Stop chasing one percenters. The fundamentals are what actually move you forward.
I pause when I get emails from athletes asking about whether they should buy expensive recovery boots, do red light therapy, or go for cryotherapy.
This is hack culture in action.
How about sleeping more and eating better?
Those two things, paired with well-structured training give you all you need to prepare and race well.
Sleep
Most athletes underestimate it.
Sleep is when your body actually repairs itself. Muscles rebuild. Hormones reset. The adaptations from your training session get locked in.
Without enough of it, you're leaving most of that work on the table.
Less than seven hours, and performance starts to drop. Reaction time, power output, motivation. It all takes a hit. Plus, your injury risk goes up, too.
Get a minimum of 7 hours. Add 30 minutes for each hour of training you do. If you train for an hour, get 7.5 hours minimum. Train for 3 hours, and it's 8.5 hours.
Before you spend any money on recovery tools, ask yourself if you're hitting your sleep target most nights.
If the answer is no, start there.
Nutrition
What you eat around training matters more than most people think.
Protein repairs muscle. Carbs restore energy. Fats keep you full and support your hormones.
Real food, at the right times around your training. That's it.
The one percenters only start to matter once you're nailing the fundamentals consistently. Until then, it's like putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound.
Before your next purchase, do an honest audit.
How's your sleep? How's your food?
Please start there.
