Photo By Bev Childress

Social psychologist and Harvard researcher Amy Cuddy goes deep into the research of the influences of non-verbal behavior. Through research, she found that we are influenced by nonverbal behavior. The most exciting part? Our own non-verbal behavior has the ability to change how we feel.

Expressions of power and dominance are clear to see both in the animal kingdom and sport. This involves opening up the body and taking up the most space—an outstretched gorilla beating its chest or world record holder Usain Bolt with his arms out and fully extended after winning his race. In that moment, it’s clear that the performer of the expression feels powerful.

Conversely, the powerless like to close up, wrap themselves up, and appear smaller. The fetal position is an example of this. One’s shoulders are typically hunched over as a way of trying to “shrink.” Those in this position seem to lack confidence.

How the person feels seems to dictate how they appear and act, however, that’s not all. Cuddy goes on to explain that our non-verbal behavior also has an effect on how we feel and think about ourselves. In short, the mind-body relationship goes both ways, and you can use this to your advantage. Trying forcing a smile for two minutes and see how that affects your mood.

So, why is this important? From Cuddy’s research, it appears that non-verbal behavior affects us on a physiological level, too.

Controlling Your Hormone Levels Through Non-Verbal Behavior

For this research, subjects were tested for testosterone (the “dominance hormone”) and cortisol (the “stress hormone”). Those with powerful non-verbal behavior showed higher amounts of testosterone and lower amounts of cortisol, and the reverse was also true. Those with powerless non-verbal behavior showed lower amounts of testosterone and higher amounts of cortisol.¹

The research didn’t end here. Next, Cuddy ran an experiment in which test subjects were instructed to either assume a power position or a powerless position for two minutes. Saliva samples were also taken before and after to measure any possible changes that occurred as a result of the experiment. The results were nothing short of fascinating.

Those who were instructed to stand or sit in a position of power saw a 20% increase in testosterone and a 25% decrease in cortisol. Conversely, those who stood or sat in a position of low power saw a 10% decrease in testosterone and a 15% increase in their cortisol. In plain English, those who assumed a power pose felt more dominant and less stressed while those who assumed a position of low power felt the opposite.¹

Hormones Influence Performance

Studies show that healthy level of testosterone leads to higher athletic performance, along with numerous other benefits. On the other hand, excess cortisol levels lead to sub-optimal performance and decreased recovery over time. In short, for peak performance, you want higher levels of testosterone and lower levels of cortisol.

These findings present us with an opportunity to improve our athletic performance along with our mental well-being by focusing on our non-verbal behaviors. Tiny tweaks seemingly lead to big changes. Just think; the test subjects stood or sat in their respective positions for all of two minutes and notable differences were found.

Body language is something you can mindfully pay attention to outside of working out. Make it a habit to force yourself to assume a power pose throughout the day. Based on the research, your body will thank you.

References:

1. Cuddy, Amy. “Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are“. TED: Ideas Worth Spreading. October 1, 2012. Accessed March 18, 2018.

2. Wood, Ruth I., and Steven J. Stanton. “Testosterone and Sport: Current Perspectives“. Hormones and Behavior. October 1, 2011. Accessed March 18, 2018.

3. Rupp, Ted. “How Cortisol Effects Performance“. LinkedIn. June 12, 2015. Accessed March 18, 2018.

The post Why Body Language Can Help You Dominate Your Training appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

The suplex is wrestling’s equivalent to the home run. It is equal parts crowd pleaser and high point scorer. We’ll first start with how to execute the throw and how to train to reach the mobility necessary to execute the coolest move in wrestling.

Execution of the Suplex

In order to launch your opponent in style, you should be standing behind your opponent. Since virtually no opponent is going to let you get completely behind them without resistance, this will require that you get behind your opponent by setting up a duck-under or an arm drag. Both moves give you the possibility of getting behind your opponent, and there are several variations as to how to execute either move.

Now, the fun part—the suplex requires that you do four things in quick succession:

1. Lock your hands around your opponent. Ideally, your hands should be locked around their waist or stomach.
2. Plant your feet as close to your opponent at possible. This makes it easier to launch your opponent. Starting out, try practicing it with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width.
3. Push your hips in and fully arch your back. Most of the strength is generated from the legs and hips, so don’t be shy with this step. Performing this step halfway actually increases the likelihood of hurting yourself, as you can fall backwards with your opponent on top of you.
4. Without breaking your grip, turn your hips to either the right or the left and get behind your opponent to maintain control.

These steps, of course, are easier said than done.

Prep Work: Back Mobility

If you can do a standard bridge with your back arched and hands planted on the mat, then you are physically capable of performing a suplex. If this is not the case, don’t worry. You can build up the mobility over time, but you’ll have to be patient.

Shoulder bridges are the easiest starting point. Here, you’re looking to dig your feet in and push your hips forward as far as possible. You can do this for reps or hold the shoulder bridge for a certain amount of time just as you would for a plank.

Tables help you open your chest enough so that your upper back is mobile enough to get into bridge position. This is generally done more as an isometric hold position than for repetitions.

