High reps mind-trick

Just wanted to share a mind-trick that works at least for me. Doing, say, 60 reps of something might feel tough and counting 1 to 60 might make it even worse. Try this: Count 1 to 30 twice instead, no rest in between of course. You could even count 20 three times or 15 four times if it's really tough.

thats nice. when I was doing ABR, I counted to 10 6 times. When I doing the 60 seconds holds, what helps me is trying to concentrate on my breathing. I´ve now learnt how many breaths (Yoga type breathing) it takes to complete 60 sec instead of looking att my sopwatch nonstop

Any references on the yoga breathing?

I do 30 once, then 20, then count down from 10.

On the holds, I have an intervall on my phone at 4 x 15.

I´m no "yoga expert breather" but I try to keep my breathing calm and only breathing through my nose and never holding my breath..

Cole should be able to explain.

I'm doing a 10,000 kettlebell swing challenge of 500 swings, 4x a week. It's broken down into one workout of of 5x(10,15,25,50) . On the last 50 I use a 10 rep count 5 times scheme vs 1,2, 50... It really does help!

I'd have a hart time with doing that, after a while I'd be like: "wait...where am I at now...?". Hell, I have a hard time just remembering sometimes if I did 5 sets or only 4! So I'll just stick to counting from 1-60.

Instead my mind trick is when I get to say 30 out of 60. I pump myself up by saying to myself: "Halfway baby!! halfway!!"

I have a bag of tricks.

For first couple of sets I will count 1-60 (or, 1-48 as is the case)

Next set I will count down from 48-1 (this is a bit better psychologically,)

Last set(s) call for the big tactics - I will count up 1-24, then down from 24-1. This combines the best of both methods - gaining momentum as the reps go up (to a 'lower' number), and a countdown as they become tough!

I am not a fan of high reps!

I'm the opposite...counting high reps/time builds mental strength. Same with the brutal movements...Arch Holds/Rocks are evil, so they are my favorite. Remember, it's an integrated program...Strength, Mobility & Mental Toughness!

While I said that half-jokingly, it's actually pretty serious. When I was a competitive rower, my ability to withstand/ignore physical discomfort made me a better rower than my physical capabilities should have allowed. There were bigger/stronger/faster/better athletes that I shouldn't have been able to beat, but did.

My attitude has been developed by years of low horse stance;

"This is going to suck for a while. If you do it right you only have to do it once, so just get it done."

Oh and

Sooner its done, sooner you can do the fun, not crampy painful stuff

Triple post!

Just noticed that whenever I count for someone else, I always count up for high reps and down for low reps. For whatever reason.

I just count from 1 to n, does not matter for me how I count.

Robert Frase said:

I'm the opposite...counting high reps/time builds mental strength. Same with the brutal movements...Arch Holds/Rocks are evil, so they are my favorite. Remember, it's an integrated program...Strength, Mobility & Mental Toughness!

Indeed!

I have a quote from the Coach himself in my signature.

I repeat it to myself as a mantra when it starts to bite and it helps a lot!

Robert Frase said:

I'm the opposite...counting high reps/time builds mental strength. Same with the brutal movements...Arch Holds/Rocks are evil, so they are my favorite. Remember, it's an integrated program...Strength, Mobility & Mental Toughness!

While I said that half-jokingly, it's actually pretty serious. When I was a competitive rower, my ability to withstand/ignore physical discomfort made me a better rower than my physical capabilities should have allowed. There were bigger/stronger/faster/better athletes that I shouldn't have been able to beat, but did.

If you want to build some even more mental toughness, do a timed hold, stopwatch it on your laptop/computer, and always keep your eyes on the timer. Time here seems to go way slower, but is a great way to build that mental toughness, might try doing this when I'm less sane.

Robert Frase said:

(...)  it's actually pretty serious. When I was a competitive rower, my ability to withstand/ignore physical discomfort made me a better rower than my physical capabilities should have allowed. There were bigger/stronger/faster/better athletes that I shouldn't have been able to beat, but did.

The beatings will continue until morale improves!

The exercise is the same, it really doesn't matter how you count, you've to count and is going to hurt. Maybe there are tricks to fool the miind, but I prefer strengthen it too.

I think, joking aside, that something as simple as how you count CAN make a difference.

If nothing else, it is the mental difference between climbing up a hill and rolling down one!

What I am after is the consistency to keep nudging my numbers towards mastery

Some days I will be really up for it and power through with the 'just do it' mentality

On other days, life will have had a piece of me first and I might be dragging a bit going into the session. On these days, little mental tricks stop the mind giving up before the body.

Doesn't work all the time(the brain is not that gullible), which is why I like to switch it about

(Discomfort is not failure, discomfort is not failure...)