Mental Toughness Training, Football & Wrestling
February 11th, 2010
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by admin · Filed Under: Articles · Q & A · Strength Building · Success · Underground Strength Show · Videos · Zach's Workouts · muscle building
A question was sent my way and I pulled it out of the Mail Bag 
It was an interesting question and I bet you can add your own answer(s).
Check out the video below and drop a comment when you’re done.
What’s cool to see, on an added note, is that in my area, the Head Football Coach is also the Assistant Wrestling Coach. He has the Football players wrestling as well.
Football, with all the hitting involved makes his guys meaner.
Wrestling, makes his guys more athletic, mentally tougher and more conditioned.
I’ve see BIG dudes get their asses whooped on the mat by a highly skilled wrestler who looks like a skinny nerd.
I’ve seen BIG, 220 + lb Football players move like shit and die on the Football field, and then Football players in the 185 – 195 lb range who are kicking ass all over the Football field.
We need a medium. Drop a line and be heard.
Lead from the Front.
–Z–
PS: I’d love to see Wrestlers and Football players training like THIS.
PPS: And, for those who are hungry to learn the trade and the business, they should be at 1 of my Live Events. Can’t get better if you’re not investing in your knowledge, make no mistake about it!
25 Responses to “Mental Toughness Training, Football & Wrestling”
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Zach – Good job clarifying Carl’s question. It’s like you always say. For us to get stronger and better we have to get comfortable being uncomfortable. I’ll admit I was that way in high school. Big guy with no warrior in me and it has taken me a while to get going in that direction. I am by no means a total warrior yet, but I am working on it. If we can all be put into uncomfortable environments, it can pretty amazing what comes out on the other side.
We gotta get these athletes thinking in terms of body composition and athleticism and not just bench press maxes and weight classes.
What’s the point in being a 275 pound lineman with 20+% bodyfat? It’s going to slow you down and make you less mobile and athletic.
The same goes for wrestling. Why work your butt off in the gym all off season just to lose 90% of it at the start of the season by attempting to drop 2 weight classes? Eat right and get LEAN instead of just skinny!
It’s funny becasue I took a college football player through the warm up portion of our program. He puked his guts out on the freaking warm up!
This dude is a college football player. Most people do not have the mental toughness to get what they want. They as you said “lay down”.
I think one thing is for sure that the workouts conducted for athletes need to address a solid foundation of strengh. Once that is built then jack up the intensity to build the mental toughness component.
Being to big and strong compromises your athletic abilty. Too big will cause athletes to be too slow. Like you said focus on the medium and move fast, and powerful with strength.
In my earlier post I mentioned that You can be too strong. My bad! No such thing as being too strong. Too big is another story.
Wow! I couldn’t agree with you more on this Zach. Just last year I was went with my grade on a coach bus to New York, and during this three hour ride, a couple of us decided to have a fight club. The first round was a really skinny guy (Etan), going up against the star forward of the varsity team (Ari). I though Ari had it in the bad because he really seemed like he had what it took to win. But Etan was so explosive and handed Ari’s ass to him. And I was shocked, thinking to myself, “Where’s his muscle? How can he be so strong and look so skinny at the same time?” Then it dawned on me, as long as you have the mindset , with a little bit of skill to throw in the mix, you’re unstoppable!!
P.S. I won my fight that day.
Guys I had to pull this mental toughness idea out on 3 clients this morning. They were all nervous about not getting their technique “perfect” and were dying and trying to use lighter weight. They are plenty strong with the weight and maintaining good form. So — I was not going to let them work for a faster time by using a lighter weight and thus NOT getting stronger.
Like we’ve been talking about over @ http://undergroundstrengthcoach.com I made them use the heavier weight and made sure I told them why and why it is important to get stronger first.
One guy mid workout wanted to switch to a lighter weight (twice) – his form was still very good – and I said no.
After it was all said and done the guy told me at first he didnt think he was going to finish, the weight felt too heavy but he was really glad he did it.
With no prompting from me he said, “It made me feel like I had a mental battle with the weights…and won.”
