is it possible to stimulate adrenaline rush? how would this contribute to a sports performance?
or is this all part of a world class sprinter’s warmup routine?
If lining up at the startline of the Olympic Final doesn’t give you an Adrenaline rush, I don’t know what will. Of course the adrenaline will stimulate performance!
i guess Charlie tht though adrenaline enhances the performance one must watch out when to let his adrenaline out.i mean if u start worrying too much time bfr the race this adrenaline will consume most of ur energy…right???
I find practices to be the area for getting athletes motivated…name a tough workout “Dantes Inferno” and kids will be rushed!
good point. but say one wanted to be able to stimulate that adrenaline rush EVERY race, game, match etc. consistently. would it be possible? or is so-called “controlling” an adrenaline rush out of human control?
and as Flying Duck 2 said, would you teach your athletes how to use this adrenaline? Because I was thinking that at elite level sprinting, adrenaline might actually hinder performance.
sorry if these questiosn seem…elementary. I saw a “program” promising instant inches added to your vertical based on this…I saw it as a gimmick, but supposedly it worked. got me curious 
I agree, I would like to hear more about this…
When I get nervous I tend to feel very tired and I find it really hard to get that alert adrenaline feeling that gives me my best performances. I try to trigger the response by breathing rapidly, clenching muscles, doing rapid high-knees or something similar which was all recommended by a book on the mental aspects of running. I’m not sure that it always works though, I know it’s not the olympics but at the state final I was almost falling asleep before my race; at new england’s I had so much adrenaline I was shaking in the block… is this beyond our control?
i find i just get pumped when there is competition.
as for knowing how to control this i don’t know if there is a definute answer which is why some people just ‘choke’ (beckham) and some perform better (jordan)
I always found that at times of important competitions, I felt weak in the leg, shook in the start position, and yawned all the time. I realized that this was a sign I was ready, and, when I felt these effects, I knew I’d run well!
Agreed, I often feel like crap when I’m about to run, but if you’re prepared, you will likely perform well regardless.
I guess that’s true, my 3 biggest PR’s of the season were under those conditions… 15.3–>15.1 100h, 47.4–>46.5 300h, and 61–>59 400m: before each of them I was literally almost asleep on the side of the track from nerves but it worked to my advantage.
What worries me is when I get to a competition and I can’t get into it- and then I freak out when I’m not yawning and shaking before the race and then it all goes downhill. I guess I am wondering more if there is anything to do to stimulate an adrenaline rush in that situation beyond rapid breathing, etc… I am guessing there is not much.
You got it! Now just remember that when you feel that way, you’re ready to roll! Just make sure your diet is good and that you don’t have wild swings in your blood sugar and remember the bigger the meet. the earlier you get up and the farther from the races you eat (more blood in the muscles = less blood in the gut.)
Very interesting topic. I’ve thought about this many times recently and dealt with it during my season, but I had an opposite extreme. Some sort of anti-adrenaline stance. In the last year or so I haven’t been able to feel adrenalin once, pre-competition or during competition. I’m completely passive and can’t get to raise it one step above what I do in training. But then again, this might be a misconception, in other sports I played there was that “raising your game” thing, but in track, as Charlie says, one just goes out and executes what you do in practice. Adrenaline or no adrenaline, if you’re prepared mentally and physically, you’ll perform … unless you are one of those that chokes under adrenaline. I just wonder if I’m missing anything from not getting rushes. Something that might be affecting me is that since I “knew” I wasn’t going to win in most of these races this was taking something away, maybe as I get better and am in a position to get better standings the rush will come back.
One of the daily tips a couple days ago on T-nation dealt with something like this. http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do;jsessionid=BC15C9C7317D46EB4B780D2074FA4373.ba06?id=469070
While it’s a little more targeted for maximal strength, to use before a lift, it could be useful before a sprint.
Does it work? Could/Should it be used?
that was an interesting bit. i’ll try it if i remember
and going back to what krasnayafleur/charlie/everyone said, is the sleepy/“out of it” feeling indicative of an adrenaline rush? seeing how it is common and from what I see, people perform better after feeling that way.
I think it is fairly common, I have just recognized over time that that is how I show my nerves. There is a distinction between feeling that way because of nerves and feeling that way because you really are tired/out of it. I can’t always tell the difference so it is kind of unpredictable for me when I am about to PR and when I’m about to have a disaster, which in turn causes MORE nerves… :rolleyes:
The idea of a trigger is an extremely good one, anyone who has studied psych and knows about classical conditioning will agree with that one…
i remember linford christie in his biography saying tht he had sore hamstring and couldnt sleep the day bfr the historical seol 100 m final…so i guess tht hard work always pays back even in ur worst psych conditions
A lot of the brain chemicals that are responsible for the stimulation like dopamine and cortisol can have varying effects in different parts of the brain and body…and they can also act differently depending on the amount present. The right amount may stimulate you but too much may put you to sleep. The most common thing is whole body stimulation but some people may feel mentally drained under a huge wave of physical energy.