Benefits of Meditation for Bodybuilding

Bodybuilders are a unique breed. They may spend hours each day in the gym and lots of time eating and planning meals. When we talk about a healthy lifestyle, most bodybuilders think about their eating and workout habits. They often neglect their mental health, which can be an important part of overall health. Meditation is a practice that has been around since ancient times which fosters overall health and mental discipline. However, meditation can even improve a bodybuilder’s results in the gym as well as their overall physique. Here we will discuss the benefits of meditation for bodybuilders specifically.

What is Meditation?

Meditation is a state of mind in which one is focused and aware of the present moment. Mindfulness is a form of meditation and can be used as a tool to help with anxiety, stress, and other mental health issues. Meditation is not about emptying the mind, but rather being present and aware of thoughts and feelings as they arise. There are many different types of meditation, and it can be practiced in a variety of ways.

One of the main goals is to quiet the mind and to focus on what is most important. It fosters discipline and focus on the tasks that are most important to you while allowing you to waste less energy on the past regrets and future worries.

Meditation is free and can be performed by anyone with no downsides or side effects. So it is generally recommended that everyone includes some form of meditative practice into their life whether it be small or large.

Benefits of Meditation for Bodybuilding

Some may think it strange for bodybuilders to meditate since the general image of a bodybuilder is rough and loud, slamming weights in the gym to loud music. However, that is just what is posted on Instagram and that is the catabolic phase of their training which tears down their muscles. But no muscles will grow or recover without the anabolic phase governed more by your parasympathetic or relaxation side of your nervous system. That is what actually builds muscle. Mediation helps to enhance that side of it while also having the ability to enhance your actual workouts. 

Some of the main benefits of meditation for bodybuilding are reduced stress levels, improved sleep, and enhanced focus and concentration, all of which will contribute to better results in the gym.

Meditation Reduces Stress

Meditation has been shown to be an effective way to reduce stress. A recent study found that people who regularly meditated had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol than those who didn’t meditate. This is likely because meditation helps to clear the mind and focus on the present moment, rather than worrying about the future or dwelling on the past. 

And since cortisol is catabolic, it can inhibit muscle protein synthesis which is an anabolic or building process. So bodybuilders only want to be putting stress on the body when they are in the gym but should control their stress as much as possible out of the gym. And not only does the stress hormone cortisol affect muscle building, it also is related to belly fat storage, which can hurt aesthetic goals.

With the help of meditation, they will be able to control stress more which can increase their ability to build muscle and stave off fat.

Meditation Improves Sleep

Meditation has also been found to be an effective way to improve sleep. A recent study found that people who meditated for 20 minutes before bed fell asleep faster and slept more soundly than those who didn’t meditate.

Sleep is super important to bodybuilders because that is when our body’s most anabolic. We are recovering from the day and workouts and those that workout intensely need even more sleep from all of the muscle breakdown. So proper sleep will ensure proper recovery, less soreness, and more muscle gains.

Meditation can help to quiet the mind and allow you to focus on the present moment. Most of the time we struggle with sleep because we are either thinking about how the day went or stressing over what the day will look like tomorrow.

So bodybuilders should meditate before bed to help clear the mind and prepare themselves for deep, restorative sleep.

Meditation Enhances Focus and Concentration

Meditation is a practice that can enhance focus and concentration. When we meditate, we focus on our breath or a mantra, and we let go of distracting thoughts. This allows us to train our attention span and develop our ability to concentrate. Over time, we can learn to control our thoughts and direct our attention more effectively.

Focus is very important in bodybuilding. For this reason, many pre-workout supplements contain nootropics which help to enhance mental focus and clarity. People also listen to music to help drown out the rest of the world.

Meditation trains us to eliminate distractions and focus on what we want to focus on. This will help to focus more on specific muscle contractions and less on what happened earlier that day or what you will do after. The mind-muscle connection is important for performing exercises correctly. It is a subtle advantage but a bodybuilder will do whatever they can to have a more effective workout.

So not only does meditation help in recovery, it also teaches skills which will help during the actual workout.

How to Start Meditating?

First of all, we already did a whole article on this here, however let’s explore how a bodybuilder or anyone could start meditating. There are many forms of meditation. You could be sitting, laying down, standing, walking, etc. Your mental state is what is more important. But here are some tips to get started:

1. Set a time to meditate.
2. Create a relaxed, focused environment.
3. Get into a comfortable position.
4. Focus and notice your breathing.
5. Notice your five senses.
6. Gently observe your thoughts without judgment.

When we talk about focusing on your breathing and thoughts, it is more than just noticing them. Try to make your breath the only thing you are thinking about. While you do that, notice how your skin feels, how the air sounds, how your mouth tastes, etc. So you are taking it deeper than what you notice in just everyday life. And when you have distracting thoughts, you don’t get annoyed at the thoughts. You just notice they are there but separate yourself from them and let them pass by on their own. This is a great start to performing mindfulness meditation which is probably the most commonly used in western society.

You can also search free guided meditations on YouTube or use meditation apps to get started.

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You don’t have to be perfect with meditation but you have to be as consistent as possible to see the best results. It is like working out but for the mind. Mastering meditation and having a disciplined mind not only helps with bodybuilding, but with every aspect of daily life. It is free and there are no side effects, so you might as well give it a try!