The Science of Getting Pissed Off

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The Science of Getting Pissed Off

I had a bad day yesterday.  When I have bad days, I get stressed.  When I get stressed, I smash.  However, I don’t smash with intent like I normally do.

I want to make a huge distinction between being angry and frustrated to the point of being stressed.  Anger has been proven to jack up testosterone levels and lower cortisol.[1]  That’s why you’ll see a lot of Power Lifters listening to “angry” music:  It’s great for testosterone levels!   I’ll be the first to admit that when I train for shorter sets, I’m blasting rap or loud rock music.

My premise for this post:  I view anger as a feeling, a state of mind:  Stress is a hormonal trip.

From neurological and holistic standpoint, being angry for long periods causes stress.   Think about it:  Would you really like to be in the exact same mindset that you use for a 5 X 5 deadlift set while you’re at work crunching numbers or trying to meditate?  Didn’t think so.

When you’re stressed, your body reacts by releasing a hormone called cortisol.  (I know I mentioned it above, so you know it’s important.)  Cortisol numbs out pain for a bit, but when the pain finally sets in, you’re not only fighting a terrible feeling but also a hormonal imbalance.  Yet another reason to train for zen.  (End shameless blog plug.)

Personally, when I get stressed out, I can’t see.  Last night I was training Systema and couldn’t see the demos that my teacher was performing because I was mentally distracted and, hence, hormonally out of wack.  Imagine learning counter leg sweeps and you have no clue what is going on.  I got thrown around a lot last night...Last night hurt. 

I know, I know…starting my training in a compromised mood was a noob move.  I’m not perfect but I saved the night.

What did I do?  I slowed down my work with my training partners to ensure that my movements were more accurate so that I could try a higher speed later on.  Vision is the skill of seeing and processing data and then making a decision.[2]  If my visual intake isn’t sharp, there’s no way I’m going to be fast enough to learn or perform combat moves.   So, I slowed it down until I finally got a taste of the basics.   Was it optimal?  No.   Did I try my best to salvage it?  Yes. 

If you--like me--need to calm yourself down to achieve better training results, practice breath work, slow down your training speeds, train vision and balance, and use dynamic joint mobility to loosen up.  A body that is more calm is more efficient. 

Bottom line:  Emotions are what they are during training:  Controlling or letting them go is a personal choice.   However, stress has some major detrimental implications to your body’s endocrinology and as a result seriously messes with your training.

I know other people that can handle stress better—even while training—but I’m still working on it.  I definitely know that no matter what come November Kettlebell nationals, I can’t let stress mess with my performance and to uphold my training philosophy to practice relaxation.

At the end of every Systema class, we sit down and share our takeaways from the training session.  I concluded:  “There’s a difference between wanting something and being pissed off.  I guess that when I have to defend myself, I don’t have the luxury to be pissed off.”

Well, we know my stress manifests itself visually.  How does stress mess with your training and what do you do about it?

Sources:

1.     Neus Herrero, Marien Gadea, Gabriel Rodríguez-Alarcón, Raúl Espert, Alicia Salvador. “What happens when we get angry? Hormonal, cardiovascular and asymmetrical brain responses”. Hormones and Behavior 57: 276-283, marzo de 2010. http://phys.org/news194528309.html#jCp

2.     Wilson, Thomas A., and Jeffrey E. Falkel. SportsVision: Training for Better Performance. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2004

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