Twelve weeks ago, we put together a training group for a mud run event.

And now that official start time is 36 hours away, what’s done is done … we’ve done all we can when it comes to mental preparation, it’s time to GO!

I have been reflecting a little today about the last twelve weeks of training … we put together an awesome group of folks for the event …  I’ve learned a LOT as a trainer during this time.

One specific take-away I wanted to share with you and that I think can help you a lot with your kettlebell training is …

 

Mental toughness is a learned skill

I had folks from varried backgrounds and training experience levels sign up for this program.  So here’s what I discovered:

Let’s try and flash you back to the first time you ever worked out. Maybe it was 20 years ago. Maybe it was this month. Either way, you have a “starting point” when it comes to your training. You didn’t start with a hard mind at 3 years old.

I still remember the first time I lifted weights HARD. I was 15 and it was in a football weight training class.  I didn’t even make it 30 minutes without running to the side of the building to have a puke.  Which I wasn’t super excited about at the time.  BUT – it made me realize I could push myself to a new level.

Over the last 15 years or so, I’ve been subjected to a LOT of hard workouts.  And each time I push myself a **little** harder, it takes me to a new level.

This is why I think folks that are just getting started have a hard time really pushing themselves to exhaustion. They really don’t even know what it’s like. It’s not even in their realm of thinking.

And this is also why I think people that were athletic, that maybe have trained hard in the past, many times get injured, throw up, etc. when they first get back into it. Because their MIND knows how to push hard, but their body’s forgot 🙂

How To Build Mental Toughness With Kettlebells

So – the moral of the story is that you need to be striving to push yourself a little bit harder – than you ever have before – on a somewhat frequent basis. Now, let me be clear – you CAN”T train like this every day, or even every week. But you should be training hard every once in a while to really test your limit and get to a new mental toughness set point!

Train hard, and talk soon –

Forest

PS – If you liked this article, check out this other recent one I did on my toughest leg workout ever:

=== >> Story of the Hardest Leg Workout Ever

PPS – I also have a special deal on one of my programs that’s PERFECT for learning how to push yourself to the limit. More details on that one coming very soon.

Forest Vance, RKC II