Fit Guido Staff The reality is, most people will give up when things start to get difficult.
You’ll notice the body of the person has not failed them. Nor have they reached a true physiological limit. But their mind, which works exactly as it was supposed to, has given them a signal of “enough.”
And for most people, that’s when they stop.
Contrast that with how David Goggins treats this message.
Thanks to that, one person who had his weight at 297 and was even using insecticides to drive away cockroaches, is the same person who became a US Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, Air Force Tactical Air Controller, and ultramarathon runner who took part in some of the toughest competitions on the globe, apart from holding the Guinness World record in pull-ups, completing a colossal 4030 of them in just 17 hours.
The heart of his thinking is a surprisingly straightforward rule: the 40/60 rule — also known as the 40% rule.
He has mentioned this idea not only in interviews but throughout his bestsellers, Can’t Hurt Me, across fitness and self-development communities, and even beyond the borders of the US.
All these are more than just motivational pieces; underlying them is the research from neuroscience, sports psychology and exercise physiology that makes it a legitimate tool for weight loss, enhancing training performance, and facilitating changes in daily lifestyles.
What is the Goggins 40/60 Rule?
It’s basically:
When your mind tells you that you are exhausted, your body actually hasn’t reached its capacity yet.
Goggins has never been in a lab but has learned from his own physical and mental challenges when he was a Navy SEAL officer, a distance runner, and through personal hardship that even the most common people quit within the first hour.
His experience taught him one fact: your brain usually sends the first “stop” signal long before your body is really done. So the difference between your stopping point and your actual limit (if you could endure the discomfort for a few more moments) is the famous 60%, according to him.
This rule has its consequences in everyday life:
- When you feel like your legs have no more running power, then it’s likely you can run several km before you stop
- When you feel your strength is completely gone, your muscles might allow you some extra reps
- When you consider your diet a nightmare and are ready to throw away all of the weight you’ve lost, then be confident with the extra discipline you have left
- When you see no way of reaching your destination, you should know the real problem is your inner mind that doesn’t accept any changes, while your surroundings and body are just great
Goggins, by the way, himself says that he’s referring only to the general human experience (and the truth he himself has witnessed), not to a scientifically exact measure of percentages or a biological process. That 40% figure he is referring to is an analogy, and he is the first who doesn’t want to make it look like 40.0% is an exact universal physical barrier.
Understanding the 40% Rule: Does Any of It Actually Come from Science?
That’s just where this concept gets really interesting — because not only is there a huge body of sporting scientists’ literature that supports the main point, but also there is an entire range of variations in the exact figures of the supporting ideas.
The Idea of a Central Governor
Tim Noakes, a well-known professor of sports science and a professor at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, came up with the idea he called the
“The Central Governor Model” of exercise-induced fatigue.
In essence, the central governor concept describes how fatigue happens while engaging in physical activities, not just from the failure or the breakdown of the muscles that come along with the accumulation of the metabolites or the depletion of the oxygen supply. Rather, it suggests the brain (the central nervous system as a more precise term) is a regulatory factor that acts as a governor, limiting the exercise intensity to a degree before the body reaches the actual physical limitation through failure.
The brain’s intent is the protection of the body as a buffer; it limits the voluntary activation of the muscles, and the physical feel of exercise becomes hard and less achievable to prevent the body from going to an extent with potential cardiac collapse, severe hyperthermal status, or total muscle failure.
In short: “the brain puts restrictions on the limits set that are intentionally kept significantly below the physiological maximum for actual.“
The point that Goggins refers to experientially is that it is just that “40%” that is the brain signaling the governor – when the central nervous system slows down the flow of output and the person feels it in a manner that they are “done.”
We know that in a number of trials, it’s been shown that professional athletes, especially in the marathon and cycling categories, have not stopped as a consequence of their perception of being exhausted (their perception of exertion), which they report even though their performance is very close to their physical limits compared to the ordinary non-trained individuals, who can only be pushed a little bit more before they feel it and give up.
This part of training can, to some extent, reconfigure the central governor. Increasing the threshold when protective fatigue signals are sent, as the brain has learned during repetitive exposure that the body can handle more than the initially signaled level.
