Things get hard from time to time and how we channel and come through difficult moments varies from person to person. Spending time and learning to live in the moments that are uncomfortable will teach you more than you can imagine. When we get uncomfortable the first thing our body wants us to do is stop and quit. The mind then has two simple options to choose from. Either you quit and give up or you continue to put one foot in front of the other. You will never learn anything from throwing in the towel. You will however, always learn and grow from your failures and mistakes. When you go the extra mile within your training and begin testing that pain threshold, physical results will not be the only reward you earn. When we are suffering and everything seems to be falling apart, overcoming and learning to adapt in the uncomfortable moments will build character.
First of all, however, it’s important to mention the difference between discomfort and pain.
Discerning Between Discomfort and Pain
Discomfort and pain are 2 separate things – being able to discern the difference, acknowledge it and handle the situation accordingly are important. The discomfort of pushing against a heavy weight when you’re fatigued is different from pushing through an injury. When you first start training, everything feels hard and “painful”. After you’ve accumulated enough hours under the barbell, or on the road (running/cycling) you’ll be able to differentiate between what’s discomfort that you can and should push through or an injury that’s telling you to stop. So in conclusion you really need to just train regularly and progressively and through experience you will become better and listening to your body and be able to understand what you are feeling.
BUILDING CHARACTER
Ask yourself the question… how much do I want this?
Think of competing in a 5k, 10k, or even a half marathon running event for example, you know that when entering the final stages of a race, you're about to be in a whole world of discomfort.
If you want to build character and really find out what you’re capable of then you have to be prepared for this.
ask yourself one simple question…
Could I have done more?
If there was nothing more you could have physically done on the day, then you can leave feeling satisfied that you gave everything you had and left nothing in the tank.
It is worth noting that you can't push yourself to the absolute limit every singe training session as you'll risk buring yourself out or negatively effecting your performance during a season - but you can have specific sessions where you specifically target setting personal best, then make sure you have clear goals for other sessions.
SET CHALLENGES
A good way to ensure you have to deal with a level of discomfort in your training is by setting yourself a challenge to complete each week. When setting your weekly challenge there are a couple of things you should think about in order to make it beneficial. Firstly, before attempting the challenge it should make you feel a little nervous. In the back of your mind you know it’s going to be hard from the beginning but if you dig deep, the rewards will be worth it. Secondly, the challenge should be something that will take you into the red and put you in an uncomfortable state.
Note that these are specific to an individual (e.g 1 mile run may not be challenging enough for those well conditioned to running) so focus on areas you aren’t so good in!
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
This can be extremely powerful and will ultimately play a huge role in your results and overall progression. Have you ever asked yourself the question, how many things have you NOT done or tried because you lacked self-belief? Your level of self-belief is never set in stone and everyone has the potential to change. Remember, you were born into this world with no sense of knowing what you could or couldn’t do. So, be brave and have the confidence to try things at least once and you will be surprised how far you can go.
SURROUND YOURSELF WITH BETTER OR HIGHER LEVEL ATHLETES
At first this may seem rather daunting putting yourself amongst individuals who are at a higher level than you. If you truly want to grow and progress in all aspects of training then surround yourself with individuals who challenge you. Being in the company of people who share the same work ethic and desire will only breed better results. These people tend to be the ones who have been there and done it. You are more likely to learn and develop your skill set further being around individuals that are driven and focused.
iZone provides the perfect environment for this with our structured group training sessions throughout every week. With Pressure days every tuesday, daily head to head sim sessions and group HIIT sessions in the gym. Contact us to find out more!
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