Are you mentally prepared?

On the heels of  my post Could You Save Your Own Life, 5 people were confirmed dead and about 15 remain missing from the Costa Concordia, which ran aground the night of Jan. 13 near the island of Giglio in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Three people were found alive in the capsized cruise liner. The ship’s captain has been arrested and accused of manslaughter, abandoning the vessel and causing the shipwreck.

This goes to show that you don't know when or where you may need the strength and conditioning necessary to save yourself or others.  You didn't do anything wrong, you were minding your own business, but now you just have to act.

Another aspect of saving your own life is being mentally ready to do so.  How many of us go through life oblivious to the dangers around us because we're too engrossed in beating the next level of Angry Birds, or dominating someone in Words With Friends (even though they started out beating you, but you just keep mounting comebacks).

One of my favorite stories of heroism was the passengers on American Airlines Flight 93 on September 11th.  Those passengers knew what was going on in New York, and that the plane they were on would be used as a weapon unless they did something.  They were mentally ready and did what they needed to do.  They all lost their lives but how many did they save in the process?  We will never know.

I have a habit of always sitting in restaurants with my back to a wall, facing the main dining area and, if possible, the door.  I know who comes and goes, and I've determined who needs a closer look.  I don't sit in the center of aisles at the movies or in crowded places.  I know where all the exits are in any room I go into to.  I size up everyone.  I play out what-ifs in my mind to decide beforehand what I will do when the proverbial excrement hits the imaginary fan.  I'm not a a conspiracy theorist or a nut job, but when I need to act or react to violence or disaster, I will be mentally ready.  I owe it myself and those I'm with.  It's conditioned in me to do these things because I spent the last decade doing it every day.

Do you need to be hyper-vigilant to the point that you're annoying, you're no fun to be with, and you can't relax and enjoy yourself?  Of course not.  But I never heard anyone who has been through a life-or-death situation say they wished they would've been LESS observant or less ready to react to danger.  Ask yourself how mentally ready you are from time to time.  If you don't like the answer, do something about it.

Here's what I did today to be physically ready...

Warm Up:
- Dynamic Joint Mobility
- Jump Rope
- Samson Stretch

Strength Work:

Power Snatches:

- 45x5

- 95x4

- 135x3

- 185x2

- 210x1

Deadlift (1 rep @ 75% and 85%, then max reps @ 95% of 525):

Warm Up Sets:  225x4, 315x2

Work Sets:

- 394x1

- 447x1

- 499x1

Weighted Chin Ups:

- 25x1

- 35x1

- 45x4

- Body Weight x 10, 9, and 5 (Max sets needed to get to 30 total chin up reps.)

Conditioning:
- Skipped it today due to time.