MENTAL TOUGHNESS PROGRAMME WORKBOOK
2
IMPROVE YOUR PERFORMANCE BY STRENGTHENING
YOUR MENTAL TOUGHNESS
DEAR SUFFERLANDRIAN,
Like you, I’m no stranger to Suffering. I know what it feels
like to push myself to the edge, to test my limits. I know
the desire to keep improving, to get better and do more.
And perhaps like you, I doubt myself more than I should.
My motivation ebbs and flows. I wonder if I can.
I get nervous. I don’t always learn from my experiences.
Sometimes my confidence seems as far away as the top
of the next big climb. I can feel strong physically, but
not mentally.
And probably like you, I’ve never seriously tried to change
that.
But ask any coach or elite athlete and they’ll tell you: The
mind is even more important than the body. Building
mental toughness is a key part of how they prepare for
success.
We spend so much energy trying to emulate the pros —
the way they train, the equipment they use, the clothes
they wear, even the food they eat (we’re looking at you,
gummy bears) — but 99% of us don’t even consider
mental toughness as something worth focusing on.
Why is that? It’s true we may not be vying for the top step
of the podium on a grand tour, but we all have goals. We
all want to improve and be successful in our own way.
If anything, a strong mental game is even more important
for those of us with full-time jobs, families, and limited
time to train than it is for a professional athlete.
And so we give you The Sufferfest Mental Toughness
Programme, another part of our Complete Training System
covering Bike-Body-Mind.
Developed with the leading sports psychologists at LifeSparq,
as well as elite cycling coach Neal Henderson and his
coaching team at APEX Coaching, I’m extremely excited
about this programme. We’ve worked hard to demystify
Mental Toughness, giving you simple, practical and useful
ways to develop a powerful mental game.
Having gone through the programme myself, it’s changed
how I approach workouts, how I deal with Suffering, and how
motivated I am to get the work in. Above all, it’s helped me
think more positively about my capabilities.
And so, over the next nine weeks, we’re going to do the same
for you. And just imagine what you can accomplish when you
truly, deeply know what you want, why you want it and have
the conviction that you can do it.
Believe in yourself. You can do it.
IWBMATTKYT,
David McQuillen
Founder & Chief Suffering Officer
The Sufferfest