12 Nov
Blog

Dell XPS 13 Black Friday Deal 2021: Cheapest Price Today

Digital Trends can earn a commission when you shop through links on our website.

There have been tons of amazing discounts and promotions for weeks as retailers got going earlier than ever this year. These include some of the best Black Friday deals we've seen in a long time. Of course, if you're looking for something specific, like Black Friday laptop deals, it makes sense to check out not just the big retailers, but some of the more popular tech stores as well. Take Dell Black Friday deals for example. There are tons of great deals out there in their store, even Dell XPS Black Friday deals on their latest XPS 13 laptops.

Dell XPS 13 Black Friday Deal 2021: Lowest Price Today

Person sits and holds Dell XPS 13 laptop on lap.

However, there are also stand-alone offers that are in the spotlight for some time. Right now, you can get the latest model of the Dell XPS 13 laptop for $ 650 with free shipping – that's $ 300 off the normal price! That's a great deal for a 13.3-inch Windows 11 laptop with an 11th generation Intel Core i5 processor and 8 GB of LPDDR4 RAM. You can check out this fantastic offer below or read on for more information on the XPS 13 laptop!

There's a reason the Dell XPS 13 9305 (2021) deserves a spot on our list of the best Dell laptops for 2021. It's powerful, offers great battery life, and is a "stylish trendsetter" that looks absolutely stunning. But much more is under the hood and offers a user-friendly and pleasant experience.

The full specs include an 11th generation Intel Core i5 quad-core processor with clock speeds of up to 4.2 GHz. It also has 8 GB of LPDDR4 RAM at 4267 MHz, a 256 GB PCIe NVMe M.2 solid-state drive, and Intel Iris Xe graphics. The 13.3-inch FHD display runs at a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 and has ultra-thin InfinityEdge bezels. You also get the Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 (2 × 2), Bluetooth 5.1 wireless connectivity, and the CNC machined aluminum case, and all of this feels great thanks to its lightweight design.

You normally pay $ 950 for the latest Dell XPS 13 laptop, but they dropped the price by $ 300 thanks to a crazy Black Friday deal. That means you can grab it now for $ 650 with free shipping and have it delivered to your door within the next few days. If you're interested, act soon – we're already seeing some wait on the Dell website and it looks like this deal is in high demand!

We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and we carefully and independently choose what we cover. The prices, details and availability of the products and offers in this post are subject to change at any time. Make sure they are still valid before buying.

Digital Trends can earn commissions on products bought through our links, which supports our work for our readers.

Editor's recommendations



07 Aug
Blog

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S Review: No 5G, No Deal

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S is held in one hand.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S review: no 5G means no deal

"The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S is temptingly cheap and offers the basics, but for a little more money you can buy a phone that will last longer."

advantages

  • Long battery life

  • Durable construction

disadvantage

  • No 5G for future security

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S is a good smartphone, but it also shows how important it is to pay attention to durability when making a purchase decision, regardless of the price. While it's strong value when it is discounted, as it was at the time of this review, you can get a better, more durable 5G phone at full price for not much more money.

5G might not be for you today, but maybe tomorrow and you will have to upgrade from the Redmi Note 10S to get it. I spent some time on the phone to see if it was worth taking the risk.

design

The Redmi Note 10S has a plastic frame and a plastic back with gorilla glass above the screen, as well as an IP53 protection class against splash water and dust. The 6.43-inch AMOLED screen is flat, while the back is slightly curved, and the whole thing weighs 178 grams and is 8.3 mm thick. There's a fingerprint scanner in the power button on the side of the phone, a 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom, and four cameras in the module on the back.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S seen from behind.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It's not a remarkable looking smartphone, but it's far from unattractive, with a few standout design details that I really like, like the use of clear plastic for the camera module that makes it appear slimmer. The plastic body offers grip and lightness and is comfortable to hold for long periods of time, but it gets covered in messy fingerprints – on the front and back – and the back plate has an awkward curve when pressed.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S seen from the front.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

