Stress and emotional state

These notes combine advice from 44 reviewed passages across 33 workouts.

Overview

Emotional state is part of training performance. Performance and perceived difficulty can rise and fall from day to day, and the mood of the moment affects them. Excitement and stress disrupt focus, make the rope catch, and make balance holds unstable, while a calm, relaxed mental state supports execution. [5] [13] [17] [19]

A relaxed, non-forcing mindset can make efforts come much more easily, and the value of a workout does not depend on starting in a good mood. The workout done on a low day can pay off more than one done at peak energy. [10] [12]

Calmness for balance and skill work

Balance work should be entered calmly. Take a deep breath and keep the body and the mental state relaxed, peaceful, and fluid; you will hold much longer. [13]

A racing heart disrupts the focus a handstand needs as a static movement. Excitement arises and you cannot hold the position. Stay calm and steadfast while concentrating. [17]

Excitement makes balancing very difficult even when you are strong. Keep a calm mind and breathe. [22]

Treat the handstand as a relaxation movement and approach it without haste, placing the limbs down one at a time. [3]

Handstands need composure. A short time limit and workout stress make the hold harder, but the goal is to perform under those conditions, so learn to hold in those situations too. [31] [32]

Preserve your calmness extremely well, especially when chasing a record. [34]

Stress and its effects

Excessive stress and tension can make the rope catch. Stay relaxed for clean rope work. [5]

Being watched can interfere with performing a movement that you can sustain when unobserved. Unfamiliar places can also cause normal awkwardness in movements, while a familiar home or regular gym makes you more comfortable and helps you progress; the effect is psychological. [16] [21]

Enjoying an activity and staying relaxed can support better adaptation and performance. [6]

Reaching a very high number can create a psychology where you want to stay at that point. [30]

Sit-ups are tiring and somewhat frustrating, and people often do not feel like doing them, which makes getting through them harder. Long plank holds can become a mental challenge; there is a block, and once you pass it you can keep holding. [28] [35]

Balance is closely related to mental state. [23]

Stress outside training

Uncertainty can weigh on a person, and being idle on top of it can make things worse. Resolving the situation brings relief. [7]

Even severe periods of stress eventually pass. [42]

Mental strategies

Do not reinforce a negative self-assessment by repeating it. Trick your brain: even when you are doing badly, act as though you are doing well. [2]

Getting angry at yourself during a skill attempt is distracting; refocus on the task and treat each attempt as a point gained. [20] [29]

Treat a new day as a fresh start rather than carrying the previous day’s gloom into it. [38]

It can be good to embrace a very difficult training situation rather than avoid it. [40]

Stay relaxed and do not carry the stress with you. The effort is not a high-stakes competition. [37] [41]

Training through low moods

The workout you complete when your mood is lowest and you least want to train can be the most valuable. It can come back to you two or three times over. [10]

Keep showing up for the discipline without stopping. Consistency matters more than any single day’s level. [19]

Coach’s experience

He has dealt with heavy stress himself. Uncertainty and idleness pulled him down at one point. Another time, being stuck, with training, personal development, and finances all failing to improve, contributed to a depressed state. [7] [8]

He also recalls training gymnastics during a stretch when low happiness and the lack of a proper relationship pulled him down. Uncertainty in some areas has the same effect. [9]

In his own training, sport has been a support. Training revives him even when he feels very bad. During periods of severe stress he could not tell anyone about, sport held his hand and pulled him up; without it, he would have kept spiraling. [15] [43]

He describes a past period of intense stress, with his head feeling like it was exploding from full-time stress from morning until midnight. [42]

Sometimes he waits for a low mood to push harder, because the effort pays off well for him. [11]

His own balance declines on some days. Excitement also cost him a record attempt: with a previous record around 22, he tried to approach 30 and lost the hold because he could not stay calm. [23] [34]

Very high volume or record attempts can make him hate the sport itself for a while. The feeling passes after about an hour, and he then sees the work as necessary and deserved. He also used to have the psychology that sets in after reaching a very high number. [30] [36]

He experiences spiritual calm more in balance than in yoga. When he stands balanced with his feet together, he feels something unlock and a different sensation, and he notes the experience differs for everyone. [33]

He prefers to describe wrist discomfort in mild terms, such as saying the wrists were strained a little, because catastrophic wording loads negative energy. [18]

He also puts himself in difficult training situations. [40]

Health notes

Coach’s claim

Excitement can speed up breathing during hard effort. [1]

Coach’s claim

Perceived energy and the ability to keep going can vary during training and depend on the daily mood. [4]

Coach’s claim

Balance movements need a calmer state than strength movements. If your heart is beating fast, slow it down, take a breath, and wait before entering if needed. [14]

Coach’s claim

Blood circulation and working muscles can make you feel better on a given day. [24]

Coach’s claim

Lifting weights can be a way to improve happiness. [25]

Coach’s claim

Activating the muscles can make you feel much better afterward. [26]

Coach’s claim

Competition stress can run very high in some people, and some have gone without sleep for two and a half to three days under it. [27]

Coach’s claim

When the body goes into alarm mode, the brain can stop the exercise. [39]

Coach’s claim

Do your sport and get your sleep during stressful periods. The stress will pass, and this will keep you standing. [44]

Sources

1. 2024-01-11, 3319.7-3333.8s

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2. 2024-01-29, 457.6-465.4s

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3. 2024-02-14, 3318.0-3323.6s

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4. 2024-02-16, 4428.1-4438.1s

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5. 2024-03-04, 921.4-931.7s

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6. 2024-03-12, 3323.9-3345.0s

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7. 2024-03-12, 4732.6-4742.7s

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8. 2024-03-12, 4757.7-4767.8s

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9. 2024-03-12, 4800.2-4825.2s

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10. 2024-04-03, 3806.3-3838.2s

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11. 2024-04-03, 3877.9-3884.3s

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12. 2024-05-02, 1063.7-1081.1s

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13. 2024-06-22, 3160.4-3171.8s

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14. 2024-08-21, 3870.0-3882.7s

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15. 2024-09-11, 790.4-802.9s

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16. 2024-09-14, 636.1-649.3s

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17. 2024-09-14, 3235.9-3253.5s

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18. 2024-09-19, 133.7-145.0s

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19. 2024-09-19, 232.0-251.9s

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20. 2024-10-17, 1871.2-1882.7s

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21. 2024-11-04, 3383.0-3387.8s

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22. 2024-11-19, 2549.3-2562.7s

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23. 2024-11-21, 2966.6-2973.7s

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24. 2024-12-05, 1557.0-1561.0s

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25. 2024-12-05, 1837.6-1841.2s

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26. 2024-12-05, 1844.8-1853.7s

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27. 2024-12-24, 669.0-676.8s

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28. 2025-01-19, 2175.9-2180.9s

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29. 2025-02-20, 1837.1-1844.9s

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30. 2025-03-05, 286.0-298.6s

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31. 2025-04-29, 2380.8-2395.9s

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32. 2025-04-29, 3933.1-3948.4s

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33. 2025-05-06, 5968.7-5984.4s

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34. 2025-05-08, 3501.3-3524.5s

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35. 2025-05-15, 1383.2-1396.5s

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36. 2025-07-15, 2803.2-2835.1s

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37. 2025-08-05, 330.8-333.1s

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38. 2025-10-07, 4488.2-4492.0s

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39. 2025-11-19, 4118.0-4123.0s

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40. 2025-12-02, 2356.7-2365.0s

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41. 2026-01-15, 954.6-959.0s

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42. 2026-02-24, 4836.5-4845.9s

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43. 2026-02-24, 5028.5-5040.0s

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44. 2026-02-24, 5125.2-5133.6s

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