Gorden Ramsay “the Ironman”

Mental and psychological strength plays a huge role in Gordon Ramsay’s and any other masters athletes Ironman performance. Masters athletes face a more difficult challenge as because discussed in the blog, they are physiologically declining with age. A Canadian study by Grand’Maison found that around two thirds of competitive level Ironman triathletes surveyed had little or no knowledge of sports psychology. Despite this 97% said they strongly or very strongly believed mental skills were a key part of their success.(Grand’Maison, 2004). Ramsey already uses his own forms of mental strategies. For example, when speaking to the Daily Telegraph Ramsey was quoted as saying “I take all the negatives of the week and I knock them off one by one and then I look at all the positives for the following week and I go through those” (Silverman, 2014). This section of the blog will look to understand how Gordon, and other masters athletes like him can use mental strategies to aid their performance and successfully finish one of the toughest races on the planet.

 

Different Strategies

Recent studies show mental strategies can enhance mental toughness and help athletes achieve their race goals. In Gordon’s case this is to complete a sub 12 hour Ironman. Frimmel et al found Ironman athletes used a variety of mental strategies including visualisation, positive self-talk, as well as using previous positive experiences. Although in the study all participants agreed mental preparation had positive influences on performance, the impact of each individual technique was not discussed (Frimmel, 2012). Positive effects of psychological skill training are supported by McCormick et al who found that strategies such as positive self-talk, imagery and goal setting could improve endurance athlete’s performance (McCormick et al., 2015). Research carried out by Dolan et al found from 401 triathletes reported that positive self-talk was the most used mental strategy amongst the participants surveyed. Based on this scientific evidence the use of a variety of mental strategies, both before and during the Ironman could benefit Gordon Ramsey’s performance.

 

Self-Talk

Self-talk is defined as the “dialogue in which individuals interpret feelings and perceptions, regulate and changes evaluations and convictions and give themselves instructions and reinforcement” (Bernard) The effects of self-talk have several benefits ranging further than simply enhancing performance, self-talk can enable an athlete to learn new skills and techniques as well as help maintain control and motivation. (Weekes, 2004) The use of positive self-talk is backed up by scientific research which suggests endurance athletes using positive self-talk produced significantly greater persistence than control conditions (Weinberg et al., 1984). A review of literature into self-talk has established that the benefits of self-talk are “conclusive” across several sports including ultra-endurance (Weekes, 2004). Therefore if Ramsey is to succeed in his next Ironman, the research above suggests he uses self-talk as a mental strategy. Gordon works in an environment where expressing himself clearly in the pursuit of excellence is important. Articulating his thoughts by verbalising them would help him to motivate himself and to enable him to process negative thoughts that would undermine his performance.

 

 Motivation

Ramsey is extremely motivated. He is one of the most successful TV chefs of all time, which would be more than enough for most people. However, Ramsey also trains up to 25 hours a week when preparing for an Ironman even when he is travelling due to work (Group, 2014). Understanding Ramsey’s unique motivation can help him. It will make him appreciate what makes him tick, and could also provide his coach with help. The motivation of athletes can be examined through self-determination theory, see figure 1.2 (Deci and Ryan, 2011). The theory discusses the extent to which an individual is motivated by extrinsic or intrinsic factors. Masters athletes are often motivated by intrinsic factors, such as enjoyment, personal challenge and health benefits. (de Franco Tobar et al., 2013) Ramsey’s motivation seems to be slightly different than the majority of master ironman athletes. He was recently quoted as saying he doesn’t just like competition, “he can’t live without it” and that he wants to “win” his next triathlon (Silverman, L. 2014). This suggests he is primarily motivated by extrinsic benefits such as competition and reward e.g. trophies and medals. However, he is also motivated intrinsically saying “triathlons are my release” in the same article (Silverman, L. 2014). This suggests Ramsey is highly motivated both intrinsically and extrinsically, this gives him the drive and determination to be successful in both his leisure activities as well as his career.

Ramsay’s motivation can be further understood by achievement goal theory (Nicholls, 1989). Within this theory motivation is expressed as the desire or need to achieve success. An Individuals measure usually falls into one of two categories, task or ego orientated. Task orientated individuals seek to improve their own ability and uses this as a reference when assessing their success. In contrast an ego orientated individual seeks to demonstrate their ability by outperforming others and being the best. (Duda et al., 1995). The majority of master’s athletes display high levels of task orientation and low levels of ego orientation, meaning master’s athletes are more motivated by their own ability to improve than comparing them to others. (Hodge et al., 2008). However, interviews with Ramsay suggest he is perhaps more ego orientated. For example, he doesn’t train with his wife, because she is competition to him (Silverman, L. 2014). Here Ramsey displays strong signs of ego orientation, as he wants to win against his competitors and be the best. Ramsay and his coach Will Usher (Silverman, L. 2014) can use information on Ramsay’s motivation to help him understand what drives him to success also to set goals for Ramsay to help his performance.

 

Goal setting

Ramsey is clearly a busy individual being one of the world’s most famous TV chefs. However he is wealthy enough to dedicate plenty of time to training. His training will require a structure and be goal guided with long term and short term goals. Based on Ramsay’s motivational type explained above, he can set the correct goals to maximise their positive effects. Psychologist support the use of goal setting to improve ultra-endurance performance. The figure 1.1 (below) shows the benefits of goal setting such as increased focus, motivation and sense of achievement. A study on 10 deca-ironman athletes (8 male, 2 female) found athletes used cognitive coping strategies in line with most sporting disciplines including goal setting. All 10 athletes agreed goal setting had been vital during training to maintain motivation (Weekes, 2004).

