Intensity

You can see it in their eyes.

Look at a MMA fighter or boxer before the opening bell. A football lineman before the snap. A hockey enter before the opening face-off. What do they all have in common? Intensity.

Intensity - You can call it passion or focus but you need it to succeed.

Intensity comes in 2 forms, natural and generated.

Natural intensity comes from your love of the activity you are participating in. Natural intensity is what comes out in practice. Natural intensity is what drives you to put the extra hour in the gym, or run that extra mile at 6am on Sunday morning. Natural intensity is the difference between the pros and the Joes.

Generated intensity comes from the adrenaline of the game day. The thrill of competition. Your generated intensity is what can put you one step ahead of the other runners in the race, give you the power to escape from that arm-bar late in the 3rd round. Generated intensity makes you win!

Intensity is an integral part of training, but it is so often over-looked. It is hard to teach, but so necessary for success. How can you generate intensity? Fall in love with the game. Whatever your chosen activity, study it - learn about it's history and past performers. Internalize each and every move and make them part of your EVERYDAY life.

I think Arnold put it best when he said, and I am paraphrasing here - "I imagined that every hour I wasn't in the gym, my competitors were going to be one hour better than I am."

If you find your intensity failing you, take a break. Take some time off. Try to remember why you started this in the first place. Refine your goals. Find your motivation. Then get back to it. Hard!

Next time - a simple vitamin plan to alleviate training pain and keep you fresh!