You can LIVE life, or you can EXIST through it.
I choose to live it to its fullest and BRING IT as hard as I can....EVERY DAY! Fitness is a journey, and Beachbody provides you with the vehicle to take you to where you want to go!! -Mark Briggs-
Posted on November 24th, 2009 20 comments
Hi Friends!
I wanted to touch base with all of you and speak a little bit to the issue of mind set. I’m currently working my way through my 19th round of P90X! Its another hybrid round, and this was to be week 5 (as of yesterday). Unfortunately, I suffered an intercostal muscle tear (muscle between the ribs) yesterday during MMA, so I’m going to be hitting only elliptical workouts for at least the next week while I give it time to heal. I could certainly have become frustrated by this “set back”, but instead, I’m focusing on what I CAN DO to continue to move forward with my fitness goals.
Often times I receive emails from people that express frustration for a setback that happens in the middle of their round. Many feel they need to start over, or that they are a failure because they can’t get through the routine EXACTLY as its written. I NEVER feel that way, and I urge others not to either. The reason, because we are going to workout for the rest of our LIVES!
Exercise and clean eating is a lifestyle change, not something we do for 90 days and then stop doing. Life is all about pushing our physical limits and challenging ourselves. For those like me (that love extreme sports), injuries are just a part of the game. If my lower body is injured, I train the upper body. If the upper body is injured, I shift focus to the lower. ALWAYS focus on what you CAN DO, and stop worrying about what you can’t!!
Make sure, if you are in a limited workout mode, to always RECALCULATE your food intake so you at least maintain where you were when you got injured. It may not be picture perfect, and it may not go exactly the way you want it to, but guess what, NOTHING in life does! Get your mind right, dust yourself off, and keep working toward your goals – because they belong to YOU!
In 2004 I broke my hand so badly that it required 2 surgeries to repair it. Not ideal, not fun, but I focused on my diet and rode a recumbent exercise bike 6 days a week (and did abs every other day) until my hand had healed (12 weeks!). At the end of those 12 long weeks I had lost muscle mass, but I had maintained my weight, stayed toned, and held onto the 4% bodyfat that I had worked hard to achieve. When I went back to the weights, I gained back my lost muscle mass in 8 weeks.
Life is full of ups, downs, and obstacles, but as long as you keep your mind right, you can overcome anything that pops up in front of you. Never surrender, and never quit – just adjust fire and drive on!!
Mark
20 responses to “Get your mind right!”
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SOOOOO true! Great post! I am just getting over the flu, and it is more mentally upsetting than anything…I know when I am healed that I am coming back with a VENGEANCE!!! lol And like you said, it’s LIFE, not a 90 day thing.
Your life and attitude about it makes me smile! -
So, I know you aren’t a doctor but you said you’re only taking a week or so off for a torn muscle. I think (I don’t have the money to get tests done) I have a slight tear in my pec on my left side. I’ve had this pain for 2 months and it still bothers me a little everyday and I haven’t done an upper body workout since it happened. I think its a torn muscle from talking to a guy who had exact symptoms as me and had tests run and it came back as a chest tear. (My dad payed for a cardiologist visit to make sure it wasn’t a heart issue back in September, so I know its not serious.) Do you know if it takes different muscles longer to heal than others? Obviously the severity plays a role, but its been 2 months and I’m going crazy. Thanks for any advice you can give me and I hope you get to feeling better soon!
Josh
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Josh – I am not a doctor, but am familiar with my injury, because this is the 4th time that its happened to me in the last 2 years. Fortunately, they occurred in different areas of the ribs, and this one is up higher (toward the pec). I’m certain that this one is not a complete tear, because if it were, I would be completely sidelined from anything involving the upper body.
The first time I incurred the injury I thought I had broken my rib (the pain, sound, and feel is about the same). After going to the ER, I was told it was the intercostal, and told to not exercise for 6-8 weeks. Not being one to sit on my butt, the next day I found that I could use an elliptical machine without suffering any overly powerful ill effects, so I did that for a couple weeks until I felt better, and then eased back into my regular P90X workouts. However, I did not jump back into contact sports for a full 8 weeks. I’ll play this one by ear, and test the waters with upper body weight training next week. If it is overly painful, I’ll do the smart thing and jump back onto the elliptical.
In your instance, given the duration of time you’ve had the injury, I think I would opt for a visit to a sports medicine doctor for further evaluation. It could be muscle, or it could also be tendons or ligaments that are damaged. I can’t give you advice outside my scope of expertise, but instead, share information from things I’ve experienced in my long list of sports related injuries (some just incurred from stupid activity on my part too).
Mark
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Mark,
Thanks for this awesome post! This is what I need!! It seems like every time I have gotten into my program I have either gotten injured or sick. I also had a break in my hand which required surgery, and during that time I did not focus on what I was capable of! It nearly wrecked me! It is SO important to get your mind right, like you have said!
