Mental training for endurance athletes is the planned practice of psychological skills, such as self-dialogue, imagery, goal setting and management of mental fatigue, which are trained as a series session. A systematic review of 2015 found consistent support for imagery, self-dialogue and endurance testing targets.
What is mental training in endurance sports?
Mental training in endurance sports is the systematic work of psychological skills that help sustain the effort, maintain the race plan and decide well when fatigue appears. It is practiced throughout the season, within normal sessions, and not just on the day of the competition.
Mental training is not the same as nerve management before competing. If what you are looking for is how to face the previous days and the morning of race, we explain it in mental management before competing. And if the problem is to keep the desire and the constancy with the plan, look motivation and adherence of the athlete.
Why does the head influence endurance performance?
The perception of effort is the feeling of how hard an exercise is being, and in endurance tests it is one of the psychological variables that weighs the most on how much you endure. In the systematic review of McCormick, Meijen and Marcora (2015), interventions that modified the perception of effort consistently affected endurance performance.
Mental fatigue is a good example of that effect. In a crossover study with 16 people, pedaling at 80% of peak power after 90 minutes of a demanding cognitive task reduced the time to exhaustion from 754 ± 339 s to 640 ± 316 s; physiological responses barely changed, but perceived effort was greater (Marcora et al., 2009). A subsequent review of 11 studies reached the same conclusion: heart rate, lactate and oxygen consumption were not altered, and the main cause was increased perceived effort (Van Cutsem et al., 2017).
What mental training techniques have evidence?
The techniques of mental training with the most support for endurance sports are self-dialogue, imagery, goal setting and management of mental fatigue. The table summarizes what each study says.
| Technical | What is it? | What the evidence says | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-dialogue | Phrases you say to guide or encourage effort | 32 studies and 62 effect sizes: moderate positive effect (ES = 0.48); more effective when intervention includes self-dialogue training | Hatzigeorgiadis et al., 2011 |
| Motivational self-dialogue in endurance | Mood phrases practiced for 2 weeks | 24 participants: the time to cycle exhaustion increased from 637 ± 210 s to 750 ± 295 s, with no change in control (486 to 474 s), and reduced perceived effort | Blanchfield et al., 2014 |
| Imagine (mental practice) | To rehearse with the mind an action or a situation without doing so | 37 studies (1995–2018): small but significant effect (r = 0.131); influence the duration of the practice, type of task and type of imagery | Toth et al., 2020 |
| Objectives | Concrete goals for season, block and session | 36 studies: average improvement of 0.34 typical deviations; the greatest effects, with moderate, absolute objectives and combining short and long term | Kyllo and Landers, 1995 |
| Management of mental fatigue | Take into account the cognitive load of the day around key sessions | 11 studies: mental fatigue worsens endurance performance due to increased perceived effort; it did not affect maximum strength, potency or anaerobic work | Van Cutsem et al., 2017 |
Self-dialogue
Self-dialogue is what you say during the effort, loudly or mentally. It can be instructional ("loose arms", "short stride at the ascent") or motivational ("this section I control"). In the meta-analysis of Hatzigeorgiadis et al. (2011), the instructional self-dialogue was more effective in fine motor tasks; the study of endurance by Blanchfield et al. (2014) used motivational self-dialogue.
Imagine.
Imagination, or mental practice, consists in rehearsing with the mind an action or a situation: the final stretch of an ascent, the change of pace in a 10K or how you will respond if the plan twists. Its mean effect is small (Toth et al., 2020), so it works as a complement to physical training, never as a substitute.
Setting objectives
The setting of goals is to set concrete and measurable goals for the season, for each block and for each key session. It combines a result target (the mark), a performance target (the pace or the power) and a process target (what you will do on each stage). In the synthesis of Kyllo and Landers (1995), the moderate objectives and the combination of short and long term had the greatest effects.
Management of mental fatigue
Mental fatigue is tiredness that leaves a demanding and prolonged cognitive activity, and in endurance makes the same pace perceived harder. For the coach it involves asking about the athlete's day before a key session and, if possible, not placing the hardest session right after a very demanding workday.
How does the self-dialogue train step by step?
Self-dialogue is trained like any other skill: it is prepared, practiced in hard sessions and adjusted. The metaanalysis of Hatzigeorgiadis et al. (2011) found more effect when the intervention included training the self-dialogue than when it did not include it.
- Detect critical moments. Aim at which stages the thoughts that slow you down appear: the last series, the last third of the long run, the climbs.
- Write two or three short sentences for each moment. An instructional ("cadence", "shoulders down") and a motivational ("I hold this block"), in positive and with your words.
- Practice them in hard sessions. Use them in the series and at the end of the long runs, not just in the race.
- Register after the session. Write down the perceived effort (RPE) and if you used the phrases.
- Adjust every week. Change the phrases that don't come out naturally and save the ones that work for the competition.
How to include mental training in your week?
