 'Why WOULD I screw that up? I've done it hundreds of times and never fallen.'  And, do you know what? Onstage, at showtime? That part was PERFECT.
 
So, my goal for the next 13 days is to set myself up for success rather than failure, but more simply stated? I'm not gonna panic. Nope, I've put in the work. I've got nothing to panic ABOUT. (Unless there is a total lack of cheeseburgers and ranch dressing in the Greater Orlando area on April 17th. Then, folks, well, we've got a problem!)

 

Posted Apr 06, 2010 by Erik Ledin.
This entry is filed under Guest Blogs, Contest Prep, and IFBB Pros.
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