Pile on the weight
After a break of about 1.5 years, I’ve gone back to barbell training, the Starting Strength way. I’ve lost a fair bit of strength but not nearly as much as I would have thought. According to my coach, Shaun, that’s because strength gains are rather persistent.
As I embark on strength training again, I once again feel those moments of doubt before some lifts, especially when I’m on my last set. Will I make it? More often than not, I do make it despite my anxieties. It reminded me of the 1.5 years of training before my break – where every session forced me to push past my initial limits. And that was training for my mind beyond the gym.
As Starting Strength founder Mark Rippetoe says:
If your expectations are always those of someone content to live without physical challenge, then when it comes time for mental, moral, or emotional challenge you fail to meet it because you are out of practice. Meeting and overcoming obstacles are skills that can be honed, as opposed to talents with which we are born. The best way to prepare for the inevitable shit that life occasionally hands us all is to live in a way that prepares you for it. If you can treat personal tragedy like a heavy set of 20 squats, you'll do better than someone who has never met any challenge. Intentionally placing yourself in the position of having to complete a task when you don't know if you can is the single best way of preparing to be in that position unintentionally.