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How Bad Do You Want It?: Mastering the Psychology of Mind Over Muscle
The greatest athletic performances spring from the mind, not the body. Elite athletes have known this for decades and now science is learning why it s true. In his fascinating new book "How Bad Do You Want It?," coach Matt Fitzgerald examines more than a dozen pivotal races to discover the surprising ways elite athletes strengthen their mental toughness.
Fitzgerald puts you into the pulse-pounding action of more than a dozen epic races from running, cycling, triathlon, XTERRA, and rowing with thrilling race reports and revealing post-race interviews with the elites. Their own words reinforce what the research has found: strong mental fitness lets us approach our true physical limits, giving us an edge over physically stronger competitors. Each chapter explores the how and why of an elite athlete s transformative moment, revealing powerful new psychobiological principles you can practice to flex your own mental fitness.
The new psychobiological model of endurance performance shows that the most important question in endurance sports is: how bad do you want it? Fitzgerald s fascinating book will forever change how you answer this question and show you how to master the psychology of mind over muscle. These lessons will help you push back your limits and uncover your full potential.
"How Bad Do You Want It?" reveals new psychobiological findings including: Mental toughness determines how close you can get to your physical limit. Bracing yourself for a tough race or workout can boost performance by 15% or more. Champions have learned how to give more of what they have. The only way to improve performance is by altering how you perceive effort. Choking under pressure is a form of self-consciousness. Your attitude in daily life is the same one you bring to sports. There's no such thing as going as fast as you can only going faster than before. The fastest racecourse is the one with the loudest spectators. Faith in your training is as important as the training itself.
Athletes featured in "How Bad Do You Want It?" Sammy Wanjiru, Jenny Simpson, Greg LeMond, Siri Lindley, Willie Stewart, Cadel Evans, Nathan Cohen and Joe Sullivan, Paula Newby-Fraser, Ryan Vail, Thomas Voeckler, Ned Overend, Steve Prefontaine, and last of all John The Penguin Bingham"
Fitzgerald puts you into the pulse-pounding action of more than a dozen epic races from running, cycling, triathlon, XTERRA, and rowing with thrilling race reports and revealing post-race interviews with the elites. Their own words reinforce what the research has found: strong mental fitness lets us approach our true physical limits, giving us an edge over physically stronger competitors. Each chapter explores the how and why of an elite athlete s transformative moment, revealing powerful new psychobiological principles you can practice to flex your own mental fitness.
The new psychobiological model of endurance performance shows that the most important question in endurance sports is: how bad do you want it? Fitzgerald s fascinating book will forever change how you answer this question and show you how to master the psychology of mind over muscle. These lessons will help you push back your limits and uncover your full potential.
"How Bad Do You Want It?" reveals new psychobiological findings including: Mental toughness determines how close you can get to your physical limit. Bracing yourself for a tough race or workout can boost performance by 15% or more. Champions have learned how to give more of what they have. The only way to improve performance is by altering how you perceive effort. Choking under pressure is a form of self-consciousness. Your attitude in daily life is the same one you bring to sports. There's no such thing as going as fast as you can only going faster than before. The fastest racecourse is the one with the loudest spectators. Faith in your training is as important as the training itself.
Athletes featured in "How Bad Do You Want It?" Sammy Wanjiru, Jenny Simpson, Greg LeMond, Siri Lindley, Willie Stewart, Cadel Evans, Nathan Cohen and Joe Sullivan, Paula Newby-Fraser, Ryan Vail, Thomas Voeckler, Ned Overend, Steve Prefontaine, and last of all John The Penguin Bingham"
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First published November 1, 2015
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About the author
Matt Fitzgerald
89 books431 followersMatt Fitzgerald is the author of numerous books on sports history and endurance sports. He has enjoyed unprecedented access to professional endurance athletes over the course of his career. His best-sellers include Racing Weight and Brain Training for Runners. He has also written extensively for Triathlete, Men's Fitness, Men's Health, Outside, Runner's World, Bicycling, Competitor, and countless other sports and fitness publications.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 536 reviews
January 27, 2016
In my quest to gain an "edge" in my fitness goals, I picked up this book. I'm interested in the aspects of psyche that separate those who excel and are willing to put themselves into that dark space of pain and disorientation in order to accomplish their goals, and those of us who try hard, but are just ok, and are, in fact, ok with being ok (if that makes sense). I know enough to know that the mental game is most of it. I wanted this book to include more practical application on how to train that mental side- how to want it more. The author primarily focuses on endurance events - distance runs, triathlons, biking- but I think the principles apply to anything that requires a degree of exertion and will power to continue. He keeps the book interesting throughout with his analysis of competitions and competitors who overcome the barriers to victory. This includes changing their own mindset ("I can't do this"); overcoming negative influences ("you can't do this"); triumphing over environment and upbringing (think Jamaican bobsled team); as well as overcoming physical disabilities and the effects of injuries. The stories are inspiring and often led me to YouTube to watch actual footage of the events the author describes.
