Mental Friction: When The Path Your Walking Chafes The Path Your Thinking...
Nic...
Matt, and Melissa...
“It isn't the oceans which cut us off from the world -- it's the American way of looking at things.”
Sometimes this story comes up all to frequently. The story of what we want, along with the story of what we are willing to do to get. When the two don't mix, the story creates friction.
I spoke with an athlete the other day I care very much about. In reality I care very just about all the of the athletes I get the honor of working with...but just for very different reasons. Some have these glorious demeanor's, some brazen personalities, some question the shit outta me and I hate it...but love them for the irritation that I know makes me better.
This particular athlete is incredibly fun to be around, works hard, and maybe most important of all, cares for others and that is always what I hold most dear. Don't get me wrong, a little selfishness goes a long way and sometimes you just need to be number one...but that is rare, much more rare than most of us demonstrate.
On this particular day this athlete and I were involved in yet another discussion about the numerous tactics one could employ to be a better athlete. From losing weight and how-to's. From increasing their mobility. All the way to the maximum amount of times they could workout before over-training.
The path our wonderful athlete wanted to take was very clear. Straight ahead. Better. Brighter. Linear. The path our athlete thought would get them there was clear all the same. Clearly creating friction that would soon lead to failure. Which is essentially when our perceived outcomes don't equate to the effort we put forth to receive them.
How many times have you been there? How many times have you let little gems like this slip out. "Oh I want to be way better, healthier, faster but I wanna do it my way". "I shouldn't have to eat like this, train like that, or sleep that much". Sound familiar? I for one have said them all numerous times.
If the path your on constantly rubs your ass raw because you think you should be able to run that path a clearly different way than the feedback your body is giving you, then the mental friction you create will not only serve to halt your progress, but end you career, any career, every career.
Take this for instance. It's more than likely we began a Handstand-up with a regular push-up, a progression aginst the wall and so forth, as opposed to inverted atop the rings. Examples like this just don't stop at training. It will most likely serve no purpose to work endless run time after run time, thinking you can out run that gluten allergy that you wish you didn't have. Wish it all day long, but that path will have a very bad ending.
Obstacles are in front of us no matter what we do, but creating them by wanting something, and doing the opposite to get it will serve to make you very unhappy. Setting up all of the things you really and truly want, then aligning all of the things you really are willing to do, or more likely not do to get them is an exercise in stress relief like never before.
Setting yourself up for failure is wanting to be the best paratrooper in the world, but refusing to fly. Guaranteeing stress is making something beautiful into a job because you think you should be able to reap its rewards, but pay nothing for them. Mental friction is almost entirely self-created by thinking your above the necessary work it take or sacrifices that need to be made to get the things say you want. One solution, is change your desire...thus the concept of Buddhism. Or just work harder, by changing directions.
If you want healthy, don't say you do then drink yourself silly every night. If you want thin, don't say you do, then stare oddly at the mirror, doughnut after doughnut wondering why the weight just wont come off. If you don't want to be a champion, don't say you do, then train like the little league. You prevent your success. The best thing about that is, you also guarantee it by walking the path you say you want.
Strength:
Rest
For Score:
50-Squats
1-Round of "DT"
AMRAP 20 Minutes
*For every drop of the bar during a round, perform 2 burps prior to the start of the next round. "DT" consists of 12-Deadlifts/9-Hang Power Cleans/6-Push Jerks 155/105
Post rounds and fractions to comments:
3 rds m
Posted by: Mo | February 21, 2011 at 06:15 AM
4 rds (put bar down 2x/round)
Whether I was the inspiration for this post or not, I AM this athlete. I hit the box 5 days/week, put in extra time working my weaknesses, conditioning, ask trainers for help and soaking up their time and suggestions like a sponge b/c I wanna BE BETTER and then... I reward myself for my hard work with things that completely negate all of the work I'm doing. Damn.
I know people that try to lose weight and tell me "I went to Chipolte and just got a bowl. I did really good" and I think to myself...yeah, you woulda done good if you HADN'T went to Chipolte but just by going, you screwed yourself. But guess what... I'm that girl too! Double damn.
How many times do I tell myself.."I work out more than most people I know, there is no reason that I can't eat 6 little pretzels. I ran 3 miles after doing a WOD, so a glass of wine isn't gonna wreck my progress. Yeah I wanna be competetive but I've should be able to do that and still live how I want to". Triple Damn.
That mental friction is another battle I'll have to fight b/c I've TRAINED my mind to believe that I deserve a reward and that b/c I limit myself it's not that bad for me. Re-training my mind might be harder than re-training my crappy squat. Quadruple Damn.
So amazing how you can see through other people's bullshit logic while being completely clueless about your own.
Trainers (and more than one of you have tried) - thank you all for calling me out on my own bullshit logic. Like most things with me, it takes me 5-6 people and 50+ different queues before I get what you are all trying to teach me. Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn. (couldn't figure out how to say Damn x 5!)
Posted by: heather mc | February 21, 2011 at 08:41 AM
Heather, in French it would be cinq damn! Don't know why I remember how to count in French. Anyway....
4 1/2 rds (m)
Posted by: vicki | February 21, 2011 at 08:55 AM
3 rounds completed
plus 50 squats and 7 DLs of round 4...and lot of burpees!
Posted by: runmelrun | February 21, 2011 at 08:56 AM
Heather....
I believe its Quintuple Damn
Also..Your quote below is all of us at one time or another
"So amazing how you can see through other people's bullshit logic while being completely clueless about your own.'
Posted by: jb | February 21, 2011 at 09:47 AM
4 3/4
Posted by: holly | February 21, 2011 at 10:25 AM
5 rds m
Posted by: jen w | February 21, 2011 at 11:46 AM
4 full rds(m) w 35 squats into rd 5!
Mindy--You ARE Amazing Lady!! Awesome job w 5 full unmodified rounds!! :)
Posted by: Lori | February 21, 2011 at 08:41 PM
3 rounds + 25 squats & 14 burpees (m)
Posted by: heatherT | February 21, 2011 at 08:43 PM
3 rounds m - 105# on the bar
Posted by: Dave | February 21, 2011 at 08:48 PM
5 rounds
Posted by: Min | February 21, 2011 at 09:14 PM
3 rds (m)
Posted by: JN | February 21, 2011 at 09:24 PM
3 rds (m)
way to go mindy!!
oh and btw people...i got my 1st unmodified dip today!!! holla!!!
Posted by: kara MIKOLAJEWSKI | February 21, 2011 at 09:41 PM
4 Rounds.
Posted by: Denzel Washington | February 21, 2011 at 09:53 PM
3 1/4 rds (m)
50 squats
12 weighted box step-ups
9 hang power cleans
20 plank tucks on medicine ball
Congrats Kara!! You were working hard tonight girl!
Heather Mc--thanks for saying that out loud!
Posted by: Mindy | February 21, 2011 at 09:55 PM
3 3/4 rds (m) w/ 70#... Dropped the bar 1X in rnd 1, 2X in rnd 2, 3X in rnd 3, 4X in rnd 4 - see a pattern here...?
Posted by: Dana | February 21, 2011 at 10:33 PM
Lori- thanks :)
Heather Mc- good post
Kara Miko- high five on getting those dips!
Renee- way to stick with it tonight. I enjoyed getting to train you for the first time in a while!
Posted by: Min | February 21, 2011 at 10:37 PM