O.K., so not ALL mental; but sort of...let me explain.
Let's take a common scenario of Joe Everyman working out. It's set three of bench-pressing, and his muscles are starting to weaken, and it's tough to lift the last rep. What happens inside his head? There are thoughts of "My muscles can't do it", "I'm too tired", or "I've lifted enough this time...good enough!" But you know what?
There are also thoughts of "I can do it!", "Just one more", and "Come on, I can succeed."
The trick is to listen to the positive thoughts and disregard the negative ones. But not entirely. Use those negative thoughts to get a grip on your self-esteem and see where you can improve. Conquer the negativity and make it your own.
But how does controlling your thoughts and thinking positively build muscle you ask? Well, just imagine if every time you have a choice between one or two more repetitions...or none. That's a huge increase! To take it to the logical extreme, think of the difference between working out a little and not working out at ALL. Major difference.
You've heard great athletes throughout the years stress the mental and downplay the physical. They're RIGHT. One thing I've said for a while now is that some of the smartest people in the world are professional athletes: they have learned how to control their minds and bodies. That's quite an accomplishment, if you ask me.
So listen to the good, make yourself join that gym, and keep going, even when you don't want to. And do one more rep!
Let's take a common scenario of Joe Everyman working out. It's set three of bench-pressing, and his muscles are starting to weaken, and it's tough to lift the last rep. What happens inside his head? There are thoughts of "My muscles can't do it", "I'm too tired", or "I've lifted enough this time...good enough!" But you know what?
There are also thoughts of "I can do it!", "Just one more", and "Come on, I can succeed."
The trick is to listen to the positive thoughts and disregard the negative ones. But not entirely. Use those negative thoughts to get a grip on your self-esteem and see where you can improve. Conquer the negativity and make it your own.
But how does controlling your thoughts and thinking positively build muscle you ask? Well, just imagine if every time you have a choice between one or two more repetitions...or none. That's a huge increase! To take it to the logical extreme, think of the difference between working out a little and not working out at ALL. Major difference.
You've heard great athletes throughout the years stress the mental and downplay the physical. They're RIGHT. One thing I've said for a while now is that some of the smartest people in the world are professional athletes: they have learned how to control their minds and bodies. That's quite an accomplishment, if you ask me.
So listen to the good, make yourself join that gym, and keep going, even when you don't want to. And do one more rep!
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