The main takeaway I got is that how we approach an event, how we proceed through it (pacing) and how (or if) we finish has everything to do with perceived effort and almost nothing to do with physiological factors (except that the more we train, the less effort we will theoretically have to expend) And.... our perceived effort is effected by our surroundings, the support we have, past experiences of similar events, and a hundred other contributors. This is where the training can take place, in a self-awareness of and optimizing of those contributors that decrease our perception of effort, and perhaps by mind games that trick us into thinking it isn't in fact that hard.
I enjoyed the book. The small application I've implemented when approaching physical events is to tell myself "I've done this before, and I didn't die/pass out/throw up, so I can do it again. And this time, I can do it a little bit better."
The main takeaway I got is that how we approach an event, how we proceed through it (pacing) and how (or if) we finish has everything to do with perceived effort and almost nothing to do with physiological factors (except that the more we train, the less effort we will theoretically have to expend) And.... our perceived effort is effected by our surroundings, the support we have, past experiences of similar events, and a hundred other contributors. This is where the training can take place, in a self-awareness of and optimizing of those contributors that decrease our perception of effort, and perhaps by mind games that trick us into thinking it isn't in fact that hard.
I enjoyed the book. The small application I've implemented when approaching physical events is to tell myself "I've done this before, and I didn't die/pass out/throw up, so I can do it again. And this time, I can do it a little bit better."
March 2, 2017
I got this book because I hoped that it would contain practical exercises to help gain better control over the mind during competition. Fitzgerald offered little in the way of practical application, but I will still give it four stars. The stories were enjoyable and inspiring.
March 22, 2016
Not my favorite, but I muscled through. I will say his race descriptions were fantastic and very well written, but ultimately not enough character development for me to care about the athletes I wasn't already familiar with. The "psychobiological” connections to top performers were not at all compelling, kind of obvious, and were more like astrology that could be claimed to apply for many situations, races, and athletes.
September 15, 2022
"The essential challenge of long-distance racing, I understood, was mental."
I'm guess I'm into sports. I know the joy of moving your body, of testing your mental strength. And I've enjoyed both scientific as well as more narrative stories about running and yet I had such a hard time getting through this one.
How Bad Do You Want It? explores the idea of how great athletic performance is as much down to mental strength than it is to physical ability – even more so. In this book, Matt Fitzgerald examines specific races and performances and uses those to illuminate scientific research on mental toughness and its importance.
"They feel that if only they can achieve their goal, then they will have self-belief to carry into the next race. But it doesn't work like that. The self-belief has to come first."
The general findings of this book were intriguing: There were points made on how mental toughness determines how close you can get to your physical limit and how you have to change the way you perceive effort in order to truly improve your performance.
But honestly? All these things were already part of the blurb. I feel like I personally didn't need 260 pages having these elaborated. Reading this made me realise how, while I'm into running, I don't particularly care about winning races or beating competition. The races described to flesh out the scientific aspects of this book were boring to me and I didn't care about any of the athletes that we got to follow, as characters don't seem to be Fitzgerald's strength.
If you care much about competitive racing, this is probably a good read. If you want something that motivates and targets your own excitement about the sport (and I am talking about the act of running, not the races, not the PRs, not the challenges), then maybe don't.
I'm guess I'm into sports. I know the joy of moving your body, of testing your mental strength. And I've enjoyed both scientific as well as more narrative stories about running and yet I had such a hard time getting through this one.
How Bad Do You Want It? explores the idea of how great athletic performance is as much down to mental strength than it is to physical ability – even more so. In this book, Matt Fitzgerald examines specific races and performances and uses those to illuminate scientific research on mental toughness and its importance.
"They feel that if only they can achieve their goal, then they will have self-belief to carry into the next race. But it doesn't work like that. The self-belief has to come first."
The general findings of this book were intriguing: There were points made on how mental toughness determines how close you can get to your physical limit and how you have to change the way you perceive effort in order to truly improve your performance.
But honestly? All these things were already part of the blurb. I feel like I personally didn't need 260 pages having these elaborated. Reading this made me realise how, while I'm into running, I don't particularly care about winning races or beating competition. The races described to flesh out the scientific aspects of this book were boring to me and I didn't care about any of the athletes that we got to follow, as characters don't seem to be Fitzgerald's strength.
If you care much about competitive racing, this is probably a good read. If you want something that motivates and targets your own excitement about the sport (and I am talking about the act of running, not the races, not the PRs, not the challenges), then maybe don't.
May 8, 2018
I definitely believe that training your brain is a huge part of being successful in competitive sports. That is what the author is arguing. He then takes a case study from a real-life sports example each chapter and gives a strategy or observation that he thinks helped them overcome their mental struggle. I felt like the author drew a lot of cause-effect conclusions that weren't necessarily logical and made his strategy fit the story, but nevertheless there were some worthwhile ideas.
My take away? How bad do I want it? Not bad enough apparently. I'm sorry, but reading about all the professional athletes dedicating their lives to the sport made me realize I am ok just plodding/pedaling along at my sub-par rate. I will never be at that level.
My take away? How bad do I want it? Not bad enough apparently. I'm sorry, but reading about all the professional athletes dedicating their lives to the sport made me realize I am ok just plodding/pedaling along at my sub-par rate. I will never be at that level.
January 21, 2019
Mostly painful getting to the end of the book. But not so bad as to not finish.
I've recently listened to another Fitzgerald book 80/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster by Training Slower, which I actually enjoyed way more than this one.
With this book, the title is deceiving.
It doesn't tell you how to master anything.
The book is a collection of inspirational stories of athletes that made it to the top of the ranks. Sometimes failed hard, and made their way back.
The stories are great and the research and description in the stories are very thorough.
But mostly it has nothing to do with how you can apply these principles to your life/training.
The only thing I probably got out of this book, is knowing more about how Tour de France works, based on the numerous stories.
In summary ... How bad do you want it. Since your mind can trump what your body can do.
You need to train your mind as much as you train your body.
I've recently listened to another Fitzgerald book 80/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster by Training Slower, which I actually enjoyed way more than this one.
With this book, the title is deceiving.
It doesn't tell you how to master anything.
The book is a collection of inspirational stories of athletes that made it to the top of the ranks. Sometimes failed hard, and made their way back.
The stories are great and the research and description in the stories are very thorough.
But mostly it has nothing to do with how you can apply these principles to your life/training.
The only thing I probably got out of this book, is knowing more about how Tour de France works, based on the numerous stories.
In summary ... How bad do you want it. Since your mind can trump what your body can do.
You need to train your mind as much as you train your body.
September 13, 2017
Call me the anomaly because all these reviewers who write how good this book was seem to enjoy someone who takes loads of anecdotal stories as fact or science.
The guy goes on way too long with this story and that story and if you listen or read closely these are not great examples of people overcoming the mind to gain the edge. They are stories you could hear on the radio or read in a magazine.
This is the same formula as many of the genre: a collection of “if they can do it, you can do it” stories.
I do not see the science or anything but examples
The guy goes on way too long with this story and that story and if you listen or read closely these are not great examples of people overcoming the mind to gain the edge. They are stories you could hear on the radio or read in a magazine.
This is the same formula as many of the genre: a collection of “if they can do it, you can do it” stories.
