Resilience: Not Fairy Dust, Just Reps
by: Josh Bryant
Josh building resilience through rucking.
Most folks talk about “resilience” like it’s some fairy dust sprinkled on you at birth.
Here’s the truth:
Resilience isn’t magic—it’s reps.
You don’t need a pep talk. You need neuroplasticity.
I kept seeing these influencers post about the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC)—so I checked in. Turns out it’s the brain’s internal diesel engine. The more you push through hard stuff, the stronger it gets.
Like a mental sled drag—when it gets tough, you keep moving, and eventually you get across the finish line.
Every step rewires you. Every rep reinforces the loop.
Avoidance? That’s like dropping the sled mid-field and blaming the turf.
And it hit me—I’ve seen this long before some PhD scribbled it in a journal.
Back when I was a kid, there was this old-timer at the YMCA. Chain-smoker. Booze hound. Womanizer. Total classic.
I’ll never forget—first time I saw him, he was 54 and warming up to rep 275 on the bench. I asked if he was nervous.He looked over, nodded toward a busty aerobic instructor by the water fountain, and said,“Only thing I’m nervous about is if she’s watching… might fall in love.”
Before every workout, he’d walk out back and jump rope like it was his religion. Didn’t matter if it was 100 degrees or if boxers half his age were watching. His footwork was surgical.
And the secret? Repetition was the mother of skill.
That same truth applies to your mind.
Resilience is a skill. Train it, or lose it.
Quit enough times, and guess what? You start seeing yourself as a quitter.
Push through enough, and you become a finisher—someone who follows through because it’s wired into your identity.
It all starts with how you see yourself.
Your subconscious mind aligns with your self-image. If that image is a tenacious, disciplined wrecking ball—you’ll act like it. That becomes you.
Thoughts become actions. Actions become habits. Habits become who you are.
Now, growing up, I used to think half the stuff our football coaches yelled was borderline insane.
Why run up to the line when you’re gassed? In military basic training they don’t make you shine boots for combat—they do it to rewire your identity.
It’s not about the leather. It’s about attention to detail, pride in presentation, and wiring discipline at the microscopic level.
Turns out—those were reps too. Not just physical—but mental reps that mold identity. And that identity becomes resilience.
So after diving into this brain science, I figured—let’s not just tell oldhead YMCA stories. Let’s see what the lab coats say.
Because yeah, we’ve known it in the trenches for years.
But it’s pretty damn cool when neuroscience finally catches up to Metroflex.
Inside your skull is the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC)—your brain’s internal diesel engine. It lights up when you’re staring down a hard set, chasing a goal, or dealing with a gut-punch life throws at you.
And just like triceps on a big bench, you can train it.
Every time you lean into discomfort instead of running from it—boom—this sucker strengthens.
Every time you avoid? It weakens.
Like skipping hill sprints or walking past the squat rack.
Resilience is built the same way we build strength:
- Structured effort – Do hard things. Consistently.
- Manageable stress exposure – Think progressive overload for your nervous system.
- Goal-directed action – Finish what you start. Even when you’d rather not.
What the science says:
• Shackman et al. (2021) – Your aMCC evaluates cost vs. reward in tough choices. Push through pain? It grows stronger.
• Feder et al. (2009) – Controlled stress builds bounce-back ability. No different than training cycles.
• Maier & Seligman (2016) – You can rewire helplessness into grit through action.
• Russo et al. (2012) – Goal-focused behavior under pressure sculpts the very brain circuits that help you persist.
More ammo:
• SuperAgers with strong aMCCs resist decline.
• Mindfulness, movement, and meaningful struggle = brain gains.
If that don’t fire you up, check your pulse—this hits harder than a hobo outside Golden Corral on payday with an empty stomach and a full check.
Your brain adapts like your body.
So do the reps.
Build your bounce-back.
Steel your mind like you steel your body.
Train it. Build it. Own it.
Want to build bulletproof resilience? Start training with one of Josh’s programs today.
Tap in, toughen up, and train for real: JoshStrength programs here.