Mental Toughness

Sports and Mental Toughness

Many people think of athletes when they hear the words “mental toughness”. After all, athletes have to push beyond their limits in order to see the success they are looking for  and there are certain traits that successful athletes all have in common. When you combine these traits you have a mentally tough athlete.

So it makes sense that if you apply these same traits to yourself and your fitness training, then you can become mentally tough too.
Let’s take a look at the top traits that successful athletes demonstrate:

Flexibility

How flexible are you? If something goes wrong do you tend to run, or do you look for a way to fix it or go round? You need to be prepared to learn how to be flexible and change course as necessary.

Responsiveness

Being responsive means that you are aware of what is happening around you. You are then open to making changes or responding differently as things change. This also includes being open to using new technology and new processes.

Inner Strength

This is the drive that keeps you going in your chosen direction when you are faced with pressure or stress.

Ethical

This means doing the right thing for your family, friends, workmates or team. You don’t cut corners and are prepared to make the right decision, even if it is a hard one to make.

Resilient

This means rebounding from upsets, mistakes or even from missed opportunities and moving on, instead of dwelling on what you may have done wrong. You bounce back and get right back on track.

Sportsmanship

For athletes this means not showing the opposing team or person when they have upset you or being able to congratulate them on their win when you are upset you lost. When players get extremely upset, their fans often react in a negative way. It’s possible that if the players hadn’t shown their disappointment, neither would the fans, at least not to the same extent.

Applying Mental Toughness to Figure Competition Training

It is vital to apply these traits into your own life, if you want to enter a figure competition or do competitive weight lifting or even just to keep fit and healthy. Your first step is to choose what you want to accomplish. Then schedule time so that you can pursue this. The hardest part comes next, which is to simply keep working at your schedule so you can achieve that goal.
When you can do this your mental toughness will be on the rise and you will achieve whatever you set out to do!