I do not see the science or anything but examples
January 26, 2021
I was looking for a practical advise on how to train the brain for endurance racing and did not get the information that I've expected. Instead the book contains life stories of endurance athletes and descriptions of races. A lot of races. It is motivational but it didn't catch my interest. It reminded me of motivational videos that are typically suggested by youtube :)
May 24, 2021
So let me tell ya...
I read this the week before my third attempt at running a marathon in under 5 hours (which would've been a huge accomplishment for me given my age and history as a former smoker).
In the end I came up a mere 74 seconds short of my goal (fuck!) HOWEVER
This book gave me so many tools for getting as far as I did.
Race day weather was unseasonably hot and humid, and I'd trained in much cooler temps. I shouldn't have finished AT ALL and indeed some people didn't.
But I was able to dig just deep enough to keep it together for the vast majority of the course. Blazing sun in the last mile and a half was my undoing.
Intend to re-read next year when I give it another go. It definitely helped me get more comfortable with being uncomfortable.
I read this the week before my third attempt at running a marathon in under 5 hours (which would've been a huge accomplishment for me given my age and history as a former smoker).
In the end I came up a mere 74 seconds short of my goal (fuck!) HOWEVER
This book gave me so many tools for getting as far as I did.
Race day weather was unseasonably hot and humid, and I'd trained in much cooler temps. I shouldn't have finished AT ALL and indeed some people didn't.
But I was able to dig just deep enough to keep it together for the vast majority of the course. Blazing sun in the last mile and a half was my undoing.
Intend to re-read next year when I give it another go. It definitely helped me get more comfortable with being uncomfortable.
October 4, 2025
We will all ask ourselves how bad do we want it? This book tells you how to want it more. One of my favorite motivational books I’ve read. Read this my senior year of cross country and it changed the way I ran. A great guide on how you can improve your mental toughness and because of this makes you a better runner. Should be mandatory for all people serious about distance running.
June 24, 2021
Wrestling and grappling are my number one sports. All styles, from freestyle wrestling to catch wrestling to judo to Brazilian jiu-jitsu to sambo. Endurance sports are second, specifically cycling, rowing and running. Matt Fitzgerald's How Bad Do You Want It? focuses extensively on endurance sports, but the stories and studies in this book are easily applicable to any sport.
Matt Fitzgerald recreates some of the great endurance events and profiles the athletes and their defining moments in order to see just how badly they want it. Fitzgerald combines narrative with scientific study from both psychology and neuroscience as he investigates what makes these athletes transcend what even they themselves can put their minds and bodies through. I've read reviews saying that there isn't enough practical information for one to take from the book. I disagree. There are insightful passages and training methods that can help anyone achieve what they want to achieve in their respective sport. There are plenty of highlights in my copy.
Matt Fitzgerald recreates some of the great endurance events and profiles the athletes and their defining moments in order to see just how badly they want it. Fitzgerald combines narrative with scientific study from both psychology and neuroscience as he investigates what makes these athletes transcend what even they themselves can put their minds and bodies through. I've read reviews saying that there isn't enough practical information for one to take from the book. I disagree. There are insightful passages and training methods that can help anyone achieve what they want to achieve in their respective sport. There are plenty of highlights in my copy.
April 8, 2022
Highly recommend this book to anyone interested in improving their performance in competition or pushing themselves to the next level. A great companion to the book The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey. A concept that resonated with me was the idea of sweet disgust, how anger and frustration can be channeled into motivational spirit. I feel like I'm often motivated by resentment, where I get so pissed off at things it motivates me to act. Fitzgerald states,
Failing repeatedly is like walking on a bed of hot coals toward a wall that keeps receding as you approach it—a Sisyphean nightmare. Eventually, the cycle of frustration causes an athlete to feel either defeated or angry. The latter response is much more likely than the former to disrupt the cycle and enable the athlete to reach the flag. Robert Wicks, a psychologist and author of the book Bounce: Living the Resilient Life, has referred to this type of angry resolve as “sweet disgust.” The phrase aptly conveys the idea that there is an element of healthy wrath in the fed-up mind state that fuels positive change. Sweet disgust is really the opposite of defeat. It is a determination to fight back, something that is hard to do effectively without anger. All else being equal, the angrier party in a fight wins. In psychobiological terms, sweet disgust enhances performance by increasing potential motivation, or the maximum intensity of perceived effort an athlete is willing to endure.
