By MTI Staff
Mental fitness and resilience are increasingly discussed within the worlds of mountain sports, tactical professions, and strength and conditioning. To explore these concepts, Rob Shaul, founder of MTI (Mountain Tactical Institute), hosted a roundtable discussion with members of the MTI athlete team, including Wyatt Jobe (alpinist and wilderness paramedic), Steven Swingle (law enforcement officer), Adam Aikens (former Marine Corps infantry officer and backcountry hunter), and Derrick Kline (Air Force officer and mountain athlete). The conversation focused on whether mental fitness is trainable, whether it transfers across different domains, and how it manifests in physically demanding and high-stress environments.
Mental Fitness: Trainable but Mode-Specific
Rob Shaul opened the conversation by sharing his experiences training elite mountain athletes. He noted that mental fitness is often mode-specific. “If you’re mentally fit in one physical mode, it doesn’t necessarily transfer to another,” he explained. For example, world-class alpinists, accustomed to enduring the mental stress of extreme cold and prolonged exposure, initially struggled with high-intensity gym workouts. Yet, after repeated exposure, they improved, indicating that while mental fitness can be trained, it often requires familiarity with the specific stressor.
Steven Swingle echoed this sentiment from a law enforcement perspective. “Police academy was physically challenging, but once on the job, new stressors appeared that I hadn’t faced before,” he said. He noted that while physical fitness prepared him for some aspects of policing, it did not inherently prepare him for the emotional demands of parenting or handling complex administrative responsibilities. “For me, mental resilience in one area didn’t always translate,” Swingle admitted.
Physical Suffering and Emotional Resilience: Is There Transfer?
A recurring theme was whether enduring physical suffering builds resilience that transfers to non-physical challenges, like emotional stress or professional pressures. Shaul expressed skepticism: “Just because you can suffer physically—run an ultra-marathon or pass military selection—doesn’t mean you’re prepared for the emotional strain of, say, starting a business or dealing with personal relationships.”
However, several participants shared anecdotes suggesting at least partial transfer. Derrick described how pushing through physical challenges with his children in outdoor environments seemed to build their confidence in other areas of life. “Watching them accomplish things they thought they couldn’t has given them belief in their ability to overcome other challenges,” he said.
Wyatt Jobe, drawing on his experiences in high-risk alpine environments, explained how facing life-threatening situations enhanced his ability to manage everyday stress. “Being stuck on a climb and confronting fear head-on forced me to act calmly,” Jobe shared. “It’s helped me step back from emotionally charged situations in my personal life and see things more objectively.”
Adam noted a clear distinction between confidence and perspective. “Confidence is mode-specific, but suffering provides perspective that can apply across various aspects of life,” he explained. His military background provided countless physically and mentally stressful situations that built a reservoir of experiences to draw from when facing non-physical challenges in his post-military career.
The ‘Suffering Industry’ and Manufactured Hardship
The discussion turned to the booming popularity of endurance events and “suffering industry” activities—like Spartan races, GoRuck challenges, and similar experiences promising personal growth through physical hardship. Participants debated the efficacy and motivations behind these pursuits.
“I get emails from guys stacking one manufactured event after another,” Shaul said. “I always encourage them to move on to something requiring more skill and real-world application—like a multi-day backpacking trip or a technical mountain route.” He emphasized that while these events offer physical challenges, they often lack the complexity and decision-making demands that build more transferable mental resilience.
Steven Swingle added that such events can be beneficial if approached with the right mindset. “If you’re using the event as a springboard to build consistency and develop a habit of challenging yourself, it’s valuable. But if you’re just chasing a T-shirt, it’s not going to change your life.”
Interestingly, Rob observed a gender-based difference in how physical training affects confidence and life choices. “I’ve seen women train in the gym and then go on to leave bad relationships, start businesses, or make significant life changes. I haven’t seen that with men to the same extent, and I don’t know why,” he said.
How Often Should You Do Something Hard?
Frequency of challenging experiences varied among the panelists. Derrick tries to tackle a challenging activity every month to keep his resilience sharp. Wyatt focuses on seasonal climbing objectives that push his limits, sometimes spending several months immersed in intense alpine projects. Adam participates in competitions and rigorous hunting trips, often planning for one or two major challenges per year.
Shaul takes a different approach, incorporating “something a little scary” into his routine almost daily—whether it’s a challenging kettlebell session or an uncomfortable new movement pattern. “It’s probably an addiction,” he admitted, “but that little bit of discomfort keeps me engaged.”
Charlie, the discussion’s moderator, pointed out that many people feel an internal push to do something challenging after a period of comfort or inactivity. “It’s like a voice in your head telling you to harden up,” he said. “Afterward, you get a confidence boost and the endorphins help too.”
Takeaways for Coaches and Athletes
For mountain athletes, tactical professionals, and strength and conditioning coaches, the conversation underscored several key takeaways:
1. Mental fitness is trainable but often mode-specific. Exposure and familiarity with a particular stressor improve mental resilience in that domain, but don’t assume automatic transfer to unrelated stressors.
2. Physical suffering can build perspective but not necessarily life skills. High-endurance challenges may develop grit, but facing emotional, professional, or relational difficulties often requires different strategies.
3. Manufactured suffering events can be valuable with the right intent. They serve as entry points for some people to challenge themselves physically and mentally, but lasting growth requires sustained effort beyond a single weekend event.
4. Frequency matters, but so does recovery. Regularly engaging in challenging activities can maintain mental resilience, but balance is essential to avoid burnout.
5. Confidence and perspective are two different benefits of suffering. Physical challenges may build confidence in specific tasks, while broader perspective from enduring hardship can enhance resilience across life’s varied demands.
Final Thoughts
The discussion revealed no clear consensus on whether mental fitness in one arena transfers fully to another. However, most agreed that challenging oneself—whether physically, mentally, or emotionally—fosters growth, perspective, and, in some cases, improved confidence. The key lies in intentionality: approaching hardship not just to “suffer for the sake of suffering,” but to learn, adapt, and build capacity for future challenges.
For mountain professionals, tactical athletes, and coaches, the application is clear—train hard in your chosen field but remain aware of the different modes of stress you might face. Rob Shaul summarized, “Physical suffering is easy—you know exactly what you need to do. Life’s other stressors? Those are the hard ones.”
Click HERE to listen to the podcast or watch the youtube broadcast of this discussion.