Question: How much of heavy lifting is mental preparation and how much is physical preparation?

Sri Chinmoy: It depends on the individual. By this time I have read quite a few books and magazines on weightlifting and bodybuilding. The great champions are of the opinion that 70 or 75 per cent is mental preparation. They use the terms concentration, meditation and so forth. But in my case, 99 per cent is God's Grace and God's Compassion. For the remaining one per cent, three quarters is mental preparation and one quarter is physical preparation. Although I spend considerable time practising, I know how much God's Compassion acts in and through my weightlifting. So, in all sincerity, I must give at least 99 per cent of the credit to the Grace of my Inner Pilot, my Lord Supreme. Many times when I look at the weight that I have lifted, my mind gets confused and bewildered. If you live in the mind, you will find only doubt, fear and confusion. But if you live in the heart and the soul, you will come to realise that everything is His Grace, His Compassion. I was not a weightlifter, I don't claim to be a weightlifter now and I will never claim to be one, although I do practise lifting weights. But I know it is not my own capacity that is lifting; it is my Beloved Supreme who is having an experience in and through my body, especially through my right arm.

From:Sri Chinmoy,Soul-illumination-shrine, body-preparation-temple, part 1, Agni Press, 1985
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/sis_1