Classic. Nuff said here.
I agree 100%. Everyone needs to go through hell every once and a while and if they can take it every week or couple of weeks. Those kind of workouts are what make strong men of body and character. You dont learn nothin winning all the time and you dont learn nothin by not going through hell. Hellish workouts have definatly made me the man and the athlete I am today.
I agree with all the above. But my “mental toughness” came from a whole different place then most. My sport of choice growing up was not wrestling or football, but skateboarding and snowboarding. Now, I do have respect for those and many other sports but few sports are as brutal as skating. Hitting a person with full pads on and/or having some guy throw you on a mat and tie you into a human pretzel is bad (I have been in both situation many of time minus the pads), but nothing is worse then trying to clear a gap or grind a rail or whatever and repeatedly slamming into the concrete and metal over and over and over again until you make the trick or can’t get up. The stories I could tell about skating with broken bones, sprains, casts, and blood all over my clothes. I can take a hit from a football player and a throw from a wrestler but most of them would not try to grind a 15 stair rail or clear a 60 plus foot table top (snowboarding). Mind you, for me there was no coach to push me and train me. I was my coach and trainer. And I would skate for 5 to 10 plus hours a day out of pure love, regardless of the pain. And if I could not skate I felt depressed and miserable. If anyone doubts the validity of what I am saying (even though I know it is my humble opinion) go to youtube and search football and wrestling accidents (or whatever) and then search skateboarding slams and tell me which you would not want to happen to you, especially on a regular basis.
Ironically I can no longer skate or compete. That is why I lift and train the way I do.
Z, great vid. You are an inspiration to me and have helped me to realize that training is not just about bicep curls or how much you can bench or even looks, it is about overall conditioning for whatever life throws at you. Thanks.
Your dead on Zach too many athletes train to just do enough , rather than to kick ass , and win i feel mental toughness is a mind set aswell as away of life and is in everbody just waiting for the beast to be awoken ! here in the uk i work with rugby players and we have a wrestling coach come in during our conditioning sessions pre season and make the lads do an hour of on the mat grappling so they know how it feels to fight through and never give in no matter what! ps love the shows and blogs
keep up the good work bro
regard
Ryan G
England
I used to do personal training & I trained all my clients similar to the way you train folks. So naturally I agree with you 100% & then some. Most people can’t handle it. They want everything easy, that may get them where they are going, but it ain’t gonna cut it for me. Overhead Squat, power wheel walking, ring or better yet rope pull-ups, thick farmer’s walk are some of the things I’m working on at the moment. Not to mention MMA/jiujitsu practice so I know what you are speaking of when you say mental toughness. I still train a couple of guys for MMA here in Hawaii, since we moved from Virginia, but most of my time is spent writing & working out.
Regards,
Jim
Building mental toughness in a weight room is very possible. I have several kids that work with me during my leg day at the high school I graduated from in June of last year. These kids are used to the typical “sqauat 4×4, deadlift 3×3″ type workout. Yes they are moving big weight but those 25 reps may take them an hour to complete. When they work with me it’s squat lighter weights for higher reps with short rest periods. Then some sort of group burnout usually involving medicine balls and farmers walks or plate pushes. The best part of these is that I make the kids work with each other to complete, adding the competition makes them tougher and gives them the killer instinct of “my legs hurt, but I’m not gonna stop”. When they’re breathing heavy lying on their backs at the end of the workout, going through hell as you called it Zach, they still have a united sense and they still come back and work with me next week. It’s great to see them getting stronger and uniting as a team especially with the upper classmen getting beat by a younger kid, they push themselves harder, and it causes a chain reaction.