February 18, 2016
Part story, part science - Matt Fitzgerald weaves a compelling spell as he makes the argument that "mental fitness" is the key to performance in endurance sports. Conventional wisdom says you can run/bike/whatever as hard as you can for as long as you can efficiently consume and process oxygen ... but conventional wisdom doesn't account for when good athletes choke or conversely, when unexpectedly gritty performances show up and blow "better" athletes out of the water. Fitzgerald argues that your limit is defined by your perception of effort, which is controlled in your brain. Cultivating skills and habits that promote mental fitness is the way to peak performance, he argues.
As a runner who is still learning how I work despite being at it for the better part of two decades ... I was riveted. He finds 12 amazing stories across running, cycling, triathlon, rowing, etc and uses each one to illuminate a particular coping skill that helps change the brain's relationship to perception of effort. I was blown away and inspired. As I prep yet again for a half marathon where I want to show the kind of performance I believe I'm capable of, I'm already thinking about these thoughts will influence this training cycle (and beyond).
As a runner who is still learning how I work despite being at it for the better part of two decades ... I was riveted. He finds 12 amazing stories across running, cycling, triathlon, rowing, etc and uses each one to illuminate a particular coping skill that helps change the brain's relationship to perception of effort. I was blown away and inspired. As I prep yet again for a half marathon where I want to show the kind of performance I believe I'm capable of, I'm already thinking about these thoughts will influence this training cycle (and beyond).
December 28, 2021
If we want to be the best athletes we can be, we have to get better at dealing with the discomfort and the stress which endurance sports are bringing to the table. Or as the author puts it - "You have to be in good psychological form(having good coping skills)."
The only way for us to get in shape is by doing exercises and eating healthy. The same is true for our coping skills, we can't improve them unless we start practicing endurance sports. However we can learn about some of the more effective coping skills by looking at the elite athletes, since they are facing the same challanges and fears we(the normal people) are facing.
The main chapters of the book are compelling stories(which I loved) about athletes who had to use some coping skill in order to achieve success. Another thing that I really liked about the book is that I was able to relate to some of the stories in it. Because even though I am an amateur runner with poor results I think that to some degree I've felt the discomfort and the stress described in the book.
The only way for us to get in shape is by doing exercises and eating healthy. The same is true for our coping skills, we can't improve them unless we start practicing endurance sports. However we can learn about some of the more effective coping skills by looking at the elite athletes, since they are facing the same challanges and fears we(the normal people) are facing.
The main chapters of the book are compelling stories(which I loved) about athletes who had to use some coping skill in order to achieve success. Another thing that I really liked about the book is that I was able to relate to some of the stories in it. Because even though I am an amateur runner with poor results I think that to some degree I've felt the discomfort and the stress described in the book.
July 14, 2017
How bad do you want it? The Question should be asked every single day. No matter what do you want in this life. It can be to be a good runner, or a writer or whatever. As long as you give your 100% you will see the results.
I like the examples that were used in this book. They were inspirational! I can see myself re-reading this book. I actually listened to this, which made this book more special!
I like the examples that were used in this book. They were inspirational! I can see myself re-reading this book. I actually listened to this, which made this book more special!
October 14, 2022
Otro libro brutal que escuché antes del maratón y me ayudó a darme cuenta que cuando compites sin presiones y solo te dedicas a disfrutar porque crees en ti y en tu potencia, todo se puede lograr. Este libro es un must si quieres lograr alguna competencia difícil en tu vida.
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June 28, 2022Not the best book I've read, but a fairly interesting read. I found the parts about sports that I'm into a lot more interesting - ie I like the running and swimming, but other sports were skimmable.
