Success in weightlifting can be distilled down to three disciplines: strength, technique, and mind. Examine your missed attempts - where was the breakdown? Examine your makes - where did these three concepts collide?
Strength - am I actually strong enough to make this weight? You can have perfect technique, and the most positive of intentions, but certain weights will still be out of reach. You simply don’t have the strength for it. Strength is developed over time, through careful and calculated application of stress.
Technique - am I moving in the most efficient way possible? If your mind is focused and the number on the bar makes sense in the context of your current developmental state, there may be a technical error that is keeping you from making the weight. Sometimes technique can be fixed with a quick cue or a simple drill; sometimes it requires the unlearning and relearning of patterns, thousands of reps with mindful attention on the details of the movement.
Mind - do I believe in myself? Am I allowing fear to creep in? Am I creating a story around my situation that is untrue? The mind is simultaneously the simplest and most complex piece of the triangle. This is the only component of your training that you are always in complete control of at all times.
Technique development may require an outside source to point something out, and thousands of repetitions to refine. Strength is developed over time, with lots of dedicated effort, and many sessions spent patiently adding kilos to the bar. But the mental game - the flow state, the elusive head space of success - is a matter of moment to moment attunement and alignment.
Sometimes you need reassurance that your strength and technique will support you if you simply choose to put your fear aside. Sometimes you need time and space to work through past experiences that are clouding your decision. Yes, I can, I will, or no, I cannot, I will not. You can go through all the motions, be very strong, put up huge numbers in training, eat a regimented diet, take all the right supplements, tirelessly drill your technique, and still have nothing to show for it when you step up to the bar in competition. Because the piece of the triangle that is often overlooked is the place a true winner spends the most time studying - the mind.
