Spartan Training: Day 1

As a young child I used to watch American Gladiators religiously. In addition to American Gladiators, I used to watch Nickelodeon's GUTS. Both shows put contenders against themselves in strenuous activities, all leading to a final challenge. On American Gladiators it was THE ELIMINATOR; on GUTS is was the Aggro Crag. These shows appealed to both my sadistic, bring the pain, personality and my competitive nature.

The way I looked at both the Eliminator and the Crag was simple, don't let it beat you. To me it seemed simple, assess the situation and go for it. So whether it was climbing a cargo net, swimming 25 meters, running up a treadmill, or sprinting up a mountain while big rocks came tumbling down on your head, I was down for the challenge. Unfortunately I never made it to either competition, so then I heard of adventure-type races like the Spartan, Warrior, and Tough Mudder.

So the decision has been made. The first weekend of June I will take part in the Tri-State NY Spartan Sprint. All gimmicks aside, the reason I chose to do a Spartan Race is because, well, it is the most local of these obstacle course type races.

Personally I have never been much of a runner. I could keep up with most people in a dead sprint, but once that sprint went past a few hundred yards, I was done. So a marathon/triathlete I am not, in fact I loathe running. So the next best thing to me, a Spartan Race. Not too far, enough obstacles to break up the run, and the defining factor, 30 minutes away where I live. These factors appeal to me and a group of my friends. So we will be entering the race with the thought process of beat the race, not let it beat us.

My training regimen must change as a result. No more can I ignore cardio workouts and just go through the motions. I have a goal now, a goal that I must be ready for. The plan is simple, lift heavy weights, a lot of times, and with limited rest. Cardio-wise, the plan is to progressively get to where I can run for 3-5 miles without stopping. Ya know because in most cases I'd rather re-break my ankle then to take another step. So the treadmill and arc trainer will become familiar allies, as will my jump rope and battle rope. Hopefully I will be prepared enough to perform, hopefully.

The Wall and the Hole

It is easier to push through the wall, than to pull yourself out of the hole.

I came up with this quote the other day while working out. Sometimes I sit and think about all the "motivational" speeches I have heard and told. A lot of times I am searching for a reason to push through that last set of [insert exercise here]. That's when I came up with the wall and the hole. I have two explanations of this quote, metaphoric and physical.

Obviously the wall and hole are metaphors for certain points of your life. So let's start with the metaphoric wall. This wall is an obstacle. Something that is in your way of achieving a goal. Simple enough right? You have to figure out a way to get past this wall, sometimes the easiest of which is to push through it.
Now let's take the metaphoric hole. This hole can be similar to a plateau (verb def.) in that you are stuck there. There is seemingly no way out of this hole other than climbing up a rope. The rope is whatever way out of the hole that you see fit. However it is not easy and will take some will power to climb. Now could you live in this hole, yes. Could you stay down in the hole and survive, yes. BUT WHY?! Climb your butt out of this hole and keep moving.

Now the literal PUSHING through a wall versus PULLING yourself out of a hole.
When comes to exercising, the pushing motion is probably one of the fan favorites. It is a lot easier to push a weight or your body. For the most part, there is the thought process of, if I don't push this weight up, it will fall on me and hurt me. So people are more successful when performing PUSH exercises.
The literal PULLING action is not a fan favorite. Ask your average person to do a pull-up, either they can not, or they do not want to. Why, because it is HARD. People don't like to do hard things for the most part. Also, failing when performing pulling exercises is safe. For a pull-up you just drop to the ground, no weights are falling on you. So the PULL exercises are less successful.

Just food for thought...

Mental Toughness in Sports

While I have touched on the topic before, I feel that it is very important to mention as the new year begins. CONFIDENCE.

Confidence plays a huge role in success during athletic competition. It is almost on the same level as skill and natural ability. Think about yourself, when you believe something is possible and obtainable, and you believe in yourself, a lot of the time you are about to get it done. Now of course the goals you set must be realistic and be very personal. Sometimes you can not overcome environmental factors. However, all in all, confidence is mucho importante.

Confidence is one of those things that comes naturally to some. You know the person, the one with that swagger in their walk, the one who believes anything is possible. Some of us just don't have that natural confidence.  Don't despair, confidence can be built.

Positivity breeds confidence!

Any psychology book you read will mention POSITIVE SELF TALK. Taking the word CAN'T out of your vocabulary. This is a huge aspect of being confident and successful. If you start saying that things are possible, you will begin to believe that those same things are possible. Start with obtainable goals, then build on them once they are accomplished. The smallest boost resinates everywhere, into all aspects of life.

Remember, confidence extends past the playing field into life. Doctors, Salesmen, Lawyers, Coaches, Personal Trainers, Teachers, etc all believe in themselves, so others follow suit. Kind of a big part in being a leader, no?

I leave you with this final thought:
If you do not think you can, who will?