Mental Toughness: Endurance and Grit Tips from Elite Performance Coach Rachel Vickery
Nov 1, 2023
54:10
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Rachel Vickery, high-performance consultant, discusses topics such as developing interoception, using cold therapy for coaching moments, entering the arousal state, breathing mechanics, and setting yourself up for success in high-pressure environments.
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Quick takeaways
Developing body awareness through ice bath exposure can help individuals de-escalate their arousal state and improve performance in high-pressure moments.
Managing lifestyle factors like sleep, hydration, nutrition, and stressors is crucial for maintaining optimal performance.
Bringing awareness to physiological changes, reframing tasks as opportunities for growth, and integrating different aspects of performance are key in performing under pressure.
Deep dives
Understanding pressure and performing under high stakes
In this podcast episode, Rachel Vickery, a high-performance consultant and sports physiotherapist, shares her insights on performing under pressure. She discusses her experience as a professional gymnast and the intense pressure she faced at a young age. Rachel explains how the pressure of letting teammates, coaches, and the entire country down affected her performance. She also emphasizes the importance of learning to manage the physiological stress response and breathing mechanics to optimize performance in high-pressure situations.
Interoception and the role of body awareness
Rachel Vickery highlights the concept of interoception, which is the ability to sense and be aware of one's internal body state. She shares how ice bath exposure can help individuals develop body awareness and understand their physiological responses to stress. By paying attention to bodily sensations and breathing mechanics, people can train themselves to de-escalate their arousal state and improve performance in high-pressure moments. Rachel emphasizes the role of breath control and the power of leveraging gratitude or opportunity as mental tools to regulate arousal and achieve optimal performance.
Buffering the system and managing lifestyle factors
Rachel Vickery stresses the significance of buffering the system by managing lifestyle factors. She highlights the importance of consistent sleep, adequate hydration, proper nutrition, and managing stressors in order to maintain a full gas tank for high-stakes performance. Rachel explains that reducing aesthetic load, which includes factors like fear of failure, toxic environments, and external pressures, can help individuals have more control over their arousal state and make better decisions in critical moments. Overall, she emphasizes the value of nurturing a holistic approach to performance optimization.
Managing Performance Under Pressure
One key insight discussed in the podcast is the impact of physiological changes on performance under pressure. The speaker explains that when an individual is faced with high stakes and the fear of failure, their respiratory mechanics change, altering their biomechanics and causing a shift in performance. By bringing awareness to these changes and providing techniques such as dropping the shoulders, breathing out, and using peripheral vision, individuals can regain control over their performance and replicate the optimal state needed for success.
Reframing Outcomes and Evaluating Performance
Another important point covered in the podcast is the need to shift the focus away from outcome-based thinking and instead evaluate performance based on principles and values. The speaker encourages individuals to shift their mindset from being outcome-focused to being process-focused. By reframing difficult tasks as opportunities for growth and curiosity, individuals can better manage their mental, physical, and emotional arousal, allowing them to perform at their best under pressure. The conversation also highlights the importance of integrating different areas of performance, such as physical and psychological aspects, to optimize overall performance.
On this week’s episode, WHOOP VP of Performance Science, Principal Scientist, Kristen Holmes is joined by Rachel Vickery. Rachel works with high performers in professional and elite sport, corporate and elite military who need to do big and difficult things where the stakes are high and the impact is significant for many. Now she is working as a High-Performance Consultant optimizing the physiological stress response so good people can execute when it matters and sustain long careers in these environments. Kristen and Rachel will discuss getting introduced to pressure (2:35), developing interoception (10:54), creating coaching moments through ice baths (14:10), entering the arousal state (17:45), cold therapy as a training and awareness piece (24:33), being in the moment vs natural arousal states (32:10), preparing for the arena as a high performer (38:46), breathing mechanics and performance (43:45), and setting yourself up for success (45:15).