Bridge walks on a wall are the next step. Start with your back against the wall, and take one or two paces forward. Then, arch backwards as if you were doing a suplex and walk down the wall with your hands. These are difficult to do at first, and fear can set in for some people. Wall bridge walks get your mind used to arching backwards, and people occasionally have mental blocks in this step. Eventually, you will be able to do this without the wall, and that’s when you know your body is ready for the suplex.

Suplex Safety Tips

Once your body is ready and you can execute the suplex subconsciously in a safe environment, you are finally ready to score some style points on the mat. The following tips that will help you be able to feel good in your movements for years to come.

1. Tilt to one shoulder as you arch for an easier transition. To make this easier, visualize throwing your opponent over one shoulder as opposed to completely backwards.
2. Your partner is safest if he tucks his head in. This minimizes the risk of neck injury in the suplex. Ideally, your partner should land on his shoulder blades and upper back region.
3. Land on something soft like a wrestling mat. The suplex is a high impact move and should be treated as such.
4. If you have a history of back problems, be very careful. Consult a physician before you try anything.
5. Prep work may be required to arch your back enough to perform a proper suplex. This takes us to the next major component, the physical prep work.

The post The Suplex: A How-To Guide for Back Mobility appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

One of the most frustrating experiences in sport happens when you realize that you aren’t competing to your potential. All that hard work while having nothing to show for it will break anyone. Until I found the answer, it broke me and left me in tears.

When I wrestled in high school, I started to notice that I performed better in practice than in competition. My mental development simply could not keep up with my physical and technical development at the time as I had devoted hours upon hours of training and analyzing the wrestling greats. However, I had neglected to develop myself psychologically, and this was mostly due to the fact that the mental aspect of the sport was not a largely discussed topic at the time. As a result, my performances seemed almost forced and I couldn’t compete to my fullest potential. I felt as if I were driving a car with the emergency brakes on.

It became clear to me that I had an issue when I repeatedly failed to execute techniques that I had practiced and done so effortlessly during practices. In competition, none of my attacks felt as smooth and crisp as they had felt in training. Instead, I was stuck having to think about how to perform certain moves or how to respond in certain wrestling positions. Against mediocre competition, this was still enough to win. Against a high level competitor, this was the razor-thin margin between winning and losing. Opportunities to attack and score points can be created in fractions of a second or decided within a distance of several inches. Split second moments of hesitation or non-execution could ultimately decide the match, and they did. For a long time, I never seemed to be on the winning side of these decisions.

The Role of Sports Psychology

For several years, I had no idea what was wrong and how to fix my issue. I simply thought that I was not “good enough.” Occasionally, I would have performances that my coach would call “flashes of brilliance” in which my performance actually reflected what I was truly capable of. Unfortunately, these performances were rare occurrences and instead of improving, my performance anxiety got worse. My sub-par performances would bring me to tears, and I was miserable.

At one point, I had gotten so frustrated by my own performance that in a crying fit, I repeatedly punched a trash can in the visiting team locker room. My knuckles were bruised purple for days afterward. Eventually, I couldn’t handle it anymore and knew that I had to do something.

At the end of my second competitive season in college, I realized that I needed to understand sports psychology and performance psychology. This led me to pick up Josh Waitzkin’s book, The Art of Learning, where I learned about the inner workings of a world class performance.

After taking serious notes, I immersed myself in a series of different mental exercises in order to reach the inspired mental states in which world class performers seemed to perform their craft effortlessly. I found peak performance examples through other combat sports and disciplines in which the performers seemed unstoppable. How was this possible? The answer came to me in the form of mindfulness practice and meditation.

Consistent guided meditation was my answer. As a gift from a local sports psychologist, I received a sports visualization CD for peak performances. When I first tried this, I felt peace and clarity of mind that I had never felt before—and it was a wonderful feeling. However, I was unable to consistently carve out 30 minutes out of my day to listen to this CD, so I searched for a shorter alternative. A guided meditation app gave me exactly what I was looking for—short and sweet meditation sessions at my convenience. This became a staple in my daily routine, and I still meditate to this day.

The Role of Guided Meditation

Clearing my mind and clarity of focus led to new heights in my performances. During an off-season tournament that I attended with a few friends, I felt liberated. Instead of performing one attack at a time, I was able to fire off combinations of multiple attacks at once. I had removed the emergency brakes that had prevented me from competing to the best of my ability. Those split-second moments of hesitation were finally gone, and mindfulness had finally set me free to perform to my potential on the wrestling mat.

For the first time, I tried breathing exercises and visualization before my matches in order to bring my mind to the present moment—no anxiety, no emotional baggage, and no stress. The psychological noise had subsided and I delivered the best performance of my entire wrestling career. This became a good sign of things to come as I was finally able to enjoy and be present in every moment of competing. At last, the chains that held me down were broken. Finally, I was free.

You might also like:

• The Psychology Of Skill Development
• The 6 Steps To Building Mental Toughness
• 7 Ways To Create Better Mental Toughness
• The Science And Psychology Of Motivation For Athletes

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