Pushing Yourself/Effort Book

Hey guys.

I've basically finished reading the Slight Edge after someone recommended it on here a little while ago and after hearing Coach say most of us probably don't push ourselves as hard as we are capable I'm looking for some material on pushing through that mental barrier/pain and working to full capacity.

Any book suggestions? I obviously feel like I am working to failure but I'm not sure if my mind is failing me before my body. Some inspiration to push me to get that last 10% of every set/rep would be awesome.

There arent enough books in the world to provide constant inspiration. Instead, look at yourself from another perspective. See yourself from the outside looking in, looking at yourself. Do you see what i see? See the finished product. See a successful montage of work and pain and success. Believe the last set is already completed. Most importantly though is carrying yourself at a higher standard outside the gym. Since the inspiration you seek comes from within, and is kept strong with your outer nature, you must be that person 24/7. Both sides of yourself help each other, if one side is weak then it will pull the other one with it.

I dont find it hard to push myself to the limit because my form will break down 

RJS said:

There arent enough books in the world to provide constant inspiration. Instead, look at yourself from another perspective. See yourself from the outside looking in, looking at yourself. Do you see what i see? See the finished product. See a successful montage of work and pain and success. Believe the last set is already completed. Most importantly though is carrying yourself at a higher standard outside the gym. Since the inspiration you seek comes from within, and is kept strong with your outer nature, you must be that person 24/7. Both sides of yourself help each other, if one side is weak then it will pull the other one with it.

+1. Just read an old post at another forum that's very similar to this line of thought.

http://www.rosstraining.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=42368

Become an elite athlete, instantly! No gimmicks! How can you do this? Decide to.

 

Thanks guys. I don't really need inspiration as much as just interested to hear people talk about what it feels like to work to your maximum.

I have the determination but interested to know if the maximum I am working to is actually best effort or just where my mind thinks best effort is.

Joel,

Try a vision board for your goals.  Pictures of what you want to accomplish, such as pictures of each skill in Foundation, or a picture of the activities Foundation will help you enjoy more through increased strength and mobility, or even what your ideal body will look like.

Keep the board/poster near where you work out, or spend time looking at it before you work out.  Be prepared for your lazy brain to come up with all sorts of reasons not to accomplish those things you want.  And then use it to motivate you through that last 10%.

It can extend to other areas of your life: financial, self-improvement, spiritual, wife and family, career, education, etc.

Joel Tomkins said:

I have the determination but interested to know if the maximum I am working to is actually best effort or just where my mind thinks best effort is.

That's something that comes from a long time of self reflection, video spot checks, and a mature sense of self awareness...that or a day with Coach.

TANSTAAFL said:

 

...that or a day with Coach.

Well said. If not possible, the next best thing is imagining Coach (  ) right next to you watching your efforts. Your mind will be put right back in line 

In karate, perhaps the single biggest event is grading for blackbelt.  In general, this is many magnitudes bigger and harder than any previous grading, and they are just as mentally tiring as physically tiring.  The goal is to get people to the point of failure as quick as possible and then push through it.

It's almost a zen experience.  You get to a point where you think your instructor is crazy, that your body will give out, that these demands are physically impossible.  But you keep going, because you know if you give up now you have to wait another year to try again (and there's no refund, which is a good secondary motivator).  And then your mind just sort of shuts up.  You stop questioning and feeling sorry for yourself and just do the work.  And you find it's not that bad.

When you're finished, you have this afterglow that lingers for several days.  Some of it is probably endorphins, but most of it is the realization that you just pushed yourself harder than you thought possible for an extended period of time.  If you train like that everyday, holy cow you'd be amazing.  And for a week or so you do that, but it's hard, and complacency sets in again and in time you're back at what's comfortable.  Until, at least, you grade for your next belt.

The takeaway message?  You are almost certainly physically able to do more than you current do, but getting to and sticking at that level is very difficult.  You probably need guidance, a coach, to experience it, especially for the first time.  Once you do, though, it is an unforgettable experience, and I imagine part of the joy people report from attending seminars is experiencing exactly this feeling.

The Art of Possibility by Benjamin and Roz Zander is a fantastic book, slightly related to the conversation at hand. As above however, I'll remind you that an intellectual understanding of "the physical experience of pushing yourself" is not nearly as beneficial as actually having the physical experience of pushing yourself. One made precede the other, and both have merit, but sometimes you just need to do the thing.

Cool, now I think we are getting to what im after! A day with Coach is almost definitely what I need.

Rock climbing is an activity that I think would get you pretty close to pushing past your mental blocks as you can't always safely give up half way up a pitch.

Chris Garay said:

The Art of Possibility by Benjamin and Roz Zander is a fantastic book, slightly related to the conversation at hand. As above however, I'll remind you that an intellectual understanding of "the physical experience of pushing yourself" is not nearly as beneficial as actually having the physical experience of pushing yourself. One made precede the other, and both have merit, but sometimes you just need to do the thing.

I'll have to check that out. The Inner Game of Tennis was recommended on here by someone else and I'm almost done with it. It's pretty spot on and recommend it to all. Also I don't play tennis, so it's not a pre-req.

Joel Tomkins said:

Rock climbing is an activity that I think would get you pretty close to pushing past your mental blocks as you can't always safely give up half way up a pitch.

Unless your Alex Honnold...

Do you mean especially if you're Alex Honnold?

Ha, good catch. I read your 'can't' as 'can.' As in you can climb back down/use your rope if you need to.