What is a pre-workout ritual and how to make your own.

From wearing the same childhood goggles to giving dad “the bird”, many professional athletes have wild, wacky pre-competition and pre-workout rituals. To some of us, these may seem like just another PR stunt or attempt at grabbing attention, but is there really a method to this madness? 

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A pre-competition or workout ritual mainly refers to an action that users take right before engaging in a sports-related activity.

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The main purpose of these rituals is to get an athlete or runner's head into the zone and increase their focus. Sometimes, the effect can be small, getting them to focus a little more. Other times, it can be like flipping a switch. One moment a person can be joking around and the next, they can be a lean, mean, running machine.

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In a sense, these self-chosen actions become a mental trigger after repeated use. From then on, its about linking being in the zone (or getting into a state of “flow”) whenever you do this action. It can be as simple as squeezing your right hand, but as long as the link is strong enough, these simple actions can have significant results.

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So now that we know what they do, let’s try to make our own.

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1. Think of an action that you want to associate with focus. Make sure that its something that you are comfortable with. We usually recommend something simple (like squeezing your thumb or rubbing your forearm) so its easy to repeat.
   
   
2. Whenever you want to focus, try to make it a habit of doing this action before doing so. This helps to create an association or link between this action and focusing on our work.
   
   
3. Keep this as a habit for at least 2 months. Its a common misconception that habits form within 21 days. For a safer chance of building a connection like this, we recommend trying to maintain this habit for at least 2 months.

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The ideal end result should provide you with a unique mental trigger that you can use, not just in running and exercise, but also your everyday life. 

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We challenge you to try this out. Make your own pre-run ritual and let us know if it works. We’d love to find out what works for you and help you improve!

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