This is why the Redmi Note 10S is so price sensitive. It's obviously not a premium smartphone, but it's pretty close to being a little on the cheap. Nobody really wants to pay a lot for a phone that sounds hollow when tapped, and the Redmi Note 10S does. It's an inexpensive smartphone on a budget, but that doesn't matter if you can grab one for a low price.

camera

The main camera has 64 megapixels and an aperture of f / 1.8 as well as phase detection autofocus and is in addition to an 8 MP, 1: 2.2 wide-angle camera and a 2 MP depth and 2 MP macro camera . It's not bad. In good outdoor conditions, it will take well-balanced photos with a nice pop of color, provided you are careful with the “AI” mode. Sometimes it can really improve an image, but in other situations it can cumbersome color, add contrast, and manipulate the image so that it doesn't look natural. It is a game of chance that you unfortunately get.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S camera module.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

In more difficult lighting conditions, the camera's white balance suffers and storm clouds turn blue rather than gray or black. Outdoor shots lose visual tension and detail even in poor ambient light. Portrait mode is effective and edge detection is good. The selfie camera has an active beautification by default that brightens and smoothes your skin, but it can be easily turned off.

If you get the Redmi Note 10S at the right price, the camera won't disappoint, but just spend a little more and you can get phones with much better cameras.

perfomance

Xiaomi chose MediaTek as a partner for the Redmi Note 10S, but didn't opt ​​for a Dimensity chip to add 5G. Instead, the phone uses a MediaTek Helio G95 octa-core chip with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM. My test model has 6 GB of RAM. Using the phone for general purposes like Twitter and Instagram, web browsing, some YouTube, and casual gaming is fine and won't get hot or slow.

The game is played on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

I've played a lot of Asphalt 9: Legends during my time on the phone. I didn't change the default graphics settings and only saw the very occasional pauses during the action. It never got annoying and the phone never got too hot. It's a great little phone for casual gaming.

It's a great little phone for casual gaming

I like the 2400 x 1080 AMOLED screen and the video experience too. It's bright enough that I had no problem seeing it outside in sunlight, although I miss a high refresh rate. There are also stereo speakers on the phone which make watching videos a lot more fun than you often find on phones at this price point, but they don't offer much bass.

The fingerprint sensor of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

There's no 5G on board which affects the phone's longevity as you might not want the fast data connection now but next year. It has NFC for Google Pay and dual SIM support, as well as a microSD card slot. I also like the fingerprint sensor, which is well placed in the power button and reacts quickly.

software

The phone has Android 11 with Xiaomi's MIUI 12.5.2 interface on top. It comes with Google Play and all the usual Google services as well as a variety of Xiaomi's own apps such as a calculator, a QR code scanner, a file manager and the Mi Store App Store. It is visually identical to the version on the more expensive phones from Xiaomi such as the Mi 11 Ultra and runs smoothly and stably here. It's customizable, the notifications can be interacted with in the notification shadow, and I've found it to be reliable.

There are some annoyances, however. The always-on screen isn't always on no matter what settings I'm using, but instead lights up when a notification comes in or when you double-tap the screen. Dark Mode is arbitrary with app support which results in some apps not displaying properly, and I also don't like the way the wallpaper is dimmed by default as it makes the phone look boring.

The always-on screen is not always on no matter what settings I use

None of these things are really unique to the Redmi Note 10S and affect all MIUI phones. However, the version 12.5 installed on the Redmi Note 10S appears to have improved energy efficiency and many of the pre-installed apps can either be hidden or uninstalled, which was not always available in previous versions of MIUI. I don't mind using MIUI as I expect these quirks, but Xiaomi's Android software is still less pleasant to use than Samsung's One UI and OnePlus & # 39; s OxygenOS.

battery

If you turn off the Redmi Note 10S overnight, the 5,000 mAh battery will last for three days with normal use. This includes using the camera, social networking, a video call and some voice calls, as well as other basic phone chores. Use the phone more heavily and it still lasts for two days with no problem. Battery life is a real strong point, but high-intensity tasks can drain it quickly. For example, an hour of high definition YouTube video takes up at least 15% of battery life.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S from below.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

A 33 W fast charger is included in the scope of delivery, which, according to Xiaomi, delivers a charge of 54% in 30 minutes.

