Mind Your Own Ps and Qs
This picture is one of our favorites because every person featured here is completely focused on their workout despite the packed house. There is no room for gossip, jealousy, or fear when we concentrate on our own athletic development while preserving personal integrity.
What do you do to stay focused?
Concentrate on my own technique and progression, and forget about what the next person is doing.
Same as Steven…I pretend its just me, the technique, and music in the room.
I smile and go into my zone!
Fear that Steve or Maya will yell at me keep me in my zone.
Counting. I count down the number of seconds left in my head to stay in the zone. This only works if there is a reasonable number of seconds left (like 30). I have to break everything down into a manageable part (like 30 seconds or 5 reps) and then I focus on that one piece. If you look very very very closely you can see my lips moving in the background of this picture (I’m doing sit-ups in the far right-hand corner). Creepy huh.
Block out everyone around me and tell myself not to look like a punk and finish the set. I also block out the music, especially if it is Michael Jackson or 50 cent.
Turbo,
Do you hum Too Short or E-40 in your head?
No Easy E.
What about 415?
I like to say to myself, particularly during really fun things like the hollow, “I am Budda….I am above pain….I can do this forever….”and then when that ceases to work, I start counting seconds trying to focus on breathing, and when that doesn’t work I just go into a mantra of f***….F***….F***…. For the more aerobically painful rounds, I mainly mentally beat myself up…”You wimp, you wanna quit? Is that what you are, a quitter? Come on, you can do one more round….” Hmmm….should I be revealing my inner thoughts like this? Well, if it helps the common cause, then I suppose it is OK.
Lan-Ling, my thoughts are surprisingly similar. I don’t see anything wrong there!