Mental PR’s are my favorite to experience, coach, and witness. I love them. I love them even more than back squat PR’s. (Of course, back squat PR’s typically need a mental PR along the way. Sshhh. But don’t tell anyone.) Each mental PR invariably involves overcoming adversity and fear. Consequently, each PR is life-altering. The main byproducts are improved confidence and self-belief. Think about one you’ve experienced. You wondered if you could do something daunting. You were nervous and apprehensive. You went through with it anyway. And you were better for it in the end. That’s what we want in our Training.
Let’s look at a recent example that occurred on May 13, 2023. It was this past Saturday. Five women from our gym (Sarah, Haleigh, Andrea, Ellen, and Keisha) completed an open-water triathlon. Sarah was the only one with experience before. The others had never completed one. And no one had done it in as cold of water. It was truly amazing on so many levels.
If you follow what we put out, then you know there are six blocks that are essential for progressing an athlete. Three deal with your “head”: Mindset, Knowledge, and Teammates. Three deal with your body: Training, Nutrition, and Recovery. Let’s briefly look at the six blocks and how each pertained to the triathletes.
Mindset
- Each had to believe they could accomplish the feat.
- Each had some issue that would cause them to pause and decide they must complete it.
Knowledge
- Each had to learn how to manage cold water.
- Each had to learn how to use new, different gear (wet suits).
Teammates
- The team decided to complete it together.
- A leader was selected to help guide and coach the others.
Training
- Each had to learn new training and skills.
- Each had to learn how their bodies would respond to the elements.
Nutrition
- Fueling for a longer cardio-intensive event requires different approaches than are typical.
- Fueling for increased amounts of training (triathlon + CrossFit) would require different nutrition approaches as well.
Recovery
- There is a process to recover optimally from being in cold water.
- There is a process to recover from longer intensive competing.
There are too many valuable lessons to count from being in new, uncomfortable situations. You simply learn so much about yourself. And that’s why mental PR’s are my favorite.