Price and availability

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S is not officially sold in the US, but it can be imported. It's available now through Xiaomi's official online store in the UK, where it costs £ 229 at full price, which is around $ 320. However, at the time of writing, it's discounted to £ 179, or around $ 250.

Our opinion

If you can get the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10S at the lowest price, it's an affordable smartphone for people who don't ask too much of it or who have the expectation to use 5G. It offers great bang for your buck, with a good screen and long battery life. The MediaTek Helio G95 processor is not the newest, but it is powerful enough for everyday use as well as casual gaming. Even the camera is acceptable under the right conditions.

It offers great bang for your buck, with a good screen and long battery life

However, the lack of 5G is a problem. Cheap 5G phones are in abundance today, and they don't cost much more than the Redmi Note 10S. You might not be able to get 5G in your area today, but it might be next month or next year and you won't need to upgrade your phone if you choose wisely today. If you can afford to get a 5G phone now (or have the time to save a little more) it will be totally worth it in the long run, and that puts the Redmi Note 10S out of the running.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes. If you're in the US but don't want to import the Redmi Note 10S and want to spend around $ 250, we recommend the Motorola Moto G Power (2021) for $ 200 if 5G isn't your thing, or toss take a look at the $ 300 OnePlus Nord N10 5G or the Samsung Galaxy A32 5G for $ 280 if so. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, but two have 5G, which offers a certain degree of future security.

In the UK, we recommend spending a little more to get the OnePlus Nord CE 5G, which costs £ 299. The software is better, it comes with 5G for the future, has IP67 water resistance, and is the same or better than the Redmi Note 10S in most other areas as well. Also take a look at the Realme 8 5G, which also has 5G from MediaTek's Dimensity 700 chip and costs £ 200.

How long it will take?

The plastic housing and protection class IP53 against splash water and dust should give the Redmi Note 10S a good chance of surviving moderately rough treatment. This is a 4G LTE phone and does not come with a 5G modem. So if you want to try the fast data connection in the future, you'll have to switch your phones.

Should you buy one?

No. You can get a phone with better software and that will last longer if you spend just a little more money.

Editor's recommendations



17 Jul
Blog

Hip Hop Star Method Man is the Real Deal in the Gym

Fitfluencer is a thing. A suitable influencer can be controversial. Method Man, however, is the real deal.

Obviously, if you've trained 100 pound dumbbells like it isn't a big deal, you are not a celebrity or a potential goldmine of search engine optimized websites.

But, aside, we salute Clifford Smith Jr., aka Method Man, a member of the Wu-Tang Clan collective who played cheese in The Wire, who starred in How High, for now being a bona fide fitfluencer.

Continue reading

17 Jul
Blog

Hip Hop Star Method Man is the Real Deal in the Gym

Fitfluencer is a thing. A suitable influencer can be the subject of discussion. Method Man, however, is the real deal.

Obviously, if you've trained 100 pound dumbbells like it isn't a big deal, you are not a celebrity or a potential goldmine of search engine optimized websites.

But, aside, we salute Clifford Smith Jr., aka Method Man, a member of the Wu-Tang Clan collective who played cheese in The Wire, who starred in How High, for now being a bona fide fitfluencer.

Continue reading

04 Oct
Blog

Save $400 on This 65-inch Sony 4K TV With This Early Prime Day Deal

Digital Trends can earn a commission when you buy from links on our website.

