Tour of Duty Journal
Week 5, Day 4
Feelin' good like a woman should! Oh yeah, beat the guys again today! Yup, I think it is safe to say that I really finally, finally adjusted to my schedule. Even though it's still tough I am on a Dara Torres Olympic roll. Yup I'm gonna make it to week 8 and I'm going to be able to climb those walls. I'm not sure I'll be able to do the Intensity wall but I really do think I can climb the three walls before I finish the Tour of Duty. As a matter of fact I know I can because I totally can FEEL it. Everyday that I go in bootcamp, I get pumped because I know little by little I'm getting better and before you know it, I'll be able to fit back into my favorite dress. OMG! I'm trying really hard to be able to climb those walls with out any help but sometimes even though I can feel the motivation within, my arms just can't pull me up just yet. But I feel I'm really close, I'm so close! I think this weekend I'm going to rent Rocky Balboa and watch the movie to get inspired..
I found this "read" in a Men's Fitness magazine and I really liked it. The article is by Richard Machowicz and it's really good as it talks about attaining a warrior mentality which is what I think is next for me. I'm going to turn into the Rocky Balboa/Dara Torres of Pure Power Bootcamp...Grrrr... Yup, but in the meantime I have to figure out how to cultivate and practice all this metal power and see how it works...Anyhow, below is the article....
“Being a warrior is not about the act of fighting, it’s about being so prepared to face a challenge and believing so strongly in a cause that you are fighting for that you refuse to quit.”
-Richard Machowicz
-Richard Machowicz
There are 2 aspects to training success. The first, and most readily observable, is the physical aspect.
This is the “how to”.
The second aspect is much harder to identify, but there is no denying its existence. This is the mental aspect of training. It includes your reasons for training, your goals, and your attitude toward, and during, your workouts.
This is the “why”, and the “want to”.
The mental aspect can be viewed as the “make or break” factor that can mean success for one trainee, and failure for another, who are both using the exact same training regimen.
The “why” and “want to” are not available in your bookstore. They only come from one place-inside of you.
It stands to reason that somebody who chooses High Intensity Training as their “how to” should also choose a High Intensity mental attitude to go with it, if he wants to get the best possible results.
I call this high intensity mental attitude the warrior mentality.
Having a warrior mentality means viewing your workout as a challenge-not something to be feared, but something to be conquered.
A trainee with a warrior mentality does not take the easy way out by mindlessly going through the motions with a sub-maximal weight, which is tantamount to surrender. He views the workout as a battle to be won, no matter how high the cost of effort and fatigue.
But what if the trainee isn’t naturally warrior-like? Is he just fated to have sub-par workouts, and therefore sub-par results?
Cultivating a warrior mentality is a skill, and like any other skill it can be learned.
The foundation of this mentality is, as Richard Machowicz said, “believing so strongly in a cause that you are fighting for that you refuse to quit.” In the case of your training, the “cause” is your personal reason for training in the first place.
Take some time periodically to review your training goals, and why you are committed to them. What does training mean to you personally? Why is it important to you to include this activity in your life? Why is getting good results meaningful to you? Answering these types of questions will reinforce the commitment in your mind, strengthening your resolve.
The more intensely you care about the outcome of your workout, the more intensely you will train during that workout.
Visualization is another valuable technique for developing a warrior mentality. Take a few minutes before your workout to sit somewhere quiet by yourself, close your eyes, get real relaxed, and see yourself in your mind’s eye tearing through your workout, setting new personal bests on every exercise. Picture how you expect to look and feel, in the most vivid detail you can imagine. Once you open your eyes and enter the gym, strive to recreate your vision.
Listening to music or reading something that you find uplifting and motivating can also help you program yourself for a highly intense workout.
Completing successful workouts will provide you with positive memories that you can access to psyche yourself up for future workouts. As they say, “nothing succeeds like success”.
Take the steps necessary to cultivate and maintain a warrior mentality, and you will consistently win your battles in the gym and ultimately be victorious in your mission to achieve your training goals-and for that matter, any other goals you strive for in life.
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