When you are exhausted, what keeps you going?

**KITAmaru** · Posted On: 8/20/2008 4:42am

Hey. Just curious as to what methods different people use...

Let's say it's been however long of hard, hard training and it just fucking burns. Your body will barely listen to you anymore. You're in for the final stretch. What keeps you going? What do you focus on? Do you stay in the zone and focus on the form of your lifting/running/whatever? Escape to a faraway place for mindless cardio, or pretend the mitts/bag is someone whose face you want to pound in? What kind of mental motivation do you use to not gas out before the time is up?

**hairy** · Posted On: 8/20/2008 4:52am

A glimpse of the cute girl at my gym gets me pumped up. :D

**Sang** · Posted On: 8/20/2008 5:17am

I'm a lazy bastard, unless there is someone breathing down my neck i slack off a lot. It's why i always prefer class conditioning as aposed to doing it by myself.

**gavD** · Posted On: 8/20/2008 5:20am

If I'm that tired, I generally go home... no sense injuring myself

**Asriel** · Posted On: 8/20/2008 5:31am

I go into training with the mindset that I will never be fit enough for competition. That drives me to train to the point where I HAVE to stop because I can't physically do any more.

**PointyShinyBurn** · Posted On: 8/20/2008 5:54am

There's usually this fucker keeps trying to strangle me and I don't wanna let him.

**Asriel** · Posted On: 8/20/2008 6:00am

Originally Posted by PointyShinyBurn

There's usually this fucker keeps trying to strangle me and I don't wanna let him.

Dude, please, what happens in the bedroom stays in the bedroom :tongue8:

**Lily** · Posted On: 8/20/2008 6:03am

If training on my own I focus on each single movement and my breathing. The key is to feel relaxed for me and tell myself that I am not tired, that I'm just sore but still have the endurance to go harder, longer, faster. I find it works for me each time because everytime I do that, I make good associations by completing another set, another kilometre, another minute on the bag etc.

If its something like a long distance run I'll just start counting steps aiming for 10,000 then some more. Once I'm tired I'll start visualising the people that inspire me, sounds gay but I just picture them waiting at the finish line cheering really loud for me and I just focus on that.

I don't know how this tranlates into my MA training, but I've yet to give up so far so maybe all that mental training does help. I've never zoned out when facing an opponent though, not sure how that works. You've still got to be mentally 'there' for the most part to perform well.

**Asriel** · Posted On: 8/20/2008 6:08am

If you're training for a specific fight, just visualize your opponent smashing you because you weren't fit enough. That worked for me a couple of years back and helped me sprint up ridiculously steep hills.