Performance goals are those within the control of the athlete while outcome goals are frequently dependent on others, process goals are about improving the means to achieve a goal, learning good style, pacing oneself. Many amateur athletes use a completion time as a long term goal, this has also been the case for Ramsay having said he is “hoping to go sub 12 hours” in 2014, before collapsing when attempting the feat (Group, 2014).

Ramsay’s motivation suggests he would benefit from outcome related goals, however here he has set himself a performance related goal. Athletes who are ego orientated, like Ramsay, respond better to outcome goals e.g. to win and beat others (see figure below). Therefore, research suggests Ramsey could re-evaluate his long and short term goals. Short term goals should be set weekly and be performance and process related. Suggested long term goals could include finishing top in his age bracket in his next race or beating a fellow friend. For example, fellow MasterChef host Joe Bastianich went 12:31:39 in 2011, setting a goal of beating a competitor instead of achieving a time could increase Ramsay’s motivation and provide the positive effects of goal setting as indicated by psychologists. (Weekes, 2004)
 

Figure 1.1 (Thelwell and Greenlees, 2003)

 

 

 Social Aspect and Training Partner

Ramsay clearly thrives on competition and this drives him to train for his ultra-distance events. Although he refuses to train with his wife, perhaps training with his wife or other training partners could work in his favour. A study carried out in South Africa found that group affiliation and socialisation were two of the seven most important motivational factors for athletes in ironman triathlons. (Myburgh et al., 2014) If competition from others motivates Ramsay, and he “can’t live without it” perhaps increasing competition during his training could push him further leading to improvement. Ramsay is clearly a strong individual and may enjoy the solitary aspect of training for ultra-endurance events. However, it remains an interesting question given Ramsey’s motivation how he would respond to a regular training partner who is also highly competitive. It could lead to more intense training sessions improving him physiologically and benefitting his ultra-endurance performance.

Psychology has the potential to have a major impact on Ramsey’s performance, it is an often disregarded discipline of sports science amongst amateur athletes. Each athlete has a specific psychology and this affects their motivation. The lack of knowledge is highlighted by research, 7 out of 40 athletes could not name one mental strategy, despite all running ironman triathlons (Grand’Maison, 2004). Psychological strategies and techniques described in this blog along with the consideration of Ramsay’s motivational type can help him and any other master’s athletes preparing for ironman events. It will enable them to plan their training better, set more suitable goals, increase motivation and therefore lead to an improvement in overall performance.

Bernard, A. “The Effects of Self-Talk on the Level of Success in College Students”.

de Franco Tobar, L., Meurer, S. T. and Benedetti, T. B. (2013) “Motivational Factors of Senior Athletes to Participate in the Ironman”, Science & Sports, 28 (3) pp. e63-e65.

Deci, E. L. and Ryan, R. M. (2011) “Self-Determination Theory”, Handbook of theories of social psychology, 1 pp. 416-433.

Duda, J. L., Chi, L., Newton, M. L., et al. (1995) “Task and Ego Orientation and Intrinsic Motivation in Sport”, International journal of sport psychology.

Frimmel, K. (2012) “Mental Preparation Techniques and Accomplishment of Race Goals by Ironman Triathletes: A Qualitative Investigation”.

Grand’Maison, K. (2004) “What Mental Skills Ironman Triathletes Need and Want”, Journal of Excellence, 10 (1) pp. 86-94.

Group, C. (2014) Gordon Ramsay Chats about his Kona prep. Available at: http://triathlon.competitor.com/2014/08/news/gordon-ramsay-training-harder-kona_103974 (Accessed: 16 May 2016).

Hodge, K., Allen, J. B. and Smellie, L. (2008) “Motivation in Masters Sport: Achievement and Social Goals”, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 9 (2) pp. 157-176.

McCormick, A., Meijen, C. and Marcora, S. (2015) “Psychological Determinants of Whole-Body Endurance Performance”, Sports Medicine, 45 (7) pp. 997-1015.

Myburgh, E., Kruger, M. and Saayman, M. (2014) “A Motivation-Based Typology of Triathletes”, South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation, 36 (3) pp. 117-134.

Nicholls, J. G. (1989) The Competitive Ethos and Democratic Education, Harvard University Press.

Silverman, L. (2014) Gordon Ramsay: ‘Triathlons are my release’. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/wellbeing/diet/11156593/Gordon-Ramsay-Triathlons-are-my-release.html (Accessed: 16 May 2016).

Thelwell, R. C. and Greenlees, I. A. (2003) “Developing Competitive Endurance Performance Using Mental Skills Training”, Sport Psychologist, 17 (3) pp. 318-337.

Weekes, K. (2004) Cognitive Coping Strategies and Motivational Profiles of Ultra-Endurance Athletes, unpublished thesis Dublin City University.

Weinberg, R., Smith, J., Jackson, A., et al. (1984) “Effect of Association, Dissociation and Positive Self-Talk Strategies on Endurance Performance”, Canadian Journal of Applied Sport Sciences.