Sometimes getting your brain to cooperate is the most difficult part of an athletic endeavor. Your muscles are ready for another set or another lap, but your mind is suggesting it’s time to give up completely. Here are some resources to help develop mental toughness as an athlete to meet your workout goals in a healthy way.

1. Take Care of Yourself Outside Your Training

It’s hard to dig deep for your next gym session when you’re running on too little sleep or feeling dehydrated. Everyone will have an off day now and then, but it’s crucial to take care of your body when it isn’t exercising, too.

This could mean using technology to get a good night’s sleep or downloading the hydration-tracking app Waterllama to make sure you’re getting enough fluids. Making time for these basic needs is crucial, so use whatever tools help you follow through.

2. Practice Positive, Motivational Self-Talk

Being mean to yourself is not required for developing mental toughness; in fact, it could have the opposite effect. Motivational self-talk is associated with enhanced performance in sports, while negative self-talk may hamper performance, according to the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Psychology. Although some athletes use negative self-talk as a performance motivator, motivational thinking may be more effective for many athletes.

If you aren't used to motivating yourself in this way, however, then you may want to practice a bit. Try out an app like I am - Daily Affirmations to get into a more positive, motivated frame of mind. At setup, you can choose to focus on positive thinking in particular. When using the app, you can also select to receive messages tailored to fitness.

Once this type of positive thinking becomes second nature, it will be easier to motivate yourself the next time you’re struggling during a workout. You can even come up with a personal mantra to repeat for motivation when you need a little boost.

Download: I am - Daily Affirmations for iOS | Android (Subscription required, free trial available)

3. Try a Brain-Training App to Strengthen Your Will

Apps designed to specifically help you develop mental toughness can help change the way you perceive the world (and your training). Practicing meditation or reflecting on your workout habits for a few minutes each day can go a long way toward building the mental toughness you need as an athlete.

FitMind

Can you exercise your brain the same way you train your body? Work toward greater focus, presence, and purpose with help from the FitMind app's series of meditation training. Follow this app's 30-day meditation program for a practical way to learn about the practice. You'll quickly learn more about the science and research behind meditation as you put its basic techniques to use.

Daily challenges invite you to integrate meditative practices into your everyday life, and a Stats view helps you keep track of progress. In time, you will be able to approach your workouts with a greater sense of focus and energy.

Download: FitMind for iOS | Android (Subscription required, free trial available)

Champion’s Mind

With Champion's Mind, you can listen to modules designed to help you overcome mental blocks and distractions and improve as an athlete. Created by Dr. Jim Afremow, sports psychologist, the app helps you excel at the mental side of training. It's a handy way to improve your outlook on training in just a few minutes each day.

Each module includes a series of motivating audio recordings focused on topics like mental toughness, determination, and thriving under pressure. You can listen to them in any order and even take notes to review the ideas that speak to you.

Meanwhile, a section called Dailies invites you to work on visualizations, affirmations, breathing, and mindfulness exercises. Overall, the Champion's Mind app provides a whole range of resources and tools for athletes who want to work on the mental side of training.

Download: Champion’s Mind for iOS | Android (Subscription required, free trial available)

Athlete’s Cards

Choose cards from a virtual deck that encourages you to reflect on your training and athletic goals. It's a simple way to think about your exercise routine and find motivating reasons to keep it up.

In addition to the cards, the app also includes a practice journal to record notes about your successes and areas for improvement from each day. Lastly, a section for concentration training challenges you to tap consecutive numbers in a timed game.

Download: Athlete's Cards for iOS | Android (Subscription required, free trial available)

4. Practice Breathing to Mentally Prepare for Competition

Try out some apps for breathing exercises to work with the calming power of your breath. The Breathwrk app, for instance, includes a whole section for athletes with breathing exercises that focus on building stamina, recharging after a workout, and working on your lung capacity.

Breathing exercises can also help you focus during a warmup or shake off stress during a cooldown. They're handy tools for any athlete but often less discussed than foam rollers, ice baths, and other forms of physical recovery.

5. Set Specific, Achievable Workout Goals

How do you stick with fitness plans over time? Creating SMART fitness goals—ones that are specific, measurable, achievable, reachable, and time-bound—will help you set reasonable expectations for your exercise regime. It's a common productivity practice that can work wonders for training, as well.

Over time, you can settle on goals that are challenging and motivating but still reachable with a healthy amount of effort. Consider chatting with a coach, trainer, or other fitness professional for advice on setting goals that take your fitness level into account.

6. Use a Habit-Rewarding App to Stick to Your Training

Instead of leaving your workouts up to chance, make a habit out of them. Train yourself to build lasting workout routines with free habit-building apps.

Make a game out of the process by maintaining an exercise streak, or decide ahead of time to give yourself a reward for following through with them. When there's a positive reward for your efforts, it's easier to keep up the routine.

Train Your Brain to Make Workouts Better

For many people, overcoming mental blocks and negative thoughts is a huge part of reaching your goals for working out. However, by using positive reinforcement, meditation techniques, and lessons from sports professionals, it's possible to improve your mental toughness as an athlete over time. Play around with the different options to find the brain training technique that works for you.