ZAc…my brothers name is PAUL HOBBS..HE PLAYS FOR JACKSON MEMORIAL..FROM HIS JUNIOR YEAR UNTIL NOW…HE HAS PLAYED WITH A TORN LABRUM,,IN HIS SHOULDER.WHICH HE HAS TO WEAR A HARNESS FOR,,ALONG WITH A PINCHED VALVE IN HIS NECK,,THAT IS PINCHED DOWN,SO WHEN HE HITS, HE GETS STINGERS AND BURNERS,IN HIS NECK,HE HAS HAD THAT INJURY FROM HIS SOPHOMORE YEAR,AND THAT WAS JUST DIAGNOSED RECENTLY,,BECAUSE THE LAST FEW YEARS.THEY DIDNT KNOW WHAY WAS WRONG,HE IS GRADUATING AN WILL BE GOING TO ALBRIGHT UNIVERSITY TO PLAY FOOTBALL.HE WAS ALL DIVISION DOWN HERE ALONG WITH 2ND TEAM ALL COUNTY…HE WON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR,ON HIS TEAM ALONG WITH THE MEANEST MAN AWARD,,HE WILL BE GETTING SURGERY ON HIS NECK VERY SOON,,AND WILL AGAIN PLAY HIS 1ST YEAR OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL WITH A TORN LABRUM IN HIS SHOULDER.,,AS SOON AS THE SEASON ENDS HE WILL HAVE SURGERY ON THAT ALSO,,I BELIEVE THESE INJURIES OCCURED FOR ONE SIMPLE REASON,,EVERY TIME HE STEPS ON THAT FIELD..ITS NO RETREAT NO SURRENDER,,DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR,,ITS THE WARRIOR CODE,WHEN YOU TRAIN YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT,,FOR YEARS AT A TIME..WHICH MY BROTHER HAS,YOU CAN HANDLE PAIN,YOU CAN HANDLE ADVERSITY..YOU IMPOSE YOUR WILL ON PEOPLE,WHEN WE GO OVER THE GAME TAPE TOGETHER BEFORE HIS GAMES..AND HE KNOWS HIS KEYES,THERE IS ONE GOAL,ONE AGENDA,,TO PHYSICALLY,AND MENTALLY EHAUST YOUR OPPENT WITH A RELENTLESS ,PHYSICAL,STYLE OF PLAY,,HE IS 6FT..220,, HE CAN RUN WELL,,FORGET SIZE,,AND SPEED,,,HIS BEST ATTRIBUTE,IS HIS TOUGHNESS,MENTAL AND PHYSICAL,,AND WITHOUT A DOUBT,,TRAINING YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT,,IN THE RAIN,SNOW,,THE HEAT IN AUGUST,,FRIDAY NIGHTS RUNNING SPRINTS,AT THE TRACK,,WHILE HIS BUDDIES ARE OUT DRINKING OR HORSING AROUND,,Eating HEALTHY DAY AFTER DAY..THE GRIND,,AND EXCEPTING THE GRIND,,EXCEPTING THE DICIPLINE,,AND EXCEPTING .THE UNCOMFORTABILITY,,ALL HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO HIS MENTAL AND PHYSICAL TOUGHNESS,,BUT ALL OF THIS ALWAYS RESORTS BACK TO ONE THING,,STRENGTH..ITS WHAT WE ALL ARE CHASING,,AND IT SHOULD NEVER BE UNDERESTIMATED,,STAY STRONG ZAC..LOVE YA MAN,,ILL KEEP SPREADING YOUR NAME AND WORD,,
ZAC..I FORGOT,,I KNOW YOU LIKE TO WORK NON-STOP,,AND I KNOW YOUR SUPER MOTIVATED,,BUT YOU LOOK EXHAUSTED,,GET SOME DOWN TIME,,ITS A FANTASTIC HEALER,,I KNOW ITS HARD TO TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE PEDAL,,BUT THATS PART OF THE DICIPLINE,,
I agree with you coach. A lot of athletes now a days are losing what it means to be “ronnie lott” tough! and it does start in the weight room for many reasons, but not just moving the weights, but being told why you can move the weights and the purpose of doing what they’re doing. I remember doing “deads” for reps with 420, I’m not that big, but you had to have that mentality that you ARE going to succeed! We all know it doesn’t just end in the weight room or the field, it continues on with our education. I’m involved in a new program out here in d.c. to help promote fitness and proper nutrition in our elementary and middle schools, and like you say I have to lead from the front!
