009 - Mental & Physical Skills of the World's Best Athlete (with Damian Warner)
Feb 1, 2024
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World's best athlete Damian Warner, gold medalist in the Olympic Decathlon, reveals his journey to becoming a world-class athlete. He discusses his mental and physical approach, the importance of stacking consistently good days, and how to move on from both bad and good events. Warner also shares his use of visualization and pre-competition routines. He answers the question of whether winning silver or bronze is worse, and reflects on the life lessons and takeaways he gained from decathlon.
Consistent training and focusing on the process rather than perfect results are crucial for success in the Decathlon.
Maintaining balance, setting realistic expectations, and taking strategic rest contribute to sustained success in the Decathlon.
Visualization techniques, routines, and staying open-minded are essential for mental preparation and continuous improvement in sports and life.
Deep dives
The Decathlon: A Grueling Two-Day Competition
The Decathlon is a challenging two-day competition that features 10 different events from track and field. On the first day, athletes compete in the 100 meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, and 400 meter run. The second day includes the 110 meter hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw, and finishes with the 1500 meter run. Winning the Decathlon requires a high level of athleticism and mastery across all events.
Damian Warner's Journey to Becoming a Decathlete
Damian Warner, the current gold medalist and holder of the title 'Best Athlete in the World,' entered the Decathlon later in his career. He discovered the Decathlon in high school, thanks to his basketball coaches who later became his Decathlon coaches. Despite starting late, Damian quickly found success, winning silver at the Canadian Championships in 2010, just one year after beginning his training. Over a decade later, he won the gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics after years of dedication, perseverance, and continuous improvement.
Maintaining Mental and Physical Practices for Success
Damian Warner's longevity and success as a Decathlete can be attributed to his mental and physical practices. He emphasizes the importance of consistent training, staying focused on the process rather than obsessing over perfect results. Damian acknowledges the challenges of the Decathlon, where some events may be stronger while others are weaker. He emphasizes the need for balance and realistic expectations. Additionally, Damian takes time off after major competitions, giving his body and mind a chance to rest and recover. This combination of focused training, mental resilience, and strategic rest has contributed to Damian's sustained success in the Decathlon.
Visualizing Success and Finding Balance
The podcast episode discusses the importance of visualization in achieving success in sports and life. The guest, an athlete, shares how he visualized specific moments and scenarios, such as standing on the Olympics podium, to help him perform at his best. He emphasizes the need for balance in using visualization techniques and mentions how having a two-year-old child helps keep that balance. The athlete also reflects on how COVID-19 forced him to adapt to new training conditions, such as using a cold hockey rink, and how he and his team found alternative ways to train. Despite the challenges, this training cycle ultimately led him to win a gold medal.
Routines and Distractions for Mental Preparation
The podcast episode highlights the importance of routines in mental preparation. The guest discusses how having pre-shot routines in his sports performances, similar to golfers or professional kickers, helped him stay focused and prepared. He also mentions the use of a book containing cues and messages from loved ones and images, which served as a distraction and a reminder of why he does what he does. The athlete shares that the process of stacking good days and consistently working towards a goal, rather than relying on perfect performances, has been a valuable life lesson he learned from decathlon. He also emphasizes the importance of curiosity and staying open-minded to see what is possible and how one can continuously improve.
Over the course of two days, Olympic decathletes participate in ten different track and field events, ranging from pole vault and shot put to long jump and a 1500-meter run. It’s a grueling competition that requires speed, strength, explosiveness and technical ability, which is why, in addition to receiving a gold medal, the winner is also crowned the “best athlete in the world.” Right now, that title belongs to Canada’s Damian Warner, who took home the gold in Tokyo in 2021. On today’s episode, Warner opens up about his journey to becoming a world-class athlete: how he was introduced to the decathlon by his basketball coaches (who became, and are still, his decathlon coaches); how the very same year he started training, 2010, he won silver at the Canadian championships. He also goes deep on his mental and physical approach that has helped him sustain success for over a decade: why stacking consistently good days is more important than having great days; how to focus in a two-day, 10-event competition, including how to move on not just from an event that goes poorly but from an event that goes really well; how he uses visualization and pre-competition routines to anchor himself; and what training during a Covid and having a kid taught him about the importance of being flexible.
