Building Mental Toughness

To begin this routine, you will be performing the standard 20-rep squat cycle a la the book SUPER SQUATS. Following the squats, you will perform one highrep set of a chest exercise. I like the dumbbell bench press. After the chest work, you will do one high-rep set of rows done with kettlebells, dumbbells, or a barbell. To balance out the body, pick one pressing movement done with a lighter weight for medium reps. The reason for the press is that the work that is to follow will torch your shoulders. Now comes the fun part . . . strength–endurance training.
To begin this part of the routine, you will need to pick one strength–endurance exercise. The best choices are the kettlebell snatch, heavy sledgehammer tire striking, or one of John Brookfield’s “Battling Ropes” velocity exercises. You will also need a timer. I like to use one designed for boxing training. Set the timer for 10 – 2-minute rounds with 60 seconds of rest between rounds. Now do the strength endurance exercise for the first 2-minute round, and then rest for 60 seconds. Repeat until you have finished all 10 rounds. You will have completed 20 minutes of strength–endurance work with 10 minutes of total rest. At the end of the routine you may wish to do some light abdominal exercises.

This routine should be performed three times a week. Add one round of a strength–endurance exercise to each workout until you get to 20 rounds. In just four weeks you will have built up to 40 minutes of strength–endurance work. You will have built a foundation of mental and physical toughness. After finishing this cycle, you will be able to snatch, strike, or whip the ropes for 10 minutes or longer without taking a rest.

After finishing this cycle, you may repeat it. You can increase the difficulty by making the rounds longer and shortening the rest time to 30 seconds instead of 60.

Источник: Foundations: Building Mental Toughness by Jon Bruney, MILO Dec. 2008, Vol. 16, No. 3