Mindset Management, pt. 1 "BECOMING THE MISSILE" by Sean T.

Today I received a message from my father. He was replying to me about his schedule. Earlier in the week, I had asked him to give me the days he could set aside for strength training. Something that has always been difficult for a man that dedicates his life to providing for a family. His response was twofold:

First, he was unsure of how much time had available to commit to training.

Second, he had read somewhere right on the TCS website about someone claiming members were “silly strong,” and he noted that getting  close to silly strong for a guy his age would be a goal by the time he hit 60. This was my reply to my pops:

“That’s totally doable pop. All it takes is consistency. And that necessitates prioritization. You need to make getting strong a priority. Make it a mantra. Let every decision and action you take feed toward that goal. It can’t be a back burner idea. Or it’ll never boil.Love you pops. I have nothing but faith in you. You’re the hardest worker I know. All you need to do is redirect the intended target. And that goes for anything in life, not just training (insert emojis).”

Now, that wasn’t bullshit. My father is legitimately the hardest worker I know. In my entire life, I honestly can’t remember a day he missed work unless it was to help family. So then, you may ask, “How does a man with so much discipline and dedication not find time to get to the gym?”

Oftentimes the problem isn’t time management so much as it’s MINDSET management.

If you make it a priority to workout everyday without question, you will make it happen. Sounds like magic, but it isn’t (depending on your definition of magic anyway). Remember when I told my dad to redirect his intended target? I say this specifically because of an amazing book written by Maxwell Maltz called “Psycho-Cybernetics.”* It’s an old book from the 60’s dealing with what people today consider Sports Psychology. In the book, Maltz likens the human brain to the mechanics of a self-guided missile. A self-guided missile works like so (engineers cover your eyes):

1) You launch a missile

2) The missile travels along its course

3) As the environment pushes the missile off-course, the missile senses the change and auto-regulates to redirect itself back on track

4) The missile, ideally, hits its target (or at least winds up very close).

How does this relate to the human brain? You are the missile. Your goal is the target. Your intention (brain) is the auto-regulating system. What does this have to do with working out? I’ll give you an example. Say we have a busy individual. Let’s call her Susan. Susan has the intention of getting in shape. She tells herself all week, “Monday is the day! I’m going right after work to the gym, and changing my life forever!” Awesome! Good for you, Susan! We have a goal (target), and the missile has been launched! Now here’s the sticky part. The missile still has to get to the target. It still has to travel in the real world all the way from point A to point B. This journey brings a lot of factors into play:

What about wind speeds?
What if point B moves?
What if a giant comes and swats the missile off its course?!?

This is the same thing as: feeling tired, your boss telling you to stay late at the office, your kid getting sick, “Next Monday, just seems easier...”

Now, if we were a train on a track, all these ‘what-ifs’ would really screw us. The train’s off the tracks and it’s never getting to the station. Lucky for us, we’re a fancy-schmancy self-regulating missile of JUSTICE! And we don’t care what anyone tells us, we’re getting to that damn target!

As the environment affects our trajectory, we adjust our direction to remain on course. Feeling tired? Grab a coffee, crush a nap, or (my personal favorite) workout anyway! Boss kept you late? Hit the gym late! Kid is sick? Head home, get that sucker to bed, YouTube a workout from home, and be a badass who gets shit done!

NEXT TIME ON THE TCS BLOG:

I’ll give y’all some stories and thoughts that will make all of this a bit more grounded in reality so you can implement this missile-mentality in your everyday life. ‘Til next time, stay beautiful and #DOTOUGHSHIT

That That Must Not Be Named

Workout Credit goes to Pat Sherwood of CF Linchpin.

The past couple of weeks have been a practice of doing shit that I don't enjoy, and doing so consistently. Things like 40min Airdyne sessions and the sexy beast you see above have not only proven to be physically challenging, but more importantly, they have forced me to get out of my own head and just put in the work.

It would be pretty damn hilarious if I could somehow include y'all in on the mental conversations I have before and during these types of sessions. It's pure gold. Regardless of what goes through my head, the key is that the work gets done and it gets done to the highest quality I can muster. 

At times, I have to be my own coach and remind myself that the work can't always be fun and enjoyable. Yes, in the long run your program needs to something you enjoy(in a sick,twisted way) - otherwise you will not stick with it. But on the flipside, if you're not hitting that stuff that makes you turn in to a whiny 5 year old (at least mentally) you're really not creating a solid level of strength & conditioning that is well-rounded. 

Whether it be burpees, running, lifting heavy, sandbag getups, or enjoying a pleasant cruise on the airdyne - put in the work and you'll find that it no longer sits outside of your wheelhouse.

ADAPT and OVERCOME!

The Zercher

I'm willing to bet that most of you have no idea what the hell a Zercher carry(or squat) is. That's OK. It's not often that you see people, gyms or workout programs implement the Zercher carry, which is kind of sad really. The Zercher carry(or squat) has an incredibly potent ability to build a strong back and legs - and most importantly, a strong mind.

Dr. Love

There's a very simple and logical explanation for the Zercher carry's endangered status.....IT SUCKS! It's quite honestly one of the most uncomfortable ways to hold/carry anything. But as is the case with most things....If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. And there is a massive pay out for those willing to deal with the shittiness.

Brian 

I can hear it now. You're saying to yourself that, "That doesn't look so hard..."

Minto

The following are just some factors that you may not be taking into consideration:

• Your arms are not designed to be the barer of relatively large loads....That job is for your legs, hips and back.
• Notice the placement of the sandbag(above). If it looks like it's somewhere between your chest and stomach - it is. This lovely position drastically decreases your ability to take in a full, deep breath. To make things even spicier, with some smart programming, complete a "breath-heavy-type" activity just prior to placing the Zercher carry object in that magical pocket'o'death. And Enjoy!
• Due to the load being out in front of your body's mid-line, the posterior chain and abs are forced to double their efforts so that you don't fold up like a lawn chair. This has some obvious benefits.
• Lastly, when your arms are burning, you can't breath, and your posterior chain is screaming, you are forced to put all of that aside and just keep moving. This develops mental toughness. Arguably the most important beneficial characteristic of the Zercher carry/squat.

So there ya go! A quick introduction to a under-utilized, highly effective, simple way to build some serious strength and increase your ability to deal with shittiness. Because we all know the shit will hit the fan in one way or another......What are you doing to prepare yourself for when it does? Will you quit when it gets hard? Or will you fight to hold on?

G