Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
Mind Gym summary
Gary Mack & David Casstevens
An Athlete’s Guide to Inner Excellence
12 mins
Brief summary
Mind Gym by Gary Mack and David Casstevens is a motivational guide that teaches readers how to improve their mental strength and overcome obstacles in sports and life. It provides practical tips and exercises to help readers achieve their goals and reach their full potential.
Topics
Table of Contents
Mind Gym
Summary of 5 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 5
Top physical performance is impossible without a well-trained mind.
We all know that good old Nike slogan: Just do it. You might also know that, for all it’s simplicity, this piece of advice is often hard to follow. Why? Negative thinking stops us from taking action.
It’s funny how our thoughts seem to impact us precisely the way we don’t want them to. If, while playing golf, you tell yourself not to hit the water, you’re likely to hit it anyway. Why? Your thoughts were so focused on the water that your body began aiming for it, too. Avoid outcomes like this by keeping it simple and focusing on what you want, not all the things you’re afraid might happen.
Of course, the power of thought alone can’t carry us toward success. It’s the combination of physical and mental training that allows us to perform to our full potential. One study of three groups of basketball players demonstrated just this.
The first group took free throws for one hour, the second sat and visualized their free throws for an hour, and the third did both for 30 minutes each. When it came to the free throws afterwards, the third group outperformed the others by far.
While most of us know more or less how to train our bodies, few really know what to do when it comes to training our brains. Like our bodies, our minds have their own strengths and weaknesses. Pinpointing these will give us both confidence in our abilities and a clear idea of where we need improvement.
Get started on your brain training journey with some inspiration from the Japanese concept of kaizen. This refers to constant daily learning simply for the sake of improving yourself one step at a time without stressing too much about the final outcome. If you think like this, you’ll have an open mind ready to take in anything that can make you a stronger, better person.
Want to see all full key ideas from Mind Gym?
Key ideas in Mind Gym
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is Mind Gym about?
Mind Gym (2001) sheds light on the important role our minds play in physical performance and athletic excellence. These blinks draw on the Mack’s work with professional athletes to provide you with the tools you need to acquire a top-performing state of mind.
Best quote from Mind Gym
The mind is like a parachute – it only works when its open.
—Gary Mack & David Casstevens
Who should read Mind Gym?
- Competitive athletes
- Individuals seeking greater focus and motivation as they work toward goals
- People learning a new sport or skill
Categories with Mind Gym
Book summaries like Mind Gym
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
28 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth