Rituals help in exercise. Sometimes the warmup is useful less for what it does physically, and more for what it does mentally, preparing you for the effort.
In a talk at the SSCA, Kirk Karwoski mentions having rituals in his lifting, always taking the same number of steps onto the platform, always putting the right hand on the bar first, that sort of thing.
Once the bar is in hand or on back, I always take three deep breaths, in through my nose and out through my mouth. I got the habit from shooting while hunting (though when I had to take a snap shot I was often just as accurate, hmmm).
One thing I enforce on all my lifters is that they should only approach the bar when about to lift. I don't like it when people stand there in front of it "resting", staring at the heavy weights and their reflections in the mirror, psyching themselves out. Step away from the bar, have some water, talk to a friend, whatever. Let your work be work, and your rest be rest.
One of the people I train always approaches the bar during any workset, puts his hands on it, and just before getting under the bar spits out, "bitch!"
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