Yin vs YangThe Battle for Success in Life

Working out is one my favorite stress reducing activities. To train in BJJ, Muay Thai, and with MMA fighters, you have to be in good shape. One of the problems I had when I first started training was learning how to push myself using my mind instead of my body.

I used to lift pretty heavy in a gym like most other gym rats before I began Jiu Jitsu. I thought I was pretty strong for my size and in excellent shape. Jiu Jitsu changed my whole perception. If you think you are in shape, think again. You see, it is one thing to push yourself in the gym to do another exercise. It is quite another to be out of gas while someone is trying to choke you! You learn how to push yourself pretty quickly.

One of the keys to pushing yourself actually starts before you run out of gas. I mentally prepare myself for running out of gas by controlling my breathing. As I talked about in a previous blog, your breathing can keep your mind calm during intense exercise, making it last longer than you ever imagined. But what happens when you reach that point where your body screams ‘STOP!’?

As we always say at YinVsYang, the mind is a very powerful tool. When those thoughts of quitting start to creep into your body, only your mind can make them go away. It takes fortitude, because all those thoughts are….are thoughts. I like to counter the thought of quitting by thinking to myself the simple phrase ‘Real Winners Make it Through This’. For some reason, this thought allows me to push my body further and further each time.

Try any positive thought that works for you, as it may be a different phrase that gets you going. Think of yourself as that marathon runner, mountain climber, or track star relentlessly pursuing the finish line no matter what. The funny thing about the body is it can go much further than your mind initially thinks. Each time, I am amazed at what point I thought about quitting. Sometimes I can literally train for an hour longer, just on the positive energy I get from knowing I am pushing my body when most others would not.

One other little trick to understand about how your body works takes place in your lungs. Whenever you start to exert a lot of energy, understand that you will have to blow out your lungs before you can really start to train. What does this mean? Blowing out your lungs refers to losing your breath for the first time. It is why fighters train so hard before they come out to fight. They break a sweat & lose their breath at least once before getting in the ring. This allows your lungs to prepare for the limited oxygen it will receive during your workouts. By blowing out your lungs, your breaths will be deeper as your lungs will expand to adapt.

So don’t worry when five minutes into your jog, you are out of breath. That is the first step. Just keep on going. The rest is up to your mind. Try to understand and learn about how your body deals with fatigue. This will help you understand how to keep pushing so you can get the most out of your workouts, and not focus the whole time on when your going to quit.

Try this little tip next time you workout. I guarantee you are amazed at the results your mind can have over your body.

For those of us that workout, our goal each time is to push the limit of our stamina. Whether measured in reps, minutes, or miles, most of us continue to push the limits of our body. But what if I told you it was not your body setting those limits? What if I told you it was really your mind?

The mind is a very powerful tool. It is so powerful, that it’s greatest trick is making us forget it exists at all. We run as far as we can. As soon as we start to breathe heavy, sweat, and our limbs tire, we know we are pushing the limits. But again, the limits of what? Have you ever just kept going when you think you can’t any longer? The trick is, you can, and you know it.

During exercise, we utilize a lot of our body’s energy. Our body naturally sends warning signals to let us know that we are using this energy. Those signals come in the form of sweating, tiring, and heavy breathing. This makes us think that our body is trying to tell us to stop, when actually it is just your mind interpreting your body. The key is to understand what your body is telling you. It is saying that you can not continue much longer this way. Well, here is 1 simple way to keep on going and increase your stamina during workouts….

Breathe.

That’s right. Just breathe normally. Sounds crazy? Maybe not. When we reach our supposed limit, it is not because our body can not take it anymore. It is because our mind thinks it can’t. Part of the reason is because of the way your mind is interpreting those warning signals. Your mind sees that you are breathing heavy and translates that to mean you can’t go any further or do anymore. All of a sudden, that doubt creeps into your head, and you begin to rationalize why you have done enough.

The key to increasing your stamina is to ease your mind. The way you do this is by breathing. By inhaling and exhaling at a normal pace during heavy workouts, you put your body & mind at ease. Now, I know when you reach your limit it is not easy to breathe. However, you have to force yourself to breathe correctly. Take deep inhales through the nose, hold it, and exhale through the mouth. Do this 4-5 times, or as long as it takes to steady your rhythm.

What happens is most people’s breathing starts to match their heart rate during exercise. That is why you are out of breath. You need to breathe normally, even when your heart rate increases. Slowing down your breathing rhythm is the best way to ease your mind. As you start to breathe normally, your body releases some of its tension, and all of a sudden you have the energy to once again continue on.

Now, when lifting weights, or sparring in boxing, muay thai, or brazilian jiu jitsu, the same technique applies. Instead of breathing only when you exert the energy, try to control it. Be aware of the breathing pattern you have. If it is not a normal breathing pattern, I guarantee you will tire quickly.

In boxing for instance, during sparring, many guys tire quickly because they are trying to hit hard. What happen is their breathing starts to match their rhythm. So when they throw a punch, they are throwing it will all the tension and muscle they can, because they are not breathing correctly.

This is why you will see a more advanced guy look fresh after a few rounds, and a less advanced guy trying to quit 2 minutes into the first. People all like to say it is their cardio or they are not in shape. This may be true. But it is also their breathing. When they gain experience and become more comfortable, they start to breathe regularly during the sparring sessions. All of a sudden they think their cardio is 100x better when actually it is their mind that has grown accustomed to it. Instead of being tense, their experience allows their mind to be more relaxed and comfortable, which helps their breathing.

Inhale……..Exhale. It’s that simple. Try it next time, and see if you can pass the boundaries your own mind has set.