It's something I hear mentioned a lot when I am working with my trainer or when I'm working at the Caveman Gym. It's been described by the leading expert, Dr. Jim Loehr as "the ability to consistently perform towards the upper range of your talent and skill regardless of competitive circumstances" whatever that means. A better description is "Mental Toughness generally describes a collection of attributes that allow a person to persevere through difficult circumstances (such as difficult training or difficult competitive situations in games) and emerge without losing confidence."
My personal view of what it means to embody mental toughness is that whatever situation I'm in, however I'm feeling that day, and that time; I'm going to give everything I've got in my tank, and when that's gone, I will find some more, I won't quit, and I won't give up.
Almost every time I leave a class at the Cave-gym (Evolution Group Fitness), and almost every time I work with my trainer, I leave thinking "Wow, that was the hardest workout ever." That will never change. My workouts will continually be the hardest workout ever because I will push myself further, lift more, run further, and go faster. It's the only way to get stronger. This weeks workouts were especially challenging for me.Monday evening's Caveman class started with 7 minutes of bear crawls and killers...and that was just the warm up. The main challenge was a sprinting obstacle course of Killers/Death Marches/Dumbbell Snatches/Medicine Ball Slams/Dead Lifts/Sledgehammers. It was a tough course. After pushing an incredibly heavy tire across the floor and back, I couldn't catch my breath, but I kept going. I was working out with people who are athletes, who work hard and challenge themselves, and my trainer was leading the class, and these factors push me to give my hardest and push myself further when I don't think I can possibly complete one more round of this Obstacle Sprint Course.
Yesterday my trainer had me working outside. It was hot, humid, my allergies were going nuts, the air didn't move, and it was oppressive. I was out of breath three minutes into some basic punches and light jogging, and we had 57 minutes to go. 57 minutes of 85 degree weather that felt line 90's. We did what we've done a lot lately. Balance, core and ROM exercises followed by a circuit of Battle Ropes, Weighted exercises, Sledgehammers, tire flips and running. Several times during my workout I felt like I couldn't take one step further, or that I didn't think I could flip that tire, and that's when the mental game kicks into high gear.
The trick is finding out what works for you. When I'm in the middle of a kick-my-ass workout, it's not thinking about my health, or the skinny jeans, or doing it for my family that does it for me. It's much more simple and short term than that. It's what I can tangibly achieve in the next five second. It's picking a spot in my run, and not quitting before that no matter how I feel - just making it to that stop sign/the top of the hill/the end of the wall. It's making myself flip the tire and focusing on just this one flip, not worrying about the next one. It's putting all my effort into it because I want to hear the "Yea, buddy" from my trainer. I may want it to end, I could be dripping sweat, I may feel like I need to puke, but I power through it, and I get it done.
When I'm running and I can't breath and I have my "mental monologue" going through my head, my trainer's accompanying mantras of "Purpose, Pride, Power" and "Get stronger than that" keep me going, even as we round the corner of the splash pad and the moms out there probably think we look crazy, and sweat is dripping in my eyes because it's so humid, and I feel like I can't propel another step forward, I dig in, and I make it.
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And then at the end, what do I earn for all that hard work? Besides a body that's getting more awesome every day in looks and physical ability, I earn pride and respect. Pride in myself for being able to accomplish something I couldn't the week before. Respect of my trainer, and classmates. When someone in my class tells me I'm awesome, or that they could see how hard I was working, that means something to me. I'm starting to grasp the concept that when I work hard, I even motivate them as much as they motivate me . I'm not one who takes compliments well, but I'm learning. When my trainer would say that he was proud of me, because of my low self esteem or whatever, I would brush it off as something he had to say because he's training me/or to keep me motivated, etc. Now I think I can honestly say that I believe him. If he says I did good, and if he says he's proud of me, I believe it, and it fuels my motivation.
I think the most important thing to remember with mental toughness is that it starts outside of the gym. It's worth spending some time to think about what really motivates you when you feel like you can't go any further. Think about everything from deciding to go to the gym, choosing workout clothes, deciding how you want to workout, intensity, when to stop, when to keep going, how to keep your commitment. Tell yourself that you are worth it, and then actually believe it. Decide what's going to keep you going, and own it, and make that your mental toughness.
It doesn't actually occur to me to quit, or just give up, or walk away. And this is where having a trainer, or being in classes really is a benefit. If I were sitting in the back of a Zumba class, and I just felt like I couldn't go on, maybe I could just walk out and not come back. Nobody would care - they are busy getting their own workout on. I couldn't imagine what my trainer would do if I just quit. After developing several months of trust working with him, I know that I can accomplish anything he throws at me. "I can't" doesn't exist when working with him, and the other Caveman instructors. I can accomplish, and I come out stronger on the other side. Sometimes I go slow, sometimes I take an extra deep breath, and sometimes it takes a little extra yelling from an instructor to get me moving, but I get it done.
"Commit...No Excuses" - The Caveman Mantra, and I try to live it.
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