Before round 2 of the major storm hit us down here in maryland I worked out with 1 of my new clients because I wanted him to know that it aint no joke!
If you want the person in front of you starting position, earn it by working harder then him/her!!!!
As always “keep risin to the top!”
oh yea, I’m always telling folks to get out of the gym and attack a mountain up here in Vermont. Sometimes it’s good for the spirit to take on a workout that’s bigger than you are and through the design of nature is something beyond your control.
That’s my issue with too many self imposed gym workouts, you are in total control. It’s always good for the soul to give control to someone (or something) else to let you know how you really stand.
Zach, Awesome as usual! Absolutely agree about the different methods of training and the different effects that they have on the athelete, both physically and mentally. We at THE V do a lot of hybrid or cross-super-set training where we’re not necessarily lifting huge weights but we are training intense! Check it out!
2-hand kettlebell swings 70# x 35
600# Tire Flip x 6
16# Sledgehammer x 20 each side
30 Yd. dash shouldering 100# punching bag 30 Yd, dash back on the opposite shoulder
Drop the bag for ground and pound punches and elbows for 1 min. 1 min. sprawls on the bag to one minute holding “12#” DMBLS (yeah only 12 POUNDERS)straight out to your sides for 1 min
That’s one set and then you can get a drink or just lay down on the pavement and shit your pants HAHAHA!!!!
Tried grappling for the first time the other day and oh dear… I realized what this invlolves. That’s was a pure conditioning work. Great for all kind of sports.
Pussies will be pussies till they figure out they can be tough.
Dude, Our coaches used to take us to the point where we wanted to die (not quit, but literally die). I remember when the clock was up and the pain persisted, I was like, “Fuck, let me die god, let me die”. Praying didn’t take that pain away, it sucked ass. But then we got our asses back up and went like crazy little shits. There was about 5 of us that were absolute nut cases.
I was probably the strongest kid in the room, just bent on relentlessness. Never have been any kind of a weight room hero, but I bet every guy I came across remembers me.
We didn’t lift, we just went ape shit on each other. Our training was terrible, but we put ourselves through hell and we were nails man. Good stuff on here keep that going.
By the way, John Strittmatter (national champ: Jameston probably weighed 145 at the time) was one of my coaches. I wrestled 215 tried to throw a kid 1st match of the season and got stuck. After the match he told me I wasn’t a thrower I was a shooter and if he ever saw me try and throw a kid again he’d make me wish I was never born. Everyone heard it and we all knew what that meant. I didn’t even think about it ever again, ended up shootting about 1,00 high crotches that year.
I got my ass kicked a lot when I was a kid. Pussies stay down.
Yeah I gotta agree with ya. I have always personally believed that the goal of training is to not only to make you stronger and faster but most importantly make you mentally tougher. Jacking up the intensity of the workouts making you dig deeper into your soul for that extra push to make it through that barrier in your mind and body that is trying to tell you to “just stop”. You gotta keep tellig yourself and your clients to “punch it through!” and don’t settle for less. Great brutal workout not only train the body but the human spirit as well. This not only goes for atheletes but for the average trainee as well. That is wny I like Underground Training. It get’s us back to our roots to hard challenging workouts. Again thanks Zach, you are an inspiration to me as well. A big thanks to all of you Underground Bruddahs and Sistahs too. Hearing from all of you is always very uplifting!
Zack,
Great video and post!
I’ve wrestled since 1965 (3 years in high school) and five (5) years in college. I was also a three sport athlete in high school. I’m currently 60 years old and train just like you do.
Several years ago two or three studies were conducted throughout the nation having to do with the extreme demands of sport. The comparison was made between wrestling and football.
A six minute match (seven in college) in wrestling was comparable to three consecutive football games being played back to back to back without a break.
Pretty brutal. And I love football, so don’t get me wrong. I was all-conference and all-state as a receiver. I also played both ways.
Also, just recently, one of our other top trainers made the comment that next to wrestling the physical trauma experienced by a wrestler in training and competition is only compared to what he experienced in a POW (Prisoner of War). I’ll try to find out who that was.
