Summer of Sports: Understanding What Motivates Top Athletes
After an intense week watching my twin sister compete in a weightlifting competition in Canada, and with the Olympics in full swing, one question keeps coming up: how do top athletes stay motivated?
When your twin sister gets to compete in her first Static Monster World Championship in Calgary, you go with her for support, of course - no questions asked! 🇨🇦
Well, okay, maybe some questions asked, because seeing firsthand all the things my sister Nadine and her co-competitor Scarlett go through every day for months to prepare for such a competition really put me in awe. Between the pre-competition gym sessions, the eating, and the weigh-in, we got to spend some quality time exploring Calgary and Banff with Scarlett and her friend Danielle (a.k.a. 'the handler' like me, which means anything from providing support to arranging logistics). This gave me plenty of time to get a better understanding of these two athletes' minds.
I’ve broken my observations down into the below 5 points:
1. Force of habit
When I asked about the sacrifices that have to be made to perform, and to pull your body through a training session several times per week, Nadine and Scarlett both shrugged. For them it’s the most normal thing in the world as it’s simply part of their routine. No need to even think about; they just show up and work on a predetermined schema.
And that brings me to the next point, because when I asked if they preferred prepping for a competition (and the strict diet and intense life style that comes with it) or normal training; they both preferred the former.
2. Having a goal
Having a dot on the horizon like a next competition ensures that athletes like Nadine and Scarlett push themselves every day to reach that next heavy lift, or that they make the weight cut. It provides structure to their training sessions, their diets and their lives. Another added benefit of this structured approach is that a goal seems way more attainable. It’s easier to add 0.25kg consistently every week than it is to add 10kg at the end of summer.
3. The desired behavior becomes part of your identity
If I were to ask Nadine and Scarlett if they think they are highly motivated individuals, they would probably say ‘no’. But if I would ask them if they think they are gym rats I bet you they would say ‘HELL YES’!
Seeing yourself a certain way eg. “I’m an athlete“ or “I’m a gym rat“, helps you in sticking to your habits. As an athlete it’s normal to train daily and therefore requires no extra mental strain. The opposite is also true; When you’re not working out and ‘being an athlete’ is part of you identity this conflict will result in a mental state of discomfort, or cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance theory, proposed by Leon Festinger, suggests that holding conflicting beliefs or attitudes results in discomfort, motivating the person to take away the discomfort by changing their attitude or behavior to be in line with their identity, a.k.a. going to the gym.
4. Feeling of accomplishment
Nadine mentioned that there is no other feeling in the world then getting up on stage for a competition and successfully completing a lift. She said that the hit of dopamine due to the brain’s positive reinforcement is so strong that it’s addictive.
"When something feels better than expected, dopamine sends a signal to your brain that says, 'You need to figure out how to make it happen again,'"
- Dr. Michael Treadway
5. Misery
One of my favorite authors on psychology and behavioral economics Dan Ariely, put forth an interesting thought. Namely, when we think of happiness what generally comes to mind is chilling on the beach while drinking piña coladas, and that pain gives us misery. But when you look at the things people do to get a hit of dopamine, it’s actually miserable things like running a marathon, starting a company or joining a weightlifting competition. That is because doing things that are not at all so joyful is what gives us the greatest sense of accomplishment and that big dopamine hit. Therefore, beating tough challenges and testing our abilities are a motivator.
Competitions - with the Olympics taking the cake - have an ecosystem of their own. The pressure that athletes put on themselves, the crazy nerves they have to handle, the focus they have to maintain, the essential warm-up to get a sense of what their body can handle, and the emotions after a failed or successful attempt. I find it truly inspirational to watch, and it breaks my heart to see an athlete disappoint themselves when they can’t show what they’ve got.
However, competitions are also the breeding grounds for rising above yourself for the world to watch. This is what happened with Scarlett, who broke the world record that was 8kgs more than her Personal Best, and she had room left to spare! Or what happened Yesterday when Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis broke the world record with 6.25m(!) in front of a full Stade de France.
I can’t wait to see my sister perform at the Olympics one day because she deserves to experience it all. Until then, I’ll be here to help by writing about what motivate her 😅
Now, I'd love to hear from you. What unconventional things motivate you? Or…
Do you have a role-model or someone you look up to for motivation?