YOU bring the Intensity!!!

Written by Kate Gorman @ Leanperformance.com.au

Be honest with yourself… When you train, how hard do you push yourself?

Are you a 9 out of 10 person and you push yourself to complete exhaustion? Do your muscles feel like they are on fire and you think your lungs might explode. Do you leave the session crawling to the car, dripping in sweat knowing you couldn’t have given it any more?

Are you a 6 or 7 out of 10 and you work hard some of the time but always keep something in the tank because you don’t like it to hurt too much and you don’t know what’s going to be thrown at you next? Do you finish the session feeling a little warm around the edges and tell yourself ‘you did ok’ but know deep down perhaps you could have given it a little bit more?

Or are you a 4 or 5 out of 10; you go to your session, you chat to the person next to you and pretend to be doing something until a trainer starts walking in your direction and then you pop out a few squat jumps until they walk by and then slow back down again?

As a group trainer I have seen it all!!! I know which people really give it everything they’ve got and I know the people who could certainly give it a whole lot more. Some people you can push with motivation and encouragement and their tempo speeds up. Others just won’t/ can’t risk stepping out of their comfort zone and I guess that’s ok too but if your goal is fat loss and the scales aren’t moving then perhaps you need to reconsider how hard you are and should be pushing yourself.

Have you figured out where you sit on the scale yet? Do you think you could go harder?

Here’s another question… On a scale of 1-10 how hard do you rate the group training or PT session that you are doing?

In my opinion, if you leave any of our sessions thinking ‘that was kinda easy’ then I suggest you possibly aren’t working to your maximum potential. You might think that is a little bit egotistical of me to make that statement but I will back it up with the fact that the people who are the fittest Or strongest and who give it a 9 out of 10 effort are the ones leaving the session exhausted with nothing left in the tank. They are the ones who walk away from a session saying “wow that was hard!”

So again I will say… It’s not the programme that’s too easy… YOU aren’t bringing the intensity!

What do I mean by this? Well why are you doing a comfortable pace of 10 Kettlebell swings in a 30 second interval when I know in fitness testing you can do 45?! Why are you doing push-ups on your knees when I know in your PT sessions you do them on your toes?! If you want the results, you have to put in the effort and start moving at a quicker pace. You need to switch your cruise mode off and actually start fighting for what you want – No Regrets!!

So here are a few ideas that might help you push though that mental barrier and to bring the intensity I know you have within you.

* Believe in yourself *

By not really bringing your maximum work capacity, who’s the one getting cheated? Sure, no one else would know about you not going as hard as you could. But only one person loses in that situation and it’s not your trainer or the ripped chick sweating it out at the next station!

Have a good old mental chat with yourself while you’re doing your squat jumps about what you’re trying to achieve. Visualise yourself in your swimmers or in a sexy black dress. Remind yourself of why you are training and what you need to do to get the job done!

Perhaps even ask yourself as you are working out, where on the effort scale you are in that moment and if it’s not an 8 or 9 then think about that winning attitude and push harder.

One of my favourite mantra’s that I repeat to myself when I’m struggling is “take your mind to another place”. I find it helps me zone out and stop focusing on the pain and discomfort just for a little bit longer. Some might say this is a bit “sadistic but when I’ve really been hurting I’ve told myself if I slowed down or stopped that something bad would happen to someone I know!! (Trust me it works! Coz everyone is a little bit superstitious and once you’ve thought it, you have to do it!). It doesn’t matter what your mantra is. Just pick something that motivates you to keep going… then repeat it, over and over, during your workout, or before your workout, or really, whenever you need it—and never, ever stop bringing your maximum effort. Never give up.

* Distract Yourself *

As you start to push harder, faster, quicker; use the music to push through the tough spots. Fast, heart-pumping tunes have been shown to bring cardio to the next level. Listen to it and zone out. Try to rep at the same pace as the music, use it to your advantage. Count your reps. Try and beat them in the next effort or round.

Better still, partner up with someone you don’t know or someone that you know that pushes harder than you do. It’s like being on a rower or treadmill, even if the person next to you doesn’t know it, you are now racing! Do your best to match their pace. It will also mean you are less likely to chat through the session.

* Visualise the end *

You know that the pain of a 30 second interval, a 12 minute round or even the entire training session won’t last forever. There will be an end and there will be rest. Some of you ladies, have had babies, multiple of them in fact. I know you remember wondering how much longer you had to keep fighting the pain and exhaustion. It’s probably the most gruelling thing you’ve had to fight through. Your 9 out of 10 should be a walk in the park in comparison and when those mountain climbers hurt think back to how mentally strong you really are!

And finally, remember that post-workout feeling, when the workout’s over and you have put in maximal effort? That feeling of pride and sense of achievement is worth all the blood, sweat and tears you threw at the session. Bottle that feeling, remember it and use that feeling as motivation to give it your all… Every. Single. Week!

So next time you’re at training and you’re thinking it’s an easy session. Remember, there is no such thing as an easy workout. It’s YOU that is making it easy and it is YOU that has to bring the intensity. Yes it might hurt, but you can push through the pain!

“Pain is temporary. Pride is forever”