The easiest way to include mental training in the week is to associate each skill with a session you already do. This 4-week proposal is indicative: it's not a validated protocol in a studio, so add it to your coach.
| Week | Ability | Where it is practiced | What to register |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Objectives | When planning the week: a process goal for each key session | If the objective of the process was met |
| 2 | Self-dialogue | Series and last third of the long spin | RPE and phrases you used |
| 3 | Imagine. | A few minutes before the key session, rehearsing the toughest stretch | If the session went the way you imagined it |
| 4 | All together and mental fatigue | A session that simulates the race; check which days you arrive with the most mental load | RPE, sensations and context of the day |
From there, keep the skills that work best for you in the heaviest weeks and take them to the competition. For the last few weeks before a race, look at how to optimize the weeks before a great race.
What can the coach do to train the athlete's head?
The coach can turn mental training into part of the plan: indicate in the session what skill he plays (for example, "last block: your two sentences"), ask for the RPE and a brief comment, and review them in the weekly conversation. The trust between the two also counts; we develop it in a coach-sports relationship.
In TrainingForever, a platform for endurance and strength coaches, the coach schedules the sessions and the athlete sees them in the app, registers his RPE and writes messages to him. There is a free version with all functions up to 5 athletes; then, 0.99 € per active athlete per month, with a maximum of 49 €/month, and for the athlete it is always free. If you are choosing tool, you have the comparison in best software for coaches.
What mistakes are common when training the mind?
- Leave it for race day. Techniques yield more when they have been trained before (Hatzigeorgiadis et al., 2011).
- Copy foreign phrases. If a phrase doesn't tell you anything, it won't do you any good when the fatigue comes.
- Waiting for a huge effect. Imagery has a small mean effect (Toth et al., 2020): it adds up, but does not replace physical training.
- Ignore the mental burden of the day. A cognitively tiring day can make a key session feel harder (Van Cutsem et al., 2017). If fatigue drags for weeks, check the overtraining signs.
- Measure only the result. Without process objectives you won't know what part of mental work has worked.
When should you work with a sports psychologist?
A sports psychologist is the right professional when anxiety, fear of competition or low mood interfere with training or your daily life, or when techniques on your own do not work. This article is informative and does not replace the valuation of a professional. If exercise is part of your emotional care, you may be interested in exercise and mental health.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is mental training for athletes?
It is the planned practice of psychological skills that help to yield and sustain effort: self-dialogue, imagery, goal-setting and management of mental fatigue. He trains during the season, within the sessions you already do, and not just the day of the race. In endurance sports, a systematic review of 2015 found consistent support for imagery, self-dialogue and goals.
Does self-dialogue work in endurance sports?
There's evidence in favor. A meta-analysis of 32 studies found a moderate positive effect of self-dialogue on sports performance. In a study with 24 participants, two weeks of motivational self-dialogue increased the time to bicycle exhaustion from 637 to 750 seconds on average and reduced the perceived effort, without changes in the control group.
How long do you have to devote to mental training?
There is no universal dose validated. The meta-analysis of Toth et al (2020) found that the duration of mental practice influences its effect, but does not set a single figure for all. The practical thing is to start with a few minutes associated with sessions you already do, such as the series or the long run, and adjust with your coach according to what you register.
Does mental fatigue affect performance?
Yes, especially in endurance. A systematic review of 11 studies concluded that mental fatigue worsens endurance performance because it increases perceived effort, while heart rate, lactate and oxygen consumption did not change and maximum strength was not affected. That is why it is important to take into account how the athlete arrives before a key session.
Is it the same mental training as controlling nerves before competing?
No. The management of the pre-competitive nerves focuses on the previous days and on the morning of the race: routine, breathing and plan. Mental training is broader and work is done throughout the season to sustain effort and decide well with fatigue. The two things complement each other: what you train for months is what you then use in the competition.
When should I go to a sports psychologist?
When anxiety, fear of competition or low mood interfere with your training or your daily life, or when techniques on your own don't work. A sports psychologist can evaluate your case and design an individual plan. This article is informative and does not replace the valuation of a professional.
Sources
- Hatzigeorgiadis A, Zourbanos N, Galanis E, Theodorakis Y. Self-talk and sports performance: a meta-analysis. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2011;6(4):348-56. Retrieved 19/10/2026.
- Blanchfield AW, Hardy J, De Morree HM, Staiano W, Marcora SM. Talking yourself out of exhaustion: the effects of self-talk on endurance performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2014;46(5):998-1007. Retrieved 19/10/2026.
- McCormick A, Meijin C, Marcora S. Psychological determinants of whole-body endurance performance. Sports Med. 2015;45(7):997-1015. Retrieved 19/10/2026.
- Toth AJ, McNeill E, Hayes K, Moran AP, Campbell M. Does mental practice still enhance performance? A 24 year follow-up and meta-analytic replication and extension. Psychol Sport Exercise. 2020;48:101672. Retrieved 19/10/2026.
- Kyllo LB, Landers DM. Goal setting in sport and exercise: a research synthesis to resolve the controversy. J Sport Exerc Psychol. 1995;17(2):117-37. Retrieved 19/10/2026.
- Marcora SM, Staiano W, Manning V. Mental fatigue impairs physical performance in humans. J Appl Physiol. 2009;106(3):857-64. Retrieved 19/10/2026.
- Van Cutsem J, Marcora S, De Pauw K, Bailey S, Meeusen R, Roelands B. The effects of mental fatigue on physical performance: a systematic review. Sports Med. 2017;47(8):1569-88. Retrieved 19/10/2026.
