A Dark Place, The Pain Cave, The Hurt Locker or as I like to call it…The Spirit World. It is a state that is often talked about, but never discussed in depth. As the Tango Charlie shirt says, “Darkness is a hell of a coach.” It most definitely can be…if you understand it.
Here are three things to ask yourself:
Do you truly know what it is?
Can you actually get to this state?
If you can, how often should you go there?
The Spirit World explained
Emptying it out. Extreme discomfort. Pushing beyond your limits. These things are a part of this mental and physical state, but only at the surface level. In every tough workout it’s not a matter of IF, but merely WHEN we reach the point where a decision must be made. The point where your body and your mind are screaming at you to slow down or back off. The decision…to push through and attack the pain or simply endure and survive it until the end. This is where the difference is distinguished. Enduring and surviving are still very uncomfortable, but we have made the choice to let the pain win and just ride it out. The reason “The Spirit World” has always resonated with me is because that’s what it truly feels like. It’s the state of silencing the voices in your head and choosing to shut out the pain and reaching an almost euphoric state of existence that allows you to keep breathing and keep moving no matter what the cost. Everything around you fades out, time is irrelevant. It’s just you and the workout. It is only when the work or time end that it all comes rushing back. The pounding of your heart, the burning in your muscles and lungs. It is a very unique place that some never truly experience.
Do you have what it takes?
Depending on the workout, it takes a certain amount of strength, endurance and ability to have the capability of reaching this state. Meaning, it’s earned. You have to earn the capability to have the opportunity to push to this level of discomfort. If you can only do five pull-ups at a time in a workout with 50 pull-ups, you do not have the capability of getting to The Spirit World. If your technical deficiencies or strength limit your ability to efficiently do touch n’ go reps on a workout like “DT” then you do not have the capability to reach The Spirit World. Some think, ‘The stronger and more fit I become, the easier these workouts will be’. I hate to break it to you, but that is not how it works. The higher your maxes go and the more your endurance improves, it gets harder. Why? Because there becomes less reasons to put the bar down, to break up the reps. It becomes more and more about the mental battle rather than your physical limitations. Many think they are reaching this level, but they aren’t. It requires a solid balance of mental fortitude and physical ability. You can’t have one without the other to reach this state. If you do not yet have the capability to push to this level does that mean you are not working hard? Absolutely not, you are working as hard as you can with what you have. But this place, this state, this suffering should be recognized for what it is. A level of respect, that only those that have truly earned the experience can speak to.
How often should you go there?
We all have different effort levels whether you recognize it or not. A top level, a high level, a moderate level and an easy level. No matter if you currently have the ability in certain workouts to push to The Spirit World or not, you need to understand how far you should go mentally and when. Your top level is something you will truly reach a small percentage of time throughout your training year. It takes that much of a toll. Specifically, around 5% of your total workouts can and should reach this level. High level effort should be roughly 70% of your workouts. If you don’t feel up to the task seven out of ten times then you should look at your nutrition, sleep, stress, recovery methods, etc. Moderate levels are reserved for those times where you are feeling beat up mentally and or physically and just don’t have that high gear. This should be around 15% of the time. Low level is what could be considered active recovery sessions. Just breathing and moving without much regard for the pace or weight moved. This could be the end of a tough training cycle or a day where life kicked your a$$ and you need a mindless sweat. Should be around 10% of the time. As you get into the Masters categories the top level percentage remains at 5%, the high level drops to around 50-60%, moderate up to 25-35% and low stays at 10%. Reminder, these percentages only hold true if your top level is really your top level and your high level is really your high level.
“A better way of life, something to keep us on the straight and narrow, to look forward to week to week, and a revival of all those who have been involved only a few times a year. ”
Understand this
Effort level isn’t just about how deep you can go mentally, it is also about what you have physically available. This is not about backing off when you feel good. It is about understanding that there will be days where you just have what you have. Your score for the WOD or weight lifted might not be what you want, but it’s another day of training. Another day deposited in your mental and physical bank account. Every day you put in work is beneficial. Every. Single. One. Bad Days happen. Good days happen, Extraordinary days happen. It’s all a part of your lifelong journey. I need you to understand this. Embrace it. Stay the course. Keep showing up. Consistent hard work ALWAYS pays off…you just have to be willing to stick with it long enough.