Well, since Pwnisher requested it, I thought I would give my two cents on the mental toughness stuff.
I think the main thing that keeps people from reaching past their preconceived notions of āpossibleā is fear.
Fear of the unknown, fear of getting hurt, fear of failure, fear of what otherās are going to think, fear of breaking down your own egoā¦
I donāt think people are really born mentally strong. i think it is like anything else, it all begins with small things. The first time you tried to ride a bike, there was a certain amount of fear. Fear of getting hurt, letting you parents down, getting laughed at ectā¦but once you crashed a couple of times, realized that you didnāt die and no one loved you less for doing so, you made that connection and you were willing to go a little deeper into you courage reserves.
The first time you ever asked a girl out, there was fear. The fear of rejection, of what others would think, fear of not being good enough (ego). But once you got turned down a few times, you realized that it wasnāt nearly as bad as you imagined it to be.
I think building mental fortitude during exercise is the exact same way. The only way you will progress is to get comfortable with being uncomfortable and living in that realm that most people shy away from.
Next time you are in the middle of an AMRAP set and you start to feel yourself mentally breaking, donāt think, āwhat would this person do, or that person would doā ask yourself, āwho do I want to become.ā If you want to be average and settle for āgood enoughā then give up. That is what a rational, normal, sane individual would choose to do. There is nothing wrong with that if that is the person you are content in being. Everyone is on a different path, donāt try to be like anyone else, but rather try to be the best version of yourself.
Now, if you are in that same AMRAP set and you feel yourself breaking, but you want to become better, dig in. Forget about how you stand up against someone else, forget about the fear of getting hurt, forget about what anyone else is going to think and do more reps. Then once you feel you are REALLY done, get a few more. The first time you do this you may only get 1-2 more after you felt yourself breaking. But that is more than you thought you could do. The next time you try it, get 3 more than you thought you could do. Each time you do this and walk away from it uninjured, you have set an anchor. Just make sure that you are not stopping until you are truly spent. Hanging out in that uncomfortable realm is where progress is made. If you are staying within your preconceived limits, you will always quit before you are actually done and this action will bleed into other areas of your life. Always start before you feel āreadyā or ārestedā and NEVER go home wishing that you would have done more. Itās not about being better than anyone else, it is about being better than you were yesterday. Results come through years of work and if it were easy, everyone would be tough. I donāt know that Pwnisher or myself are mentally stronger than anyone else, but i can guarantee you that we have both spent more time in the suck (both in the gym and out of the gym) than most, and that is what sets us apart. Once you get there, you recognize this trait in other people. And it is not just with guys who pick up heavy things. You can see it is housewives, grandparents or even young children. But people who have spent enough time in discomfort are initiated. I have never met Pwnisher in real life, but I feel a certain closeness with him. not because we know much of anything about each other, but I know he āgets itā. It is a tough fraternity to get into, but once you are there, you never really leave.
Once you have built this up over years, you will figure out how to āflip the switchā. For me, before I go full potato on something, I say to myself, ādo your job.ā Thatās it. But I know that anything worth doing is worth overdoing and moderation is for cowards. So for me, ādo your job.ā means going until the work is done. Not going until I donāt feel like it, not quitting when it gets hard, but going full at it and not stopping until the job is done.
I think pwnisher already mentioned some good ways to build mental toughness in simple everyday life. Like exposing yourself to cold temperatures. Take ice baths, contrast showers, spend the night outside during the winter without a tent. Go a few days without eating any food at all. Make a list of 30 things that scare you and force yourself to confront them over the next month. Rather than willing yourself to do more reps, set a clock and force yourself to do X number of reps at the top of every minute for 30 Minutes. Take your will out of it. Make the clock the judge. Take part in a challenge that has a cause bigger than your own feelings like the 22 Squats for 22 veterans that i recently did. Find out what motivates you and focus on that rather than giving into your emotions, feeling sorry for yourself and choosing to take the role of the victim. There are no victims. You choose your reality. You are blessed to even have the ability to hate your life during an AMRAP set. That is a gift. What is you get in a car accident today and were paralyzed from the neck down? Then i bet you would never take something like 10 prowler sprints for granted again. Sticking yourself in a place mentally and physically where you deny yourself the basic ārightsā that people think they deserve is the only way you truly earn those things. Your least favorite food will quickly become your favorite after you havenāt eaten for 5 days.
These things donāt need to be big changes. Small incremental differences over time build up to great things.
Do something every single day that scares you, because if you can get comfortable with being uncomfortable, then there is literally nothing in this world that can have power over you. The choice is yours but it is fleeting. Donāt take it for granted or sleep on it. If you choose to be average, then be average. Like i said, there is nothing wrong with that. But if you want to be better, the only thing stopping you is yourself.