February 24, 2024
absolutely loved this and found it super thought-provoking. it's not really a how-to guide, per se, but it offers a variety of anecdotal and science-based evidence to inspire you, and there's a lotta good insight to marinate on. read much of this book with my highlighter in one hand and my cereal spoon in the other hand.
also this was wild-- the second sentence of the last chapter mentioned the setting as Fox Den Country Club in Knoxville, Tennessee. out loud, verbally, audibly, I said, "no fcking shot." that's my home. that's where i used to swim summer league. i lived almost every day of summer 2016 (which everyone knows was the best summer ever) at fox den, swimming and lifeguarding and eating grilled cheese and listening to "shut up and dance" on repeat. so anyways. made lil my heart flutter. :')
also this was wild-- the second sentence of the last chapter mentioned the setting as Fox Den Country Club in Knoxville, Tennessee. out loud, verbally, audibly, I said, "no fcking shot." that's my home. that's where i used to swim summer league. i lived almost every day of summer 2016 (which everyone knows was the best summer ever) at fox den, swimming and lifeguarding and eating grilled cheese and listening to "shut up and dance" on repeat. so anyways. made lil my heart flutter. :')
January 22, 2025
Feeling like I am going to win my half Ironman 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼
But actually this book was so good. It had a lot of interesting perspectives and really helped me come to terms with the end of my swimming career. I feel proud of my career now
Shout out yara for this recommendation
But actually this book was so good. It had a lot of interesting perspectives and really helped me come to terms with the end of my swimming career. I feel proud of my career now
Shout out yara for this recommendation
March 27, 2025
Pretty cool insights but I just couldn’t get engaged with the voice from the audiobook, wish it had a better narrator
February 28, 2025
While it did feel quite redundant nearing the end, I found this to be a very insightful read. I loved hearing stories of perseverance across multiple athletic disciplines and the highlighted importance of mental strength.
July 17, 2019
I’m an ordinary ultra marathoner, and I was eager to read this to develop stronger resilience against quitting, and yes, a few of the stories are vaguely inspirational and somewhat interesting, even as i had not heard of _any_ of these athletes before.
Yet the book felt like a loose collection of (well executed) sporting event result articles. I did not collect anything concrete for my self improvement, nor well summarized conclusions of “psychobiology” related to regulating my own perception of effort. I don’t believe this is because I am somehow a lazy reader… indeed I followed each story with much more attention to detail than they overall deserved.
In the end, I feel I wanted to read a deep book about sports psychology much more than Matt wanted to produce one.
Near the end, he summarizes the “meaning” of each included story, and i find some of these “learnings” don't align with my interpretation, and some of them conflict with each other (perhaps showing the complexity of the psychology). “Jenny Barringer overcame competitive self-sabotage by bracing herself. Greg Lemond exploited the power of time-based goals to master the art of interpreting his effort perceptions […] Siri Lindley overcame a pattern of choking by letting go of her dreams and learning to race in the flow of the moment. Willie Stewart used the acquired coping skill of adaptability […] to overcome the loss of an arm […] Cadel Evans overcame repeated failure by developing resilience […] Joseph Sullivan overcame having the wrong body type for his sport via 'bulletin boarding’ […] Paula Newby-Fraser overcame the fear based misstep of overtraining by learning to trust her body and its limitations. Ryan Vail overcame competitors with superior talent through the group effect. Thomas Voeckler used the audience effect and the success effect to raise his expectations […] And Ned Overend overcame the limitations of age by nurturing his passion for sport. (p262)
Yet the book felt like a loose collection of (well executed) sporting event result articles. I did not collect anything concrete for my self improvement, nor well summarized conclusions of “psychobiology” related to regulating my own perception of effort. I don’t believe this is because I am somehow a lazy reader… indeed I followed each story with much more attention to detail than they overall deserved.
In the end, I feel I wanted to read a deep book about sports psychology much more than Matt wanted to produce one.
