Physical Training is Mental Training
Mental Toughness Through Physical Training
Look at any high-level athlete and you'll see the same qualities; a physique crafted and built for their sport/event but underneath all of that- a sharp mind and indomitable spirit ready to carry out the task.
These two qualities aren't coincidence. It isn't just fortunate that elite level sportsmen and women are mentally robust as well as physically impressive. The two are linked.
Training The Body Trains The Mind
The many training sessions in the Royal Marines weren't in the program to just create fit, strong, robust individuals but to mentally drain you. To repeat exercises over and over again, multiple times in the day. Day after day. Every day. And when you thought there would be a rest, you'd be back in the gym or on the assault course. We weren't just getting fit. We were preparing ourselves mentally for a fight that just wouldn't give up because you were tired.
How often have we had to muster all our grit and determination just to push out another rep to complete the set?
That feeling of never being able to finish a running distance? And when you dig really deep and just keep putting one foot in front of the other....you get there. That overwhelming sense of achievement and pride that you actually did it.
In agony as you hold an isometric movement like the plank or wall squat, feeling as though time has stood still.....but you hold it. And hold it. And hold it some more. Until you finally hear that buzzer.
Yes, you're training your body- your muscles, your nervous system, your cardiovascular system, your stamina, your strength....all of it. But you are also sharpening one other very important tool too; your mind.
Let's look at the elite military forces of the world. Is it truly essential British Special Forces be able to carry heavy kit and run for miles upon miles over arduous terrain? Is it really necessary that Royal Marines Commandos be able to carry over 30 lbs of kit and climb a 30 foot rope?
Was there any reason for the mud run that would benefit our strength or our fitness that couldn't have been done in the gym? No, but that was never the point. These gruelling sessions would continue for over two hours and were there to just be disgusting. Were they beneficial to our mental toughness? Absolutely.
The physical prowess of the military must of course be of an elite standard but the tasks that are required aren't particularly specific to current operations in theatre. But that doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that they ARE that tough. The tests need to be of such an incredibly high level that the men and women are pushed to realms beyond what 'ordinary' men and women have gone to. Why? Because it is not just their physical ability that is being tested. It is something far more essential to the job they are pursuing; their strength of character.
Training is incredibly beneficial to so many areas of our everyday health and lifestyle, but for me the mental fortitude it builds and the attitudes that are forged are easily one of the most valued.
Another great quality about improving our mental strength is that it comes back around to benefit our physical training. The hardest part of starting any training program is exactly that, starting. Once that first step has been made everything just gradually becomes easier and why? Because we're hardening our own resolve. That determination we displayed in getting to the gym that first time, or that continued drive we showed when fighting through that final circuit last time. Or when we demonstrated enough resilience to complete a full set. The qualities we prove to ourselves re-affirm our own abilities building character and strengthening the mind. Then when it comes time to do it all over again, we do. With no hesitation.
When we train the body we are pushing it outside the comfort zone and into a place where it is being seriously challenged, because without challenge there is no change. The body will adapt, it has to in preparation for next time, and so we repeat this process over and over again and see our physiques change and improve with each task we set it.
The mind works exactly the same. Through physical training we are taking ourselves to the point where mentally, we're unsure if we can finish the task but we push and strive and fight with everything we have to win. It is only though this continued battle against ourselves through exercise that our resolve will improve. By pushing the boundaries of what we deem possible we are proving to ourselves that nothing is impossible.
Our lives require us to be strong- physically and mentally. We stay healthy and fit to counter disease and illness. We stay physically strong the prevent injury and be in a constant state of readiness for whatever incident life throws at us. And we can find ourselves in moments of distress and emotional turmoil that require us to be mentally strong to 'survive'. All these qualities are improved through exercise.