Sony X900H 65 inch TV

Amazon Prime Day doesn't officially kick off for a couple of weeks, but even now these are some early Prime Day deals that have some great 4K TV deals to take advantage of if you're thinking of upgrading your current home theater setup . Sony's 65-inch 4K TV X900H is currently priced at $ 400, which brings the cost down from the original $ 1,399 price for evaluating a smidge under $ 1,000. This is the cheapest model ever on Amazon. So if you've been looking for a new 4K model, now is the time to do it.

This 4K TV is part of Sony's main mid-range offering, popular with movie fans and home theater enthusiasts, offering exceptional picture quality at a reasonable price. It has new features to keep up with the latest models such as the variable refresh rate. This also makes it a great choice for games that want to play fast-paced games with precise accuracy. The overall look of the TV is sleek and modern, with no annoying flashy elements or excessively large bezels. So there is nothing to distract you from the great picture that should be the focus of your attention.

If you are looking for a TV with smart features, the X900H is the one for you. With Smart Android TV and Google Assistant, you can control the TV with your voice. If you prefer, the TV can also work with Alexa. So you can ask Alexa devices in your home to play music, start apps or adjust the volume. Other features include a game mode for those who want to switch between movies and games without sacrificing image quality. This mode adjusts the settings so that you get a smoother picture while playing.

However, the real selling point of the Sony X900H is how good the picture quality is. This model can go head to toe with much more expensive high-end 4K sets with great black levels, algorithmic local dimming and impressive color accuracy. In our test of the Sony X900H, we described it as very affordable, even at a non-reduced price. Given the Prime Day savings that cut the price by $ 400 to under $ 1,000, this is an absolute steal.

We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and we carefully and independently choose what we cover. The prices, details and availability of the products and offers in this post are subject to change at any time. Make sure they are still valid before making a purchase.

Digital Trends can earn commissions on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers.

Editor's recommendations




30 May
Blog

Can You Deal With Eustress?

When we think of stress, we are used to focusing on the harmful types of stress. In our daily life we ​​have to deal with a lot of work stress, such as B. Deadlines, low cash flow, high sales rates and type A bosses. Then don't forget the rush hour home. How could someone drive so stupid?

Unlike baseball, you are not safe at home. You then have to deal with family and marital problems, not to mention crab grass. While the mostly younger athletes may not have to face these stress factors, they have many of their own. Your list could include:

We all know that training puts a strain on athletes' bodies and minds. Workouts destroy the body and also use up nervous energy.

We then tend to call such stress bad for us. But is everything bad? Those lifters with a little training experience know that proper rest and nutrition after such training sessions will soon produce a healthier organism.

Therefore, negative stress, also called hardship, can also be useful for us under the right circumstances.

Is there such a thing as good stress?

After our English majors mentioned the concept of stress relief, they may wonder if there is something like eustress (noun: moderate or normal psychological stress that is interpreted as beneficial for the experiencer) or good stress. Well, there certainly is. This type of stress may or may not be stressful, but the topic welcomes it.

Examples could be:

  • Graduation
  • Find a new partner
  • Get a promotion
  • Buy your first house
  • And my favorite who wins the lottery.

We would all like to deal with such stress (especially the last one). All of this could help eliminate the hardships in our lives, right?

These things will undoubtedly remove some stress. However, the universe has some surprises for us here. If we think deeply about what could happen in our lives if we could experience one of the above events, we may find that it is not just unalloyed bliss. You can quickly transform yourself into more stress.

Graduating from high school can mean moving from home to a much more demanding college. This charming new girlfriend hates weight lifting and wants you to stop. This new job just means that you are only more under the gun.

Just as bad stress can be useful to us, good stress can be bad for us. The key is that eustress can have unexpectedly negative effects that transform the subject's perception of the eustress into something like distress.

Based on these perceptions, different athletes then react in different ways to identical stress factors. How could that happen?

For example, let's look at two lifters, A and B, both of whom train to form the national team. Great. One day, in qualifying, all these years of effort and self-denial are rewarded with PR sums and victories. Both make up the national team.

