Want to lift heavy? Sometimes you’ve got to tap into that anger.

Now don’t be fooled by the title. When we say rage, we’re not talking about that outdated notion of roid raging bodybuilders. In order to lift a certain amount of weight you’ll have to tap into more than just your natural strength. If your physical body can’t handle the strain of a 500 pound squat, you’ll have to use your mental & emotional strength to make up for it.

So what exactly is mental strength?  It has a great deal to do with your physical, mental and emotional frame of mind. Pushing yourself past your limit is a skill that requires countless hours in the gym and a willingness to succeed. Nevertheless, getting to that point and maintaining it are two different things.

So what tricks can be learned to maintain that intensity during training? If you ask Ronnie Coleman and Kai Greene, it’s all the mental game, specifically rage. Now, does that mean you’re in a constant state of anger? Not at all. But it does mean you have to push yourself to a different place mentally. If you want to see those gains in the gym you better be willing to push yourself to your breaking point, and once you reach that, go past it. Just think about it, you’ve heard stories of people performing amazing physical feats in the throws of danger, rage, or extreme circumstances – that’s what you want to tap into. You want to create that intense emotion while you lift in the gym. This way you can dig deeper and lift harder. But don’t take our word for it. Check out this video below about Kai Greene and his philosophy on lifting.

You can’t just rely on your physical strength for your gains. Whether it’s rage or some other emotion, you need to flex those brain muscles along with your biceps when you lift. You need that mental strength to go along with physical if you want to see big results.

What pushes you in the gym? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.