CANADIAN PHYSIQUE ALLIANCE March/April 2021 | Page 10

MANAGING

ADVERSITY via

MENTAL

TOUGHNESS

BY LESLEY TIMBOL
( ADAPTED FROM DR . PATRICK COHN AT PEAK PERFORMANCE SPORTS , LLC .)
Do your current bodybuilding challenges feel impossible to overcome ? Your gym is closed . Or your gym is open but due to safety protocols you can ’ t train when you want and for however long you wish . Your eating has gone off the rails because your competing goals have been interrupted and you ’ re lacking motivation to stay on track .
Adversity can lead you to feeling angry , frustrated and dejected . You feel all alone , lost and can see no way out or end in sight . It seems like nobody knows how you feel or how horrible the situation is .
How many of you trained for one or more show ( s ) only for them to be cancelled after months of preparation ? You ’ re not alone but you may FEEL alone as you had other challenges on top of wondering whether or not the show would go on , as life adds on its own set of challenges . Training with a purpose was also an outlet to deal with the various stresses but now what do we do ?
When we compete , we compete for a reason . When competitors are denied that opportunity , they may feel like their training and sacrifices were “ wasted ”.
Though adversity is common among all athletes regardless of the sport , each athlete experiences adversity in different ways .
In other words , adversity is a personal experience ; the adversity you face is not bigger or worse than someone else ’ s adverse circumstances . And frankly , you don ’ t know the extent of another athlete ’ s circumstances .
To overcome adversity , you want to understand that no matter what you are facing , many athletes , in this case bodybuilders , have faced similar situations and some of those bodybuilders have triumphed over those circumstances .
When you know other bodybuilders have been in the same boat , you become less intimidated by what you are facing as you don ’ t feel alone .
And every adverse situation you have experienced in your personal life and athletic life has helped you grow the mental toughness that you can draw upon to overcome your current circumstances . The key to overcoming adversity is not based on the adversity you face , but via mental toughness .
Mental toughness is knowing you always can find a way through adversity by taking the right course of action , even if it is having the patience to wait out your adverse situation . For me personally , despite being ready for the Amateur O in 2020 , I decided to bypass it until 2021 as I didn ’ t want to risk getting Covid and being hospitalized in the U . S . ( I ’ m Canadian ) potentially bankrupting my family to cover the medical expenses .
The year 2020 has been an adverse year for
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