Both imagine for years how great life will be once they have reached this coveted elite level.

Now they no longer only dream of training on the continents, the worlds or the Olympic Games. You are probably picks now. Surely the stress of having to qualify for the team will decrease and you can commit to serious training?

look again

If you imagine that, you may be surprised. The national coach now expects both A and B to train six days a week, sometimes twice a day.

And all with heavier weights. It seems more difficult than ever to form this Olympic team. In short, expectations and uncertainties are increasing, especially for Lifter B.

How lifters A and B deal with them can be very different. However, your stressors appear to be identical. Lifter A could do things quickly and take on the challenges of advancement in the world of weightlifting.

With the new status of A, the training continues with even more enthusiasm. Bring the Chinese with you! He can't wait to try this new program. A finds all of this very stimulating.

Not so stimulating with the more careful Lifter B. It is a pleasure to make the national team safe. Long-term goals have been achieved, but new goals need to be set now.

It was difficult to qualify for the team. Now it will be even more difficult to stay there. The three year younger Lifter C breathes down his neck. What if they bomb the Pan-Ams? What if they get hurt?

B has some new pressures to consider as soon as the team selection euphoria wears off. Two similar lifters, but perceived by each very different pressures. Every trainer who is assigned to this team must be aware of this if these lifters are to be treated successfully.

Mental and emotional stress

As athletes, we are all now aware that this mental and emotional stress is not only weak in these more abstract areas, but also physically debilitating. Not everyone is.

I remember when I was a student I had labor-intensive jobs in the summer, all day in the hot summer with lifting, shoveling, raking and so on. After work, I took some time for the barbell, then went to bed and was ready for more the next day. (Where did I find all this energy back then?)

In September I would go back to school and abruptly shift my efforts to teaching, studying, exams, homework, etc. to the intellectuals. I remember some people who thought I was happy to be able to go back to the less strenuous task of school work. If only they knew. In the short term, I would be stressed in the medium term, but in a completely different way than with physical work.

In my summer job I was able to mentally escape at five o'clock and be ready the next morning. Not so on campus because the academic treadmill starts quickly and only gets faster in the course of the semester. Not only that, but I also competed against many others.

The pressure never stopped until it was time to go back to my summer job. In such a regime, my time in the gym felt more like relaxation. I learned from all of this how important cycling is, not only in my training but also in my studies.

I was brought up to believe that the path to academic success was to study regularly seven days a week, not to take breaks, and to avoid all extracurricular activities.

Breaks meant you were lazy. (You read about Japanese students who commit suicide when they can't handle the pressure to perform). If you only got a B during the breaks, the latter was undoubtedly the reason why you were neglected.

Other more short-lived reasons may have existed but were not taken seriously. The effects of stress were not considered. It was not clear to me that, like weight lifting, there is a law to reduce returns that also applies to study inputs. And just as confusing is it difficult to determine where the turning point was.

Stress related to athletes

A lot has been written about stress related to athletes. In recent decades, much of it has adapted from general psychological research. We all know the inverted U graph. I'm not going to describe it in detail here because it's available everywhere, including here at Breaking Muscle.

Taking it with you is that there is a sweet spot between too little and too much stress. The trick is to find this sweet spot, especially for the finely tuned elite athletes. Too much stress leads to stress, we all know that.

When training or learning at the beginner level, it is easy to avoid stress or burnout. The system has a lot of scope. But there is no slack at the elite level.

This has been compared to walking over gently rounded hills where it is easy to stay on their crest. Not much will happen if the hiker swings over one side or the other of the ridge. But when our hiker climbs the mountain. Everest, they have to cling to the thin edge of the Col to avoid disaster.

Trainers, parents and athletes often do not appreciate the stress that is hidden in welcoming events. Sure, they will understand the unwanted burdens. However, good stressors are not understood either.

Lifter B can inform the family that they have finally qualified for the Olympic exams. The non-athletic parents will now think that their child could relax a little now. The pressure is over. Well, no.

