Advanced: Mental training

There is no change from the intermediate level suggestions here. The only major difference is that at this point you should be incorporating around 40-45 minutes or more of cardio at least 4 days a week (excluding practice). The reason for this is not only for physical strength, but mental strength as well.

It is a scientific fact that cardio workouts are the best ways of burning fat. To do that, the exercise must be taken at a leisurely pace. Your heart-rate should be approximately 75% to 80% of its max. (Side note: You can approximate your heart rate by subtracting 20 from your age, then subtracting the difference from 200. E.i. a 25 year old’s max heart rate should be 195).

At this level, you should be pushing 90% to max for at least 10% of your workout. The reason for this is this: when your workout is that intense, it becomes a mental strain as well as a physical one. You want to be able to push past your body’s limits. The only way to do that is to use your mind.

For repetition’s sake: only YOU know your own body. Just because it was said to “push past your body’s limits” does NOT mean to break your body by pushing too hard. Know where your limits are. Know which limits you can surpass and when you can surpass them. It is most important to remain uninjured so you can train. After all, you can’t train with a sprained ankle!

Just as a reminder, here are areas to concentrate on:

Biceps (curls or pull-ups)

Triceps (triceps-curls or dips)

Chest (machine or pushups)

Back (machine or wide-arm pull-ups)

Legs (Squats or lunges)

Calves (machine or jump-rope*)

Abs (crunches and situps for uppers and six-inches for lower abs)