Simone Biles is the most decorated Olympic gymnast in history. The “GOAT,” as she has been dubbed, led the 2024 U.S. Olympic team to all-around gold and secured her 9th gold medal in the individual all-around competition.
While some may argue that Olympians are just built differently both physically and mentally, there are some mindset tricks that Biles has honed over the years that have helped launch her success. It turns out, there are strategies we all can take away from the gymnastics legend.
“It’s all about mental training,” Biles says in her class on MasterClass on gymnastics fundamentals, overcoming fear, and goal setting. For those pursuing greatness in any field, she offers this reminder: “You can do this. Have confidence, and think back to everything you’ve done in training for this moment now.”
Here are Biles’ 10 key takeaways:
1. Show up 10 minutes early
Showing up early doesn’t just look good to the coaches, it’s also a way to show up for yourself and your potential, Biles says.
“The number one thing you can do is make sure you show up to practice on time or at least 10 minutes early so that once you go into your gymnastics space, you’re not running all over the place, giving your coaches excuses as to why you’re late,” she says. “Give yourself enough time to clear your head.”
Taking care of your mind and body is essential to showing up ready to go.
“Discipline goes a long way, especially in the sport of gymnastics, but it means showing up to practice on time, taking every turn that you do into consideration, fueling your body to the best … going to bed at a reasonable time,” Biles says in the class. “I still make sure on the weekends I don’t get too crazy so that on Monday, I am ready and refueled to go for the rest of the week.”
2. Count when you’re nervous
Whatever skill you’re learning, Biles reminds you to put it into perspective. Her coach once said that she only needed to be on the beam for one minute and 30 seconds. During that time, she needed to give it her all—but only during that time.
“One minute and 30 is not that long, but it can feel like forever when you’re up there. Sometimes if I’m having trouble focusing in on something, I try to count my steps through it, so it kind of gives me a distraction but I’m still focused on what I’m doing,” Bile says in the class. And when the time is up, “Get off. Breathe, and then do whatever I want to do again.”
3. Pivot when in a rut
It’s important to take a beat when things aren’t going as planned.
“I usually just talk to my coaches and be like, ‘This isn’t working. Can I move on and try to come back to it? So I’m not stuck in the same rut over and over and that gets you more frustrated,” Biles says. “I usually try to move on and come back … It’s ok to get stuck.”
And if the skill isn’t working on round two, Biles asks her coaches to break it down another way or get spotting.
4. Find humor in the stress
As the saying goes, sometimes it’s just not that deep.
Biles tells herself, “I’m going to do this 100 more times. I know I can fix this.” she says. “I try to remind myself that it’s not the end of the world. There will be tomorrow. There will be the next practice.”
5. Some fear is ok
If you weren’t nervous about something you trained hours on end for, that would be worrisome, Biles says. Some nervous energy is good and can propel us. However, calming down fear and more heightened stress is crucial for peak performance.
“It’s all about mental training so once you step onto the competition floor you can replicate those routines,” Biles says.
When Biles, who admits to hating fear, feels scared, she counts to three and then just “chucks” herself. “It almost puts a block in your track of what you’re trying to do,” she says.
Biles also credits her sports psychologist, watching videos of herself performing well, and asking her coaches to go back to the basics for a moment with helping calm her fear. And, she listens to hype music before a competition, which is always the most nerve-racking part.
“Once I’m in the venue, all my nerves go away because I am finally there. This is the moment I’ve been training for,” she says. “Once I salute, I’m in control of everything that happens.”
6. Visualize your goal
If you ever see athletes getting their game faces on, it’s not for nothing. Biles swears by visualizing her routine before she sets out.
“I’ll go through every skill in my head, exactly what I’m going to do, so that I can perform it to the best of my ability,” she says in the class.
7. Don’t forget to fake it
The saying, fake it until you make it, has validity. Biles recalls being asked by a coach years back to smile during her routine. She didn’t feel confident, so it took her 30 minutes to fake a smile. Since then, she’s realized the power of emulating how you want to show up.
“I found that if I’m smiling, I’m having more fun and I’m being more confident in my routine. I’m not thinking so much,” she says.
8. Increase intensity at intervals
Sweeping changes can cause anyone to panic. As Biles advanced in her sport, she recalls going from practicing in the gym 20 hours a week to 24, 28, and then 32.
“It was a huge evolution, but you had to go little by little. It was never huge advanced changes,” Biles recalls, which can apply to anyone going up weights at the gym or increasing mileage on a run.
9. Writes down goals
High-level athletes often write down their goals as a way to cement them and hold themselves accountable. Suni Lee, who won the bronze individual all-around metal in Paris alongside Biles, swears by journaling five pages before competitions.
In the MasterClass, Biles says she writes down all of her short term and long-term goals for the season ahead.
“If you look at your overall goal package, it can get stressful and overwhelming, so that’s why I split it into the two,” she says. “Journaling is very important at a younger age because you can really track your progress and your feelings.”
Biles also takes pride in reading back past entries and seeing her accomplishments and progress.
10. Have an intention
It’s unrealistic to ask yourself to give 100% every day. Biles says it’s important to have an intention, which can help you show up to at least 70% every day and still accomplish your goals.
Ask yourself: What is your why?
“The days that I come in, and I don’t have a reason or intention for being there, it falls apart, and you don’t feel very motivated,” says Biles, who loves what she does and says it’s the reason for her motivation and success.
For more on the 2024 Paris Olympics:
- Team USA’s medical staff have their first official Olympics uniform. Here’s what they’re wearing in Paris
- Olympic gymnast Suni Lee recites this 10-word rallying cry before competing
- Track star and entrepreneur Allyson Felix will launch the Olympic Village’s first nursery: ‘The systems aren’t in place for mothers whatsoever’
- Why the new Olympic gymnastics leotards are $3K each—and have a record number of crystals
