Psychling Psychology

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In this revealing eBook, Arnie Baker, M.D. provides an exclusive profile test and stress questionnaire to help you identify your personality characteristics – for better or worse!

Then he shows you how make the most of your strong attributes in cycling while reducing the impact of those that can hold you back.

Psychling Psychology is a fascinating look into the mindset of competitive cyclists. It also has plenty of value for every rider who wants to complement training and technique with a sharp mental edge.

Dr. Baker has coached racers to several Olympics, 30 national records and 80 national championships. He has authored or co-authored 14 cycling books and more than 750 articles. On the bike, Dr. Baker is a category 1 racer who has set eight U.S. 40K time trial records and won more than 200 races, including multiple national championships. He practices what he preaches!

In this excerpt from page 60, Dr. Baker describes seven classic behavioral traits seen among enthusiastic cyclists. They're especially stark among those who race. See anyone you know?

EXCERPT: Personality Changes

Athletes often undergo personality changes during training or competition.

Here's some information about how and why athletes can be spacey, tired, moody, glum, irritable, erratic, depressed, grouchy, mean, loud, belligerent, aggressive, tearful, withdrawn, or manic.

By understanding the mechanisms involved, athletes and coaches can learn to tolerate, anticipate, expect, understand, and modify such changes.

Common Scenarios

The Bonked Athlete: Tired, cranky, or tearful, the athlete responds quickly to a short rest and a sugary drink or a high-glycemic snack.

End of the Race/Ride: Adrenalin high, the athlete is loud, talks a lot, and speaks quickly. This athlete is obnoxious for about 15 minutes.

The Victorious Athlete: Adrenalin super-high, fist in the air, this athlete is the greatest, and lets the whole world know. Greatness diminishes in about 30 minutes, unless the athlete is severely adrenalin-poisoned.

The Crash or Mechanical Incident: Adrenalin high and somewhat exhausted from racing, many observers know before it happens: This athlete will enter the "How-Far-Can-I-Throw-the-Bike" contest. Normalcy returns in 15 to 30 minutes.
 
The Losing-Weight Athlete: The losing-too-much-weight-while-trying-to-keep-intensity-training athlete performs relatively poorly, and is tired, headachy, and cranky. A few good meals and/or easy-riding days can be restorative.

The Overtraining Athlete: The drive to succeed is counterproductive. Performance worsens. Fatigue, moodiness, worthless feelings, lack of enjoyment, disturbed sleep, and depression may all be present. A period of complete, relative, or active recovery is needed.

The Physically-Exhausted Athlete: Combine low blood sugar, muscle fatigue, and adrenalin exhaustion. This athlete can burst in tears whether he or she has won or lost, succeeded or failed, whether in training or in racing. Once again, quiet time and some carbs can help restore this athlete.

TOC: Psychling Psychology

Sports Psychology Intro Cycling Psych Profile Goal Setting Motivation Confidence Arousal Focus & Breathing Affirmations & Imagery Overtraining Stress Questionnaire Anxiety Pain Management Personality Changes Breaking Bad Habits Dealing with Bad Results Excerpt