Perceived Exhaustion vs Real Ability: What the RPE Study Reveals
The Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale is an important tool in the field of exercise physiology to evaluate how exercise feels
. On a scale that runs from 6 to 20, this scale measures intensity as self-perceived. Numerous studies have shown that there is a big difference between the rating of perceived exertion and the actual physiological indicators of exertion (such as heart rate, lactate threshold, and oxygen uptake).
This area has been a matter of investigation for the reason that it was discovered that:
During free choice of self-exercise, most participants only reach 70–80% of their real ability at exercise, measured by VO2 max.
Mental fitness of athletes is usually very good, and they are able to maintain the level of exercise for quite a while, up to 85–95% of their VO2 max.
People subjected to external motivational factors, such as a crowd, someone being their rival, or a coach, will usually outperform themselves and reach a level beyond what they have done before.
This is a good argument for the conclusion that one usually is the “quitter” in the exercise situation and that decision is more psychological than a purely physiological one.
Training the mind for sports:
Broadly put, mental toughness can be understood as a mindset that allows an individual to keep going in the face of obstacles and to work at full capacity without getting distracted by pressure or any other negative factor. This definition of mental toughness has become central to the field of sports psychology, which, in turn, has devoted a lot of research to the topic of mental toughness.
Broad reviews on how endurance athletes’ mental toughness manifests in their physical capabilities have been done, and these found:
Beyond a certain level of mental toughness, mental toughness itself is a skill that keeps becoming more mentally resilient to the point of even being able to carry on a conversation in the midst of high-intensity training.
Athletes having great mental toughness are, on the other hand, the ones whose real ability, their potential, is measured by physiological indicators such as VO2 max, but the difference between their actual and the limit is not great, while in the case of athletes with lower mental toughness scores, the difference is relatively substantial. So the athletes with great mental toughness come closer to their own maximum potential level than those without it.
Self-talk techniques are the best bet you can make for your high-intensity workouts. Attention, focus, and visualization techniques will prolong your physical ability.
This is the main mechanism of the “mind callous” practice, which Goggins describes and explains how mental conditioning, or rather, the conditioning via mental challenges, works — by exposing oneself in a planned gradual manner to painful situations, one’s mental threshold for such pain and resistance slowly increases to a higher level at which previously one would have broken down physically and mentally.
How to Apply the 40/60 Rule Safely: A Practical Framework
Goggins, along with exercise physiologists and sports medicine practitioners, highlights one key point: it’s not pain versus pain; it is a matter of identifying whether a feeling is discomfort or pain.
Discomfort, i.e., the unpleasant sensations that push you to the limit, is what the 40/60 rule is meant for. The rule definitely does not apply to the following conditions:
- You notice signs of acute pain at a joint or bone.
- Your chest pain is cardiac in origin, and you have other heart-related symptoms.
- We are experiencing dizziness, fainting, and loss of coordination.
- If you have a sharp pain in a muscle, which might indicate an injury instead of muscle fatigue, you should get a medical check-up.
- Any symptom that clearly suggests a medical emergency
Using the 40/60 method to push yourself through these symptoms does not show mental strength; it just opens you up to the risks of injuries.
Goggins himself admits to sustaining severe stress fractures, experiencing a failure of the kidneys during a competition, and undergoing surgery for a heart problem. The medical hazards associated with his way of doing things are real, as is evident from his own case, and he is one human being who has taken his body to extremes, which makes it a rare case in terms of human capacity.
In most cases, the framework of the rule can be followed like this:
Step 1: Locate Your Governing Signal
In your next workout or when you get a really tough diet moment, be conscious of the moment you get the feeling that it’s over. Put a specific label on it: “This is only the discomfort level, not the danger point”. The act of labeling the signal — recognizing the signal without instantly reacting to it — enables the creation of a gap between stimulus and response.
Step 2: Choose a Minimum Extension Target
After the governing signal, make yourself do a small, specific amount of effort beyond it:
- “I am going to carry out 5 extra repetitions before I decide whether to stop or not.”
- “It is only after I walk for 3 more minutes that I am going to consider stopping.”
- “Wait 20 minutes first before deciding whether or not to indulge the urge to eat.”
