It might be the former athlete in me, but part of my mind games is to pretend I am in some sort of competition. I do it when I am working out alone in my home gym. I find myself pretending I have to reach a certain point by a certain time to "win." I guess this is where I let my imagination run wild...maybe that's why Barbies were never my thing, no competitive edge. ANYWAY... I try hard to hit 4-5 rounds when I am doing 20 minutes AMRAP. If I get an additional one, I feel like I pushed myself enough.
Now, the dangerous thing is when I am in my Orange Theory Class. There are days when I can stay in my own head space and try to pick a calorie burn to beat. For example, I always try to get as close to 500 calories burned. Some days (like today) it just isn't possible, because the second I lay down to do crunches my heart rate drops. The other way I push myself is picking someone in class to "beat." I try to match reps, time, and speed. Usually this is when I end up blowing my calorie burn goal out of the water. The person has NO IDEA I am challenging her, it is my own victorious little secret.
FlyWheel also affords me that opportunity. I worry less about turning up the resistance to the highest point in the range and more about getting my heart rate up and pushing the power level. I want my name to be in the top 5 spots, I know I will never be number 1 my little beefy legs can't take it, but I set a goal at the beginning of class and aim to meet or beat it.
It's those head games that keep me motivated and push me to work harder each time. Of course, every once in awhile you need to kick it up a notch...I will be letting you know what that is like with a review of the 90 minute Orange Theory class later this week.