Now Lifter B has to worry about how they will assert themselves against others, just as qualified as they who want to go to Tokyo. In the end, they don't understand the later behavior of someone they think should be less stressed out now.

Trainers with whom an athlete has never reached a high level should be particularly alerted to this confusing situation.

Dealing with stress

There are three main concepts that athletes and coaches need to consider in relation to stress.

These are:

  1. When dealing with physical stress factors, athletes must understand how they influence them mentally and emotionally and vice versa, how the latter affect them physically.
  2. Athletes, coaches and other interested parties have to pay as much respect to eustressors as di-stressors.
  3. The stresses that athletes have to deal with are real enough, but some arise in their head and are perceived more than they are experienced. How your mind relates to the stressors will significantly affect the intensity of the stress experience.

Now it's time to relieve stress and go back to the gym (if possible nowadays).

30 May
Blog

Can You Deal With Eustress?

When we think of stress, we are used to focusing on the harmful types of stress. In our daily life we ​​have to deal with a lot of work stress, such as B. Deadlines, low cash flow, high sales rates and type A bosses. Then don't forget the rush hour home. How could someone drive so stupid?

Unlike baseball, you are not safe at home. You then have to deal with family and marital problems, not to mention crab grass. While the mostly younger athletes may not have to face these stress factors, they have many of their own. Your list could include:

We all know that training puts a strain on athletes' bodies and minds. Workouts destroy the body and also use up nervous energy.

We then tend to call such stress bad for us. But is everything bad? Those lifters with a little training experience know that proper rest and nutrition after such training sessions will soon produce a healthier organism.

Therefore, negative stress, also called hardship, can also be useful for us under the right circumstances.

Is there such a thing as good stress?

After our English majors mentioned the concept of stress relief, they may wonder if there is something like eustress (noun: moderate or normal psychological stress that is interpreted as beneficial for the experiencer) or good stress. Well, there certainly is. This type of stress may or may not be stressful, but the topic welcomes it.

Examples could be:

  • Graduation
  • Find a new partner
  • Get a promotion
  • Buy your first house
  • And my favorite who wins the lottery.

We would all like to deal with such stress (especially the last one). All of this could help eliminate the hardships in our lives, right?

These things will undoubtedly remove some stress. However, the universe has some surprises for us here. If we think deeply about what could happen in our lives if we could experience one of the above events, we may find that it is not just unalloyed bliss. You can quickly transform yourself into more stress.

Graduating from high school can mean moving from home to a much more demanding college. This charming new girlfriend hates weight lifting and wants you to stop. This new job just means that you are only more under the gun.

Just as bad stress can be useful to us, good stress can be bad for us. The key is that eustress can have unexpectedly negative effects that transform the subject's perception of the eustress into something like distress.

Based on these perceptions, different athletes then react in different ways to identical stress factors. How could that happen?

For example, let's look at two lifters, A and B, both of whom train to form the national team. Great. One day, in qualifying, all these years of effort and self-denial are rewarded with PR sums and victories. Both make up the national team.

Both imagine for years how great life will be once they have reached this coveted elite level.

Now they no longer only dream of training on the continents, the worlds or the Olympic Games. You are probably picks now. Surely the stress of having to qualify for the team will decrease and you can commit to serious training?

look again

If you imagine that, you may be surprised. The national coach now expects both A and B to train six days a week, sometimes twice a day.

And all with heavier weights. It seems more difficult than ever to form this Olympic team. In short, expectations and uncertainties are increasing, especially for Lifter B.

How lifters A and B deal with them can be very different. However, your stressors appear to be identical. Lifter A could do things quickly and take on the challenges of advancement in the world of weightlifting.

With the new status of A, the training continues with even more enthusiasm. Bring the Chinese with you! He can't wait to try this new program. A finds all of this very stimulating.

Not so stimulating with the more careful Lifter B. It is a pleasure to make the national team safe. Long-term goals have been achieved, but new goals need to be set now.

