Most people stop or hit the wall at about 60-75%. That’s where the mind tells the body to chill.

Take for example a weight training session. We plan to do 5 sets of something and we get through the 3rd set and we finish 60%. It’s really easy to justify stopping there and moving along to the next exercise. The next one is the hard set, the 4th one, getting from 60% to 80%. Once you get through that part of the mental hurdle, it’s easy. Just 1 more set to 100%.

Another example is running a timed mile, 4 laps to a mile, 1,600 meters. You get through lap 1 and  2 and you’re good. 50% finished. Now you begin to enter the mentally challenging phase. Let’s divide the 3rd lap into 4 x 100 meter sections. The first 100 you finish and you are 56% finished. Just getting started. The second 100 you run and you are at 62% until completion. You begin to negotiate with your mind about taking it a little lighter. Finding an excuse, lack of sleep, over training, burn out, under training, there are so many excuses but excuses are not a game plan. At this moment you need to have a mantra for your self. Something simple, something you like. For me it’s “think strong” Simple, easy and to the point. The 3rd 100 is a mess. 62%-68% is a tough spot, but that’s when you need to remind yourself that as long as you think strong and push through this moment, you will become stronger. Other’s who lack this type of coaching or life skill will have a really difficult time getting through this part. Now, 68%-75%. It’s a push, but you need to remind yourself that pushing through this phase means your 3/4 of the way to finish, and everyone including you can run one more lap.

Anticipate the difficulty and give yourself the tools and skills to work through difficult times. Doing so will allow yourself to push through your own walls and find new limits.

At El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, we decided to incorporate this into one of our logo designs as a remind to think strong. This is true not just in training, but with many things outside of the mat as well. However, let’s not be fooled into thinking that if we just think strong we will be strong…. Thinking strong helps us develop skills to push through walls and obstacles to reach new limits. Thinking strong gives us an opportunity to stay in the challenge while we figure out how to clear any hurdle. Think strong empowers us to “THINK” be present, and analyze the situation so that we will be able to problem solve and figure out a solution.

Eliot Kelly
Think Strong