Near the end, he summarizes the “meaning” of each included story, and i find some of these “learnings” don't align with my interpretation, and some of them conflict with each other (perhaps showing the complexity of the psychology). “Jenny Barringer overcame competitive self-sabotage by bracing herself. Greg Lemond exploited the power of time-based goals to master the art of interpreting his effort perceptions […] Siri Lindley overcame a pattern of choking by letting go of her dreams and learning to race in the flow of the moment. Willie Stewart used the acquired coping skill of adaptability […] to overcome the loss of an arm […] Cadel Evans overcame repeated failure by developing resilience […] Joseph Sullivan overcame having the wrong body type for his sport via 'bulletin boarding’ […] Paula Newby-Fraser overcame the fear based misstep of overtraining by learning to trust her body and its limitations. Ryan Vail overcame competitors with superior talent through the group effect. Thomas Voeckler used the audience effect and the success effect to raise his expectations […] And Ned Overend overcame the limitations of age by nurturing his passion for sport. (p262)
October 15, 2022
Dense pack of a bit boring anecdotical cases about how exactly prof athletes do things; pretty much generic motivational reading.
Although last chapter is great because of the balance of Pre and Penguin modes.
Although last chapter is great because of the balance of Pre and Penguin modes.
March 21, 2025
Part science, part story, Matt Fitzgerald is an incredible storyteller and I highly recommend the audiobook version of How Bad Do You Want It? if you want to feel empowered by incredible athletic feats while also learning about the psychology behind these accomplishments.
I would put this book on while driving to the gym to amp me up for my workout, and then would continue where I left off on my drive back home to amp me up for the rest of the day. There’s something so incredibly fascinating about humans and those who choose to push themselves beyond their preconceived limits. I’m inspired by all of the athletes Fitzgerald used as examples for mastering the psychology of their mind over muscle.
The motivation you gain from hearing about the stories of these athletes who choose suffering because it is worth it to accomplish their goal is impossible to describe. I feel like I can run a marathon, but I’m definitely not there yet - maybe someday.
I would put this book on while driving to the gym to amp me up for my workout, and then would continue where I left off on my drive back home to amp me up for the rest of the day. There’s something so incredibly fascinating about humans and those who choose to push themselves beyond their preconceived limits. I’m inspired by all of the athletes Fitzgerald used as examples for mastering the psychology of their mind over muscle.
The motivation you gain from hearing about the stories of these athletes who choose suffering because it is worth it to accomplish their goal is impossible to describe. I feel like I can run a marathon, but I’m definitely not there yet - maybe someday.
March 25, 2023
“While my legs and lungs had put me in a position to win, it was my mind that had carried me over the top. The essential challenge of long-distance racing, was mental.”
El domingo corrí el medio maratón mas bonito de mi vida, tiempo perfecto, clima perfecto, the company tho !!! Y around km 16 intentó entrar el pánico de que todavía me faltan 5 km y mi cuerpo lo empezaba a resentir y justo en ese momento no podía dejar de pensar en la frase de Paavo Nurmi: “Mind is everything. Muscle - pieces of rubber. All that I am, I am because of mi mind.”
Soooo this is my road to Chicago Marathon y este libro me ayudo a ser mas fuerte mentalmente para creerme lo que soy capaz de hacer.
“If racing wasn’t as hard as hell, athletes would not experience moments of self-doubt, or pre-race apprehension, or post-race regret, or mental burnout, or intimidation.”
El domingo corrí el medio maratón mas bonito de mi vida, tiempo perfecto, clima perfecto, the company tho !!! Y around km 16 intentó entrar el pánico de que todavía me faltan 5 km y mi cuerpo lo empezaba a resentir y justo en ese momento no podía dejar de pensar en la frase de Paavo Nurmi: “Mind is everything. Muscle - pieces of rubber. All that I am, I am because of mi mind.”
Soooo this is my road to Chicago Marathon y este libro me ayudo a ser mas fuerte mentalmente para creerme lo que soy capaz de hacer.
“If racing wasn’t as hard as hell, athletes would not experience moments of self-doubt, or pre-race apprehension, or post-race regret, or mental burnout, or intimidation.”
October 20, 2025
Mind over matter, actually. Brain endurance, perceived effort, mental challenges in stamina races, Kenyan mindset of finishing first or it doesn’t matter, giving it actually everything you have, 100% committing. You have to prove how bad you want it, in running, in triathlons, if you want to ever become an Iron Man. Real ass sports psychology. Mental fitness, endure pain, reject mediocrity. So well written and I was fascinated by the story telling.
December 22, 2016
I wish I read this when I was training for my marathon.