It was difficult to qualify for the team. Now it will be even more difficult to stay there. The three year younger Lifter C breathes down his neck. What if they bomb the Pan-Ams? What if they get hurt?

B has some new pressures to consider as soon as the team selection euphoria wears off. Two similar lifters, but perceived by each very different pressures. Every trainer who is assigned to this team must be aware of this if these lifters are to be treated successfully.

Mental and emotional stress

As athletes, we are all now aware that this mental and emotional stress is not only weak in these more abstract areas, but also physically debilitating. Not everyone is.

I remember when I was a student I had labor-intensive jobs in the summer, all day in the hot summer with lifting, shoveling, raking and so on. After work, I took some time for the barbell, then went to bed and was ready for more the next day. (Where did I find all this energy back then?)

In September I would go back to school and abruptly shift my efforts to teaching, studying, exams, homework, etc. to the intellectuals. I remember some people who thought I was happy to be able to go back to the less strenuous task of school work. If only they knew. In the short term, I would be stressed in the medium term, but in a completely different way than with physical work.

In my summer job I was able to mentally escape at five o'clock and be ready the next morning. Not so on campus because the academic treadmill starts quickly and only gets faster in the course of the semester. Not only that, but I also competed against many others.

The pressure never stopped until it was time to go back to my summer job. In such a regime, my time in the gym felt more like relaxation. I learned from all of this how important cycling is, not only in my training but also in my studies.

I was brought up to believe that the path to academic success was to study regularly seven days a week, not to take breaks, and to avoid all extracurricular activities.

Breaks meant you were lazy. (You read about Japanese students who commit suicide when they can't handle the pressure to perform). If you only got a B during the breaks, the latter was undoubtedly the reason why you were neglected.

Other more short-lived reasons may have existed but were not taken seriously. The effects of stress were not considered. It was not clear to me that, like weight lifting, there is a law to reduce returns that also applies to study inputs. And just as confusing is it difficult to determine where the turning point was.

Stress related to athletes

A lot has been written about stress related to athletes. In recent decades, much of it has adapted from general psychological research. We all know the inverted U graph. I'm not going to describe it in detail here because it's available everywhere, including here at Breaking Muscle.

Taking it with you is that there is a sweet spot between too little and too much stress. The trick is to find this sweet spot, especially for the finely tuned elite athletes. Too much stress leads to stress, we all know that.

When training or learning at the beginner level, it is easy to avoid stress or burnout. The system has a lot of scope. But there is no slack at the elite level.

This has been compared to walking over gently rounded hills where it is easy to stay on their crest. Not much will happen if the hiker swings over one side or the other of the ridge. But when our hiker climbs the mountain. Everest, they have to cling to the thin edge of the Col to avoid disaster.

Trainers, parents and athletes often do not appreciate the stress that is hidden in welcoming events. Sure, they will understand the unwanted burdens. However, good stressors are not understood either.

Lifter B can inform the family that they have finally qualified for the Olympic exams. The non-athletic parents will now think that their child could relax a little now. The pressure is over. Well, no.

Now Lifter B has to worry about how they will assert themselves against others, just as qualified as they who want to go to Tokyo. In the end, they don't understand the later behavior of someone they think should be less stressed out now.

Trainers with whom an athlete has never reached a high level should be particularly alerted to this confusing situation.

Dealing with stress

There are three main concepts that athletes and coaches need to consider in relation to stress.

These are:

  1. When dealing with physical stress factors, athletes must understand how they influence them mentally and emotionally and vice versa, how the latter affect them physically.
  2. Athletes, coaches and other interested parties have to pay as much respect to eustressors as di-stressors.
  3. The stresses that athletes have to deal with are real enough, but some arise in their head and are perceived more than they are experienced. How your mind relates to the stressors will significantly affect the intensity of the stress experience.

Now it's time to relieve stress and go back to the gym (if possible nowadays).