What mental techniques improve stamina?
Written by
Chen Jialiang
Reviewed by
Prof. Graham Pierce, Ph.D.Mental endurance training is effective at helping you overcome fatigue during your tough workouts. These techniques train your brain to override fatigue warnings, allowing you to exert yourself harder for longer periods. Mental training differs from physical training in that it works instantly, and you don't have to spend weeks acclimatizing your body.
Breathing Control
- Method: 4-7-8 technique during stress
- Execution: Inhale 4s hold 7s exhale 8s
- Benefit: Reduces perceived effort by 20%
- Application: Use during final workout sets
Challenge Reframing
- Method: View obstacles as growth opportunities
- Execution: Replace "this hurts" with "this strengthens"
- Benefit: Increases pain tolerance threshold
- Application: Apply during hill repeats or heavy lifts
Micro-Goal Setting
- Method: Break efforts into segments
- Execution: Focus only on next 30 seconds
- Benefit: Reduces overwhelm in long efforts
- Application: During endurance events or deadlines
Stress inoculation encourages exposure to varying degrees of discomfort over time. Begin with a mildly uncomfortable challenge, such as holding a plank one count longer than normal. Gradually progress to more difficult tasks, such as sprints to exhaustion. This will allow your brain time to understand that discomfort does not imply danger but rather allows us to adapt. Stress inoculation promotes mental toughness through this process of exposing oneself to moderate stressors.
Power phrases such as "strong now" and "one more" are stimuli for immediate shifts of focus. Repeat them rhythmically during the peaks of exertion. The ones adapted to your personal goals are best. Repeated use of power phrases creates neural associations between power phrases and states of performance.
Blend techniques to use during critical moments. When hitting the wall, use the breathing control technique first, then move to micro-goal focus. After that, use the positive power phrases for the final push; this layered use of techniques allows several psychological tools to overcome several different types of fatigue.
Read the full article: How to Increase Stamina Effectively
