Don't do it!
How often have you had the following conversations with yourself?
"If this happens one more time, I'm going to lose it"
"I can't do this anymore, it's too hard"
"I have to stop, I just can't"
"There is no end in sight, I'm giving up"
Stepping in to do a workout, you already have in your mind how you think it's going to go. Sometimes you know how you're going to break everything up, so that you can finish without too much pain.
Most of the time, you know that as soon as you get the slightest out of breath or the teensiest bit sore, you are going to stop, slow down, and you tell yourself "it's too hard".
Stop selling yourself short. The mind is powerful and a force that CAN be reckoned with. You control your mind-YOU can stop yourself from giving up.
Sometimes it helps to have people cheering you on- when you hear your name and some other stuff, it makes you keep going. But, what about the times when you don't hear someone else cheering you on. This is where YOU come in. This is where you train yourself to NEVER GIVE UP.
You have a voice inside your head, use it to cheer yourself on right to the finish. You have the ability to tell yourself "No, keep going", "One more rep before the rest", "You can do it", "Don't quit".
Sometimes, that inner voice of yours can even speak out loud and help keep you pushing- trust me, I know! I often scream loudly during a lift, which has in fact resulted in many PR's.
Start your workouts with a good attitude- "I can do this", "I am going to surpass my expectations". When things get tough, dig deep and get another rep. Strength isn't just about the numbers you can pick up on a bar, it's about that extra rep or that extra round you put in. You have the capability, you have to train yourself to push past the boundaries you have drawn for yourself.
If you come in and say I'll get to ten and take a rest, I challenge you to go to 11. If you get tired and think I can't possibly do one more, I challenge you to do one more before the break. If you are tired and worried you can't possibly keep moving, I challenge you to keep moving.
We all have tolerances, we all have boundaries- but if you start stretching them a little at a time, before you know it, you will be in that next round.
Yes, that workout was hard, but so was yesterday's, and so will tomorrow's. Here's the thing, you keep coming back for more, so you know you aren't giving up on the workout. Now it's time to stop giving up in the workout. You will be surprised how the body will follow when the mind is leading.
Never give up and fight for every last rep!
