I strive to achieve a higher level of performance, strength, conditioning and fitness with nearly every workout I do. I try to push to 100% every workout. I take it as a personal challenge to work harder each workout.

Using the Fitness gift that is INSANITY, you get uncomfortable before you are ready for it, and then you are forced to deal with that feeling until the workout is over. That is the genius of INSANITY. “How much can I take?” “How far can I push myself?” “Will I give in?” Will I Quit?”

I LOVE the quote “Fatigue makes cowards of us all!” INSANITY makes me think of this every time I workout. The easy road is to let off a bit on your intensity. Slow down a bit, take it a little easier. This is when real Fitness gains are made. This is the time to PUSH HARDER and as Shaun likes to say “DIG DEEPER!”

If you are looking to achieve MIND BLOWING results and a level of Fitness and conditioning that you have only dreamed of, you need to mentally prepare yourself to get “uncomfortable” in your workouts. If anyone tells you that you can make dramatic differences in your Fitness level and conditioning without getting “uncomfortable” is also selling some nice beach front property in Idaho! :-)

If you are applying the proper intensity to your workouts, at some point during the workout, you should seriously doubt if you can complete it. INSANITY ensures this!

This is where your mental focus is of vital importance. You need to be mentally strong to not just survive your workout but CONQUER it! You need to focus and concentrate on getting “comfortable” with being “uncomfortable”. Realize and understand that to make dramatic changes in your conditioning, strength and physique you need to push yourself to a level of intensity that you never thought you could achieve and then do it again tomorrow!

Realize the difference between the discomfort associated with pushing yourself to your limit and the very different pain of injury. Injury should be avoided, however, if you are pushing to your limit the potential for injury always exists. We can minimize the potential for injury by warming up, stretching, maintaining good form NO MATTER WHAT, and a good cool down.

During each INSANITY workout, I get “uncomfortable” very quickly. This is where mental strength kicks in. I have to stay focused on every exercise I was doing to get the most out of the exercise safely. This simple goal of not giving into the fatigue, pain, and intense exertion “exercised” my mental strength in a major way.

I use the calorie burn feature on my Wrist Heart Rate Monitor to add to the challenge. I strive to beat my calories burned EVERY SINGLE time!

If you think you working hard during your workouts, when you start your next one, focus on trying a little harder. Hold nothing back! Exercise your mental as well as physical strength. Experience what it feels like to really let it loose and push harder than you ever have. 

Push it to the edge and then a little further! In a phrase, get “comfortable” with being “uncomfortable” When you can do this on a regular basis, your Fitness goals will topple more quickly than you ever imagined…

Live Strong ~ Live Lean

Mike