Most of the time, you find that the signal disappears — or that you complete the extension and that you are even willing to go further.
Step 3: Slowly Raise the Bar
Discomfort threshold, like any skill, gets better with practice. Every week, raise by a slight amount the point you give yourself to stop:
- Week 1: When you cannot continue at all is the point at which you give up
- Week 2: Before stopping, attempt to get another 10 percent in
- Week 3: The extra one percent will be 20 more after the workout
- Week 6: In terms of what you are willing to push, you would have gone beyond your level at the beginning substantially
Step 4: Chronicle and Recognize Achievements and Victories
Every time you surpass the limit from where you had been stopping before — do extra repetitions, finish the full workout, remain within the diet plan when faced with an uncomfortable social situation — you can take pride in it. One of the reasons why people change behavior — dopamine release from rewarding oneself — is that one recognizes the effort in one’s brain.
Step 5: Don’t Limit The Rule To Only Exercise
Develop the same habit when it comes to following the diet:
- Your hunger pangs come, and instead of immediately giving in and starting to eat, take 15–20 minutes to wait before the food goes to your mouth.
- If the cravings hit, commit to drinking 500ml of water and waiting 10 minutes before acting on the craving.
- When you don’t do a workout because you miss it, commit to doing at least 10 minutes more instead of completely forgetting about it and leaving things as they are.
- You “break” the diet, and instead of throwing in the towel and giving in to your will that you are done for the day, use the 40/60 rule as the strategy to get you back on track at once.
The 40/60 Rule and Mental Health: An Important Caveat
The 40/60 rule is one of the most effective performance tools. Its only downside, however, is that it comes with a caveat — a pretty serious one at that — if it is going to be used in contexts that don’t involve elite sport or athletes.
There is a very fundamental difference between the following:
- Productive discomfort — which means the short-term discomfort when you do a challenging workout, diet, or go through a motivational lull
- Mental health distress — symptoms of anxiety, depression, burnout, disordered eating, etc., which definitely call for a mental health professional, not simply going harder or faster
Using a “push-through” mindset against real mental health symptoms is incorrect and may even be harmful. If you’re getting a sense of something that is not quite right in terms of your emotional state, and at the same time you do not respond to a day of rest, then that is a red flag.
- Hopelessness or inability to motivate yourself to the point of physical exhaustion
- Food/eating, body image, or exercise-related thoughts that are obsessive or disturbing
- Compulsive exercising that’s actually motivated by anxiety
- Lack of interest in most activities, extreme fatigue, or inability to perform daily tasks
You should contact a mental health specialist for assistance — these are signs that the 40/60 rule won’t help you but may make things worse.
Mental health support is getting easier as more and more people are taking up this idea of therapy and other mental health consultation options in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.
Therapy and mental health consultations online:
- US: $60–$200 per session; behavioural health benefits (including mental health services) covered by most health insurance under the ACA; mental health services in ACA-compliant plans have to be the same as medical services (parity)
- UK: Therapy is completely funded by the NHS free of charge, but there may be a long waiting list; private therapy costs £50–£150 per session; online platforms start from £30/session
- Canada: $100–$250 per session; many employee assistance programmes (EAPs) and extended health plans cover it
- Australia: Psychologists may provide their services under a general practitioner’s mental health care plan that would entitle you to have the Medicare rebate for your sessions up to 10 times a year; your out-of-pocket expense would be between $20 and $80 per session after getting the rebate
Comparing the Goggins 40/60 Rule with Other Mindset Frameworks
Goggins’ framework is not an isolated one. His idea is actually an extension of various other well-established frameworks in the field of sport and performance psychology:
Carol Dweck’s “Growth Mindset”
In fact, Dweck’s idea comes before Goggins’. Her research at Stanford, which was based on thousands of case studies of children, shows that people who believe in the growth mindset (that is, the belief that one can increase their abilities through consistent effort and study) are more likely to succeed and stay resilient. This is where the 40/60 rule really helps – when faced with hardship, instead of just giving up, you wonder, ‘Is there more that I can do?’ It’s a concrete method that translates Dweck’s abstract concept of effort into something you can do.
Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy – Meaning Through Suffering.
Viktor Frankl was a psychiatrist who also happened to be a Holocaust survivor. He observed and documented that the suffering that a person is willing to endure goes up greatly when that suffering is a stepping stone to a meaningful goal. Goggins’ endurance training that pushes his pain boundaries is not only for pain’s sake but serves other purposes – passing SEAL training, honoring fallen comrades, or pushing himself to prove the incredible potential in human beings. Discovering the meaningful “why” in your exercise program is an exact application of Frankl’s principle of Frankl’s.
“Urge Surfing” as a Tool for CBT Urge surfing — a technique rooted in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) — describes cravings, urges, or discomfort as experiences that naturally rise and fall without the necessity of a response. One method of dealing with such an uncomfortable situation is to ‘ride’ the sensation for a while, i.e., to be still, not act, and ride on the wave of discomfort. The technique is extensively utilized in the treatment of various addictions, eating disorders, and behaviour modification. In that respect, it is almost identical to the concept of waiting for the governor signal, which Goggins experiences before his body actually limits him to a certain effort.
The Costs of Working with Performance Professionals
This way of applying the 40/60 rule is probably the best — especially if what you are looking to achieve is reducing weight and building fitness. However, a good idea most of the time would be to get help from the professionals:
Sports Psychologist / Performance Psychologist:
- United States of America: $150–$300 per session; some insurance policies will include coverage for sports psychology as mental health benefits
- Britain: A session with one will cost you roughly £80–£180; NHS referrals are available if there is a clinical need; and private sports psychology is widely available
- Canada: Sessions in general range from $120–$250, and they are covered in many extended health benefit plans
- Australia: $100–$250 per session; there is the possibility of a Medicare rebate after you have seen your GP under a mental health care plan
Registered Dietitian (for fat-loss programme design):
- US: Sessions with a dietitian will cost you $100–$300; they are often covered by health insurance under nutrition counselling benefits
- Britain: If you make a referral via your NHS GP, you should be able to get it for free; if you are going to see a private practitioner, on the other hand, you can expect to have to pay £60–¥150 for each session
- Canada: A private consultation with a registered dietitian would cost you $100–$200, and many extended health plans will still cover it.
- Australia: On average, the fee you have to pay for a session with your dietitian is between $80–~$180, but after a referral from your GP, you could be entitled to a Medicare rebate
Certified Personal Trainer / Exercise Physiologist:
- US: A trainer will cost you about $50–$150 per session; there are some health insurance wellness programmes out there that also offer fitness-related benefits
- UK: £30–£80 per session with very low overhead and often included in gym memberships
- Canada: Approximately $60–$120; some workplace plans even cover these costs
- Australia: Exercise physiology is one of the services that is included in a GP chronic disease management plan. This gives you a Medicare rebate, so a visit will cost you $80–$150
Online Doctor Consultation (for pre-exercise medical clearance):
- In the US, it’s about $30-$75 to talk via video call with a doctor online. And now, most major insurers support telehealth services
- UK: A doctor video call via the NHS is free. Private options are usually priced from £25 to £75
- Canada: Consultations with a doctor online cost $40 – $80. Coverage of telehealth is gradually spreading province-wise, too
- Australia: A doctor via video or phone consultation for health problems is covered by Medicare, so you would only need to pay about $20-$60
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Goggins 40/60 rule?
The Goggins 40/60 rule also refers to the 40% rule. The idea is that when your mind says that you’re done after physical or mental effort, you have actually only used about 40% of your real capacity. Goggins explains that it is the mental control plus the motivation that are the keys to accessing your potential beyond the signal of being uncomfortable.
Has David Goggins’ 40/60 rule been proven scientifically?
Scientifically, 40 is not the exact figure. However, science, particularly sports science, has a solid foundation for this principle as it is the Central Governor Theory by Professor Tim Noakes, and more the research on perceived exertion indicating people who stop before reaching their physical maximum quite a lot have done so without knowing they were short of being at their maximum. So, the concept is well supported in the literature, even though the precise number, a figure of 40%, is merely a rough approximation.
How did David Goggins formulate the 40/60 rule?
Through his own experience, he created the rule that has been a part of pushing himself to the point at which he would normally quit or not feel physically up to the task, and yet he did it. His training as a Navy SEAL and running ultramarathons in the coldest/warmest places or in the worst conditions are examples of his challenges. Goggins explains this in detail in his book, Can’t Hurt Me, which has become a bestseller.
Should you be able to follow the 40/60 rule in your weight loss journey?
It is very likely that a person’s biggest problem is their eating habits – maybe even more for losing weight than the physical aspect of it. A major thing that causes weight loss problems is actually not having a good weight loss plan, but giving up on it when it becomes painful and when the plan is a little bit challenging.
Is the Goggins 40/60 rule a safe method to get more physical without any prior experience?
Novice users and those with a few health issues should definitely try the 40/60 rule, but in a conservative manner. There is, however, an important difference between discomfort (which is safe to endure without any harm) and pain/menstruation symptoms (which should be addressed first by medical experts). It would be wise for all beginners to high-intensity physical activity to check with their doctor, especially online doctors, before getting clearance for such a rigorous program. Also, if the person is over 40 years old, overweight, or has health problems, a doctor’s consultation is highly recommended.
What is the main difference between the 40% rule and overtraining?
In case you properly put into practice this 40% rule, it can push you a little further than the psychological discomfort point through various training sessions. On the other hand, you can define overtraining as a state of health that is caused by excessive work without sufficient rest and recovery, which eventually leads to deterioration in physical condition, hormonal imbalance, weakened immunity, and injuries. There are two opposite situations – the 40% rule motivates you to give proper effort, while overtraining is a result of continuously not getting enough recovery. If your sessions are rested properly and you sleep 7–9 hours, you can also have recovery days planned; therefore, these measures can help you to avoid overtraining regardless of the level of intensity during training sessions.
Who did 4,000 pull-ups in 17 hours?
Dave Goggins became famous after he broke a record for doing a total of 4,030 pull-ups in the span of approximately 17 hours during a single event in San Diego. This feat is one of the best examples of Dave’s 40/60 rules that describe how you can push through your limits way after the point where your mind is already saying “failure”!
Can I make myself mentally strong enough to follow the 40/60 rule?
Gradually exposing yourself to more challenging tasks without giving up, it is possible to train your brain to follow the 40/60 rule. For example, the next time you work out, decide to perform an extra 5 reps or another 2 minutes when it really feels uncomfortable. Repeat the technique from time to time, as you will notice that eventually, the point where your brain signals you it’s a great opportunity to stop will move upwards. This mental training process will be very similar in its structure to that of progressive overload training.
Conclusion
In its fundamental form, Goggins’s 40/60 guideline really serves as a reframing of a situation.
You usually feel you want to quit the most, the moment that feels like a downfall, a dead end, is reframed here as the start of the part where you count. Only 40% of people reach the 60% stage before making a change.
This fact is supported by neuroscience. Psychology also supports it. Years of sports performance studies are in line with it, too. Basically, the brain issues early stopping signals for your safety — you stop obeying most of these brain signals that can cause serious harm.
This change in how to look at it can be a key factor if you are going on a weight loss journey. It is not about diet or exercise plans but about changing your views on pain — from a stop sign to a milestone.
The hunger that comes up in the evening isn’t an absolute stop for you. The legs hurting is not a final sign that your running days are over. When the number on your scale doesn’t move, the whole week is not your end. These are governor signals (they regulate). The 60% has been waiting for you to make use of it.
Use this rule step by step. If you confuse pain with injury, make sure to seek medical advice from a healthcare professional. Go under professional support if mental health issues come up. Do not ignore genuine medical warnings.
But in those cases where you are just making a decision for comfort rather than a path to self-improvement, do not forget the 40%. You still have a long way to go.
Medical Disclaimer
These pages offer educational and informational content only and do not serve as a substitute for medical care, professional medical diagnosis, or dietary guidance from a certified medical practitioner.
Your individual medical needs may vary; always consult a doctor or an authorized medical practitioner before making major changes to your diet. Also, keep in mind that FitGuido does not offer any recommendation or support, either explicitly or implicitly, for any product or service named in this article.
