Mastering the Psychology of Mind over Muscle - How Bad Do You Want It?

Matt Fitzgerald has written a very interesting and enjoyable book on the role of mental training for endurance athletes. I recommend this book to all endurance athletes and those who enjoy interesting narratives about individuals who have overcome challenges to become successful. The book can truly be enjoyed on 2 different levels:
• Stories of Elite Athletes who have achieved their best through development of better mental training skills and mindsets – these are truly inspirational stories of courage, resilience and are very enjoyable to read
• A deeper understanding of the psychobiological model – how the mind and body interact for endurance athletes – that can be used to help each person better coach themselves in a true journey of self-discovery to see what they are truly capable of, regardless of their level of athletic ability (these skills are helpful in other area of life as well).

I learned a lot in each chapter of the book but would like to share a bit from 2 chapters that I found interesting and compelling:
• In the chapter “The Art of Letting Go”, Matt chronicles the story of Siri Lindley (triathlete) and her struggles and triumphs. The chapter has some very interesting information on choking during big performances. Perceived effort is heightened by self-consciousness - which then leads to decreased performance. The solution is to reach a state of flow – complete immersion in a purposeful activity – that allows one to be in the moment. A key passage from the chapter: “Paradoxically, it may seem, Siri had to let go of that dream and find contentment in the moment-to-moment process of chasing it in order to complete the personal transformation that was her deeper ambition.”
• In the chapter “The Gift of Failure”, we learn the story of Cadel Evans (Cycling) and secondarily of Nick Symmonds (800M runner) and the valuable coping skill of resilience. There is a cycle of frustration that can cause an athlete to feel defeated or angry. They can use the anger to reach “sweet disgust” – a determination to fight back that fuels positive change.

Additionally, the story of Willie Stewart – “The Workaround Effect” - is one of the most remarkable and inspirational I have read. Stewart lost an arm and still became an elite triathlete by using the coping skill of adaptability – you will not want to miss this story!

The best part of the book is that the author realizes that the path to mastery is unique to each of us. There are general coping skills that work well but how we fold those into the fabric of our lives is something we must figure out on our own. This book gives stories of how other have done it and insights into the coping skills and mindsets that can help each of us perform at a higher level. I will close with the way Matt explains it toward the end of the book:
“The path between you and the best you can be is unexplored territory. You are on your own, to some extent, to discover not only what motivates you to ‘leave it all out there’ but also your special formula for maximum mental fitness. This is what it means to become your own sports psychologist.”

I was hoping for strategies to increase mental toughness and ability to overcome perceived limitations of effort. Instead I got a book of mind numbing proportions featuring one vignette after another offering no consistent or coherent strategy to apply. How bad did the runner who fell off a balcony drunk partying with his harem want it? Hmm. There's a role model to follow. The only consistent message I could discern was that an athlete has to follow their own sense as to how to train.I think I knew that.

There are some stories in the book that really get you to think about internal motivations particularly in endurance endeavors. Unless you have really pushed to the edge of that dark place or have a strong desire to really understand what it means to be a champion in any of the sports characterized in the book, it may not be very relevant.

I enjoyed most of it, but the deeper I got the more the stories repeated similar concepts. Not s bad read, but probably won't be going back to the shelf for this one.

Absolutely loved this book. Convinced a couple of my triathlete friends to pick it up as well. This book has changed my psychological relationship with training and racing. I literally could not wait for the kids to go to bed so I could read. Each chapter has a short story on an endurance sport/athlete (running, triathlon, cycling, rowing, etc) and something that "changed" with them on the mental side that pushed them to their next level of performance. The stories are inspiring and the "psychobiological model" is a fascinating look into the endurance athlete from amateur to professional. Highly Recommended.

I'm keeping this book! I just finished reading it and really enjoyed his examples and insight. I think about the concepts of pushing through pain and where my motivations are during my interval training and racing. I found it particularly interesting that the most successful elite athletes have undergone some sort of adversity in their lives--maybe not sports related adversity, but life adversity--that makes them more mentally resilient. Adversity sometimes is our friends and makes us stronger!

For any competitive athlete that had had ups and downs in competition, this book will resonate. You will be able to say,. "yeah, I think that was me." We can see where we made mental errors and how to make tweaks, freeing us to perform our best.

Mr. Fitzgerald is a great storyteller. His ability to weave, story, with analysis and research reminds me of Malcolm Gladwell and what we enjoy about his work. A great read.

The scientific research information is good, particularly in the beginning of book.
The issue becomes with the stories becoming somewhat redundant in each chapter. If the information regarding brain tbeory and how impacts the body would have been followed up with practical information that athletes and coaches could use to improve athletic performance it would have been a more worthwhile read.

Interesting stories, but I really don't feel like I took anything away from this book. I admit I am only half way through it, but at this point not sure I am going to finish it. I was really hoping this would be more of a guide or tips on how to overcome mental limitations. I am going to try to get through it, I will post back if the second half is better

I'm mostly writing this review as a brief counter to the reviews saying the book lacks practical advice about the subject matter. I sure didn't see it that way. Every chapter conveyed information I can use to help myself, my kids and kids I coach. As with all of Matt's books that I've read, its well written and researched. I did enjoy the stories. Could have benefited from a once over by a euro cycling nerd (like me) as there are a few trivial errors (Jakob Piil isn't Dutch as an example). Enjoyed it. If you read this book and like it, read Iron War - also by Matt Fitzgerald - riveting.

This book got me through my last marathon. I finished with an 11 minute PR, and if it was not for reading this book the week before the race, I do not know that I even would have even finished the race at all. I hit the wall at mile 20, and everything I learned from this book got me through the last six miles. If you tend to doubt yourself in ANY way when it comes to competing in any endurance sport, or sometimes battle any degree of negative self talk during training or when the race feels hard, or maybe you've never failed and tend to always be overconfident about your upcoming performances; no matter where you are in your training, physically or mentally, you NEED to read this book. There are so many life lessons to learn from this book. Each chapter tells a true story of a different professional endurance athlete and a major struggle they faced at one point in their careers, either during training or during an actual event. It also addresses how they overcame them, and what they learned from the experience. It goes into depth to explain the bio-psychology behind each of these events, which I found truly fascinating. I will forever be grateful to Matt Fitzgerald for writing this book. It has truly changed the way I will approach running, training, and racing for the rest of my life.

I am an endurance athlete. This book nails points found through the struggle and adds a sprinkling of science and expert story telling for the uninitiated. A rare mix that changes everything. Thank you, brother. Thank you.

I loved this book! It reaffirms what I have thought endurance sports is all about internal exploration and developing self awareness. I would recommend this book to any athlete who trains at just about anything. It provides amazing insight into how we cope and endure as athletes but also as people.

I found this book to be insightful on the importance of mental fitness for endurance events. Being a weekend warrior it is challenging to train your body but it became clear that your mindset can impact your training and racing. Now that I have read the book I notice things about myself and others as it relates to the mental side of endurance sports. The one criticism I have of the book is that I would have appreciated some mental coaching at the end of each chapter. Here the author could have provided some direct advice on how to improve.

I really enjoyed this book, it was exciting and informative. Matt is a fantastic writer and really brings the sports to life in each chapter. If you want to bring your mental game to the next level in racing and performance this book is for you.

Fitzgerald is the reader's writer. This is especially important with clinical and technical topics like sports psychology. "How Bad Do You Want It" combines strong anecdotal and practical examples with clinical studies and references to teach the cornerstones of sports psychology. The result is a rare combination of information and inspiration. Fitzgerald combines inspiration and information to make you faster today. Arguably the best performance bang for your buck, this book will likely make you faster right now because you'll be inspired to think about going faster. You can buy a power meter, a wrist-top GPS and an online training log- and you should- but none of them will make you think differently about your performance. This book reframes the endurance sports experience from participation to competition, taping into resources you carry with you now but aren't using. I love both the stories and the clinically-flavored analysis and examples. They make the book uniquely easy to learn from. Check your GPS- you'll be faster after reading this, and it won't all be in your head.

This book brings you face-to-face with your inner mind when you are racing. Helps you control that constant battle of should I push harder ... or should I just settle. Kudo's to Matt and to others he interviewed to shed personal light on their triumphs -- and mostly inner tragedies -- during competition.

Matt Fitzgerald has done it again. From the moment I first heard about this book, I was intrigued. I picked up running again at age 35 after nearly 20 years away from the sport. Since then, I've lost over 50 pounds and continue to improve my personal bests each year (I'm 42 as I write this review). I've long wondered if my full potential is more limited by the physical or mental side of things. In "How Bad Do You Want It?", Fitzgerald delves into this very topic and other barriers that endurance athletes face. I was captivated by the numerous stories told throughout the book about real athletes who overcame obstacles in order to dive into the depths of their own potential. I highly recommend this read for endurance athletes of all levels (not just elite) who long to explore their own limits and stoke a new fire within.

Of course "wanting it more than the competition" is sort of a cliche, and it is easy to talk about "pushing through pain barriers", etc. But this book really does give a unique and helpful look into the psychology of great athletes leading up to, and during, some high-level competitions. Their experiences, combined with the comments and insights of the author, really seem helpful in my mediocre-amateur level of competition.

One of the best "sports motivational" books I've read. Most of the stories in the book are based on endurance sports but I think it is an amazing book for any athlete- any athlete who wants to achieve great success in their athletic career. Personally, I read this book over and over again, highlighted all the amazing quotes and read them frequently- all in all to remind myself how bad I wanted to achieve my goal. And I dare say that reading this book has given me that courage to pursue my dreams and I did- I qualified for the Olympic Games. One reason why this book stands out from other "sports motivational" books out there is the stories. I love reading stories and we can learn a lot from stories. So there are no technical terms or jargons, just stories that you might be able to relate to and motivate you to want to be a better athlete.

Matt Fitzgerald is a master storyteller, journalist and researcher. The book was a fast and engaging read and broke down a complex topic into readable and relatable stories, backed up with sound research. I felt invested in all the stories and athletes and the book brought me into the minds of successful Endurance athletes - as they struggled, overcame and learned from both wins and losses. As an athlete and psychologist I really valued the ability to reflect on my own mental process as I compete, train and live through life's ups and downs. There were many valuable lessons, stories and tips that I'll continue to ponder and apply to enhance my performance in sports and life. I highly recommend this book to athletes of all levels and anyone who wants to enhance their own mindset and ability to get through challenging situations - both athletic and otherwise. Enjoy this beautifully written book.

I didn't expect a non-fiction work about endurance sports to be riveting... but it was. Fitzgerald weaves facts and studies with gripping real-life tales to create an informative and interesting read. His analogy of coal walking helps put his ideas and concepts into perspective for real-life application. However, there is not much concrete advice for applying these principals in training.

Well written and researched, but it reads more like a set of magazine articles from Runners World. If you're looking for ways on how to implement the concepts into your training, this book is absolutely not it.

Excellent get-pumped stories, perfect for indoor training (on a bike or treadmill). I can read one story in about 30-45 minutes and found myself pushing hard to the end as the athlete also peaks for the finish line. Great read.

I just listen to this book on Audible and ordered a hardcopy upon finishing. My daughter is a high school swimmer and I think there is a bunch of very useful observations and techniques for competition as well as life in this book. The mental battle is biggest...