Believe!

Not too long ago, someone PM'ed me on Ross Enamait's forum with a couple of questions. The first one was about the T-handles that John Peterson sells. The second was how I trained to be able to support my sister sitting on my chest while doing a nose-to-mat bridge. Looking back on it, I think that my answer was kind of lame. So, I'd like to take the time now to give a more thoughtful response.

Initially, I didn't think that I had much to offer him for an answer. Bridging, like handstand push-ups, seemed to be something that I was naturally good at. All I did was practice bridging on a regular basis. I saw Matt Furey balance two people on his chest in a bridge and I got it in my head that I could do that. Then, one day when my sister was at my house, I asked if she'd be willing to do it. That was it. I didn't work up to it with any weights at all. So, since it came so natural, I just didn't think that there was much to comment on. If I had difficulty and came up with some sort of plan and routine, there would be more to say.

There is more to say. It's the one thing that so many people lack when the work out: belief in themselves. I'm convinced that if I didn't think that I could do it, I wouldn't have been able to. People sell the ability of the mind or positive thinking short. It just sounds too good to be true.

Truth is, your body is capable of far more power than you think it is. Even when you think that you're exerting your full strength, you're still not even close. Your muscles are only performing at a fraction of your total strength (I heard somewhere 20%). Your mind is unconsciously blocking your full muscular potential for emergency use only. Otherwise, you could damage your muscles.

The second thing about your mind that you may not be aware of is that in your brain, the line between what you perceive to be real and what is is very, very thin. I've alluded to this in another post. What this means is that positive visualization and using your imagination to picture what you want will go a long way in helping you achieve your goals. I can tell you for sure that it works both ways. I've talked myself into doing 20 handstand push-ups and 4 T-handle handstand push-ups. I've also talked myself into believing that I could only do 15 handstand push-ups even knowing I'm capable of 20.

So, WorkoutWarrior, this isn't me just telling you and everyone else some mindless, baseless and sappy dreams. There is ample proof out there that your mind is the key to achieving your physical goals. If you think and believe that you can, you ultimately will achieve what you want. It might require some thoughtful planning but you will get there, trust me.

BELIEVE