When I picked up this book, I thought it would be filled with scientific studies/tools one could implement to push themselves harder. To the contrary, it's actually a book about inspirational stories of athletes persevering.
This book is fun and inspirational read, but definitely not practical "how to guide".
When I picked up this book, I thought it would be filled with scientific studies/tools one could implement to push themselves harder. To the contrary, it's actually a book about inspirational stories of athletes persevering.
This book is fun and inspirational read, but definitely not practical "how to guide".
December 30, 2022
Phenomenal book. Inspiring, well written, great motivator to not find excuses for our performance in the physical but to focus on the mental fitness required to push ourselves further than we ever thought possible.
March 9, 2022
Helped me get through my recent marathon
November 15, 2024
_How Bad Do You Want It?_, by Matt Fitzgerald, is a fundamental read for any athlete—but especially endurance athletes. Recommended to me by a friend, a professional endurance athlete, I was more than motivated to pick it up and was not disappointed. The central thesis, explanation of perceived exertion, use of case studies, and cohesive & coherent train of thought were all engaging. I would, personally, not put this on the same level of books like Coyle’s _The Talent Code, James Kerr’s _Legacy_, or a few others. But that is likely because it is very endurance athlete specific. I’m more a team sport guy and have never been accused of being an endurance athlete (🤣).
The book explores the mental side of endurance sports, presenting the idea that an athlete’s mindset is often the deciding factor between success and failure. A narrative and semi-scientific explanation of “mind over matter.” Fitzgerald’s thesis suggests that mental resilience can be as crucial as physical training in achieving athletic success. By examining scientific research alongside real-life case studies, he argues that mental toughness allows athletes to push past perceived limits.
A central theory explored is that of perceived exertion— the idea that an athlete’s physical performance is influenced not just by objective measures, like heart rate or muscle fatigue, but by their subjective perception of how hard they feel they are working. First formalized in the 1960s by Swedish psychologist Gunnar Borg (the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale), perceived exertion reflects the complex interplay between physical sensations (such as heart rate, muscle pain, or breathlessness) and mental factors (such as motivation, mood, and prior experience). Perceived exertion plays a crucial role in endurance sports, where pushing through discomfort is essential to maximizing performance.
Fitzgerald details several athlete accounts, including the struggles of triathlete Siri Lindley and cyclist Thomas Voeckler, to illustrate how self-belief and mental toughness can influence physical performance. He also covers key concepts such as the “bracing hypothesis,” which suggests that expecting discomfort can make pain more tolerable, and the “teleoanticipation theory,” which posits that the brain regulates effort based on the anticipated finish.
Fitzgerald’s research and writing serve as both a motivational tool and a practical guide, offering athletes insight into their minds’ powerful role in achieving their goals.
The book explores the mental side of endurance sports, presenting the idea that an athlete’s mindset is often the deciding factor between success and failure. A narrative and semi-scientific explanation of “mind over matter.” Fitzgerald’s thesis suggests that mental resilience can be as crucial as physical training in achieving athletic success. By examining scientific research alongside real-life case studies, he argues that mental toughness allows athletes to push past perceived limits.
A central theory explored is that of perceived exertion— the idea that an athlete’s physical performance is influenced not just by objective measures, like heart rate or muscle fatigue, but by their subjective perception of how hard they feel they are working. First formalized in the 1960s by Swedish psychologist Gunnar Borg (the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale), perceived exertion reflects the complex interplay between physical sensations (such as heart rate, muscle pain, or breathlessness) and mental factors (such as motivation, mood, and prior experience). Perceived exertion plays a crucial role in endurance sports, where pushing through discomfort is essential to maximizing performance.
Fitzgerald details several athlete accounts, including the struggles of triathlete Siri Lindley and cyclist Thomas Voeckler, to illustrate how self-belief and mental toughness can influence physical performance. He also covers key concepts such as the “bracing hypothesis,” which suggests that expecting discomfort can make pain more tolerable, and the “teleoanticipation theory,” which posits that the brain regulates effort based on the anticipated finish.
Fitzgerald’s research and writing serve as both a motivational tool and a practical guide, offering athletes insight into their minds’ powerful role in achieving their goals.
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