It wasn’t till my freshman year at Phoenix College (AZ) that I found out what wrestling wall about. We had just come off a national championship and won a second that year. It’s pretty cool to have your name on a national championship tropy!:)
Here in Arizona we have a stong showing of the “Pussfication of America.” We also have some astounding athletes that I can say makes me proud to be an Arizonan. We also have a problem with football coaches not realizing the advantages of having their football players wrestler. To those of us that have wrestled it is pretty obvious as to the advantage. All that you mention is derived from the oldest sport in the world. The only sport mentioned in the Bible.
The number of our nation’s presidents who wrestled. Etc., etc., etc.
I grew up in an age where everyone in my school played football (except for one or two due to health problems), and during the winter everyone either wrestled or played basketball, and during the spring everyone played baseball or track & field. We didn’t really have weights till I was a senior, but I definitely remember our coaches putting us through some hellacious bodyweight training.
There are several ways to develop mental toughness and I admire the way(s) you provide for us to implement these methods.
I love the saying, “Train hard or go home!” Angel & Henry Cejudo (Henry was our 2008 121 lb. Olympic Freestyle Gold Medalist). I had the privilege to work with Angel and Henry (Henry mostly) for four years, beginning with him at the seventh grade and have the honor to have been involved with him for the past nine years. Talk about mental toughness in an athlete.
Check out some of his training regimens at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and Tempe, AZ, etc.
Well, gone on enough. Thanks for the opportunity.
Keep up the great work, Zach and thank you for all your help.
Great stuff Zach! I’ve noticed the same thing. I love it when we get the wrestlers here. These guys just keep on going vs the D1 or D2 guys we’ve had. Course over time the football players can “catch up”.
Love the site dude!
Zach, I see the same thing in the classroom . . . kids don’t want to work through “sticking points”. They think being the best at sports at the high school is all they need to prove, then get their asses handed to them during the season b/c they have no fortitude to fight through the highs/lows of a season. I heard one of our football coaches comlaining cuz only 20 guys were showing up for off-season workouts and of course 10 or so are even varsity material. It’s my goal to bring the pussification of our youth to the forefront at my school and start changing attitudes. Thanks Z!
Zach,
Great post. I can’t agree more mental toughness is the missing link to our society. Everyone quits before they can see results and come up with some lame excuse about why they quit instead of admitting to themselves this is too hard and then doing something about it.
Keep Rockn it
Blaine
Zach,
I love this site for this very reason – a lot of great knowledge and experience being shared in the comments! Steve (#21.) holy sh*t! – all state at receiver and you wrestled – you are one tough S.O.B. bro! Great message!
From the posts above seems that we may have gotten into a three way debate over which breeds greater mental toughness – wrestling, football or getting under the iron.
The truth of the matter is that they all contribute to mental toughness – why? In my opinion it isn’t the sport that breedsmental toughness it is what each sport ultimately represents – ADVERSITY. It is adversity gentlemen and ladies that fashions mental toughness.
In perhaps a glamourized hollywood example (but I’m going to f#ckin’ use it anyway) think of Rocky vs. Drago; it wasn’t the sport of boxing that fashioned Rocky’s mental toughness, nor was it facing Drago, it was the adversity he (Rocky) faced simply getting into the ring to fight in the first place.
I think that a lot of times the battle is won or lost long before we ever even set foot on the playiong field. It takes a certain amount of character to stand up in the face of adversity – this character is what I would classify as mental toughness.
In my opinion – situations in life (sport or otherwise), reveal charater; they do not build it! This is a classic debate of nature versus nurture! Can you train a lamb to be a lion? I would argue no! (and I know Zach has my back on this)
2% – 2 f#ckin % of the world would dare to grab life by the balls (and I’m pretty sure a great majority of them regularly visit this blog!) and take consistent action!
I stand firm by my earlier comment adversity (sport in this case) reveals character (mental toughness)
AGE QUOD AGIS “what you do; do well
- Christopher