Currently, I am in the 2nd week of my program (that I restarted after illness). I am very encouraged by your blog!
Thank you and keep up the great work!
Jeanne
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Hassan November 24th, 2009 at 22:52
Thanks for the article mark! This is such a great article! I sort of pulled my muscle in my shoulder few weeks ago from campus boarding but I still did the workouts I could! including max insanity workouts. I feel great now, ur articles are really inspiring and motivating. Heal Well my friend!
take care
Hassan. -
Josh. I’m not a doctor either but I have torn my shoulder and was told it could take 6 months. Each injury and each person is different.
Like mark said. Keep the bottom half moving. I was very discouraged at first and had to change my mindset! MODIFY
Tears take a while and I know it seems like FOREVER but it WILL heal!!
Hope you are better soon!
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Nice post, Mark! Easy for us to get discouraged when we injure ourselves — as I’ve recently re-discovered — but you’re dead on about keeping the long term in mind. This, too, shall pass.
Thanks for helping us keep things in perspective! -
Awsome writting Mrak. And it’s just at a time when I need to hear those words. Thanks brother! Kpp
Phil
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Hey Mark,
Thank you for this post. This is why I love Beachbody’s philosophy of doing your best and forgetting the rest. I like the way on the P90X DVD’s where Tony features different levels of performance.
I have had a problem with my right arm since day one of P90X — on day 60 — but I’m doing my best and forgetting the rest. I thought after this round I’d check in with a doctor. It is an old injury, so not blaming P90X for what happened.
I think this philosophy of fitness is what I’ve been missing all these years.
Blessings on you Mark.Dave
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Dave – I feel your pain Brother. I was a Police Officer for the last 14 years (leaving that profession in March of this year to become a full time Independent Beachbody Coach). Last fall I was broadsided on my way to a Robbery in progress. The accident caused a nerve impingement in my right elbow (which my Active Release Technique-A.R.T. chiropractor works on regularly), and I still have problems with it today. As a result, I’ve had to bag doing pullups. I’ll still rip some out when I workout on the beach in Santa Monica, but 99% of the time I’m doing pulldowns with the bands instead. Far from what I WANT to be doing, but instead, focusing on what I CAN do.
You are already dialed in if you are doing your best and forgetting the rest my friend! Keep up the great work!
To all of my other friends that have commented thusfar – THANKS to all of you! None of us are above injury or the need of modification. Its kind of reassuring to hear that others are in the same boat, isn’t it?!
God Bless my friends!
Mark
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gordon November 27th, 2009 at 19:00
Mark:
Thanks for the post. It’s always nice to step back every now and then during our fitness journeys to gain a little perspective on where we’re headed. Sometimes it seems like I’m so focussed on the next workout, or the week’s schedule, or the 90 days, that I forget about the overall objective of achieving and maintaining fitness.
Thanks again,
gordon -
hey Mark/gang! Long time no hear Mr. Briggsy!! I just found this site and am reading this. Dude, you should cut n paste this blog of yours to beachbody message boards and /or link it to other places on the net you go too.
This could help and motivate others to either go see a doc if they got an ailment not healing and/or not give up and DO SOMETHING!
How goes it in copland and once again, I am so very sorry to have heard about your dad (on your twitter)
all the best from chicagoland,
Mar’tay
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excuse me of off topic, but can you tell me how to customize or do beachbody’s routine to a more mass oreanted basis, from when i’ve read so far, ppl just go for 8-10 reps and cut the cardio… or something. hope you can come up with a routine!!
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Mar’tay – I’ve moved most of my social interaction to Facebook and this website. A majority of the people that used to be on the message boards have done the same, and the interfaces are much more user-friendly than the current message boards. I still post on the boards every once in a great while, but for the most part, its Facebook.
Great hearing from you again Brother!
Mark
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Sky – I’m going to assume that you are talking about P90X. I’m not one to recommend cutting cardio out, simply because your body NEEDS cardio and flexibility training just as much as it needs resistance training. That being said, on your resistance days I would suggest lifting in the 6-8 rep range, and keep the form strict. In order to get big, you need to lift big and eat big – that means adding calories to your diet. You need to keep the sources clean, and I would suggest eating 300-500 calories more than your caloric maintenance level. This way you’ll add bulk at a slower rate and be less likely of adding fat (just make SURE that you keep your food sources clean!)
Mark
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Whats the tip with the one legged exercises? It’s hard to get a good arm workout because I have to lighten the weights to balance. Is it best just to go as slow as possible and then balance comes? Also lock knees or keep ‘em bent (I’m keeping it slightly bent hoping that works more muscles). Thanks for the workout.
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(sorry posted above on the wrong page).
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RP – Anytime balance is involved, you multiply the difficulty, so using half the weight is to be expected. It forces you to go slowly and use good form, otherwise, you fall over.
I’m doing all of my single leg work on the platform side of a Bosu now….ups the ante even more! haha!
Mark
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