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The Competitor Lifecycle

1. First workout
2. Classes/free resources
3. Competitor program
4. Initial, fast progress
5. Overtraining
6. Injury/sickness/stagnation
7. Hire a coach
8. Train less, get healthy
9. Focus training, make gains
10. Acceptance, completion, peace

In this episode, I talk about my personal experience going through each of these stages and examples of this I see month after month.

I discuss what collaboration between competitors, gym owners and remote coaches might look like.

If you are a gym owner, or have any influence in an aspiring competitor's life, I'm curious what you think. How do we support these (very few) people who are passionate, dedicated and want to see how far they can go in the sport? What is the best way so that everyone wins?

Comment or text the podcast or DM me @paulbweber with your thoughts.

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Whenever you're ready, there are 4 ways I can help you:

1. ​Book an Intro Consult​: This is the next step for athletes who want to work with me 1:1. My coaching is for fitness, hybrid and tactical athletes. You can use this link to get on my calendar. You'll complete an intake sheet as well prior to the meeting. If you decide to hire me, the fee will get put toward your first month of coaching.
2. Training deep dives: Join hundreds of coaches and athletes who have upgraded their training for ​strength​, ​gymnastics​, ​conditioning​ and ​competitive fitness​.
3. ​Programming Mentor Meeting​: For coaches and athletes who want to get clarity on their training. Know your training priorities, measure meaningful metrics, and make real progress.
4. ​Business Mentor Meeting​: For in-person coaches who want to learn how to get online clients.

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Skill-intensive sports vs. Training-intensive sports

Skill-intensive sports (e.g. golf, basketball)

• Competition conditions are less predictable (nearly impossible to replicate perfectly in training)
• Performance is more difficult to quantify
• Performance depends on precise motor control under pressure
• Greater physiological capacity and effort do not always translate into better results
• Performance in training not as predictive of performance in competition

Training-intensive sports (e.g. strength sports, endurance sports, fitness sports)

• Train and compete under consistent conditions
• Performance is quantifiable
• Performance depends highly on effort and trainable characteristics
• "Did you see what he/she just did in training?"
• Performance in competition will closely resemble performance in training

"How do we become trained?"

Biological organisms adapt slowly

The human body is a biological organism, it changes slowly over long periods of time.

When it comes to the body, meaningful change is measured in months and years, not days.

This consistency over long periods of time is what creates noticeable athletic progress.

Whatever keeps us from training consistently is what stunts athletic progress.

Injury and sickness: the killers of consistency

We've all felt the disappointment of lost potential due to injury.

Whether it's a minor setback that forces you to modify training for a week, or a major surgery, we've all felt some degree of that frustration.

The same goes for sickness. We've all had to step back from training at some point whether it's due to a common cold or a chronic disease.

Many of you have probably had a major, 6-12 month setback. At times, the feeling of lost potential has been enough to bring me to tears.

This makes me fascinated by preserving consistency. If we can minimize our risk of injury and sickness, we can maximize our long term athletic progress.

Rules of Consistency

1. Train just beyond your current ability.
2. Only increase training load by ~5-10% per week.
3. Prioritize financial security.
4. Remember you don’t have to do this alone - invest in supportive relationships.
5. Prioritize sleep and circadian rhythm.
6. Ensure adequate nutrition and hydration.
7. Practice food and sleep hygiene.
8. Get sun exposure daily when possible.
9. Downregulate (breath, stretch, read).
10. Focus on what you can control.
11. Accept that you can’t control everything.

Resources

[1] A Biopsychosocial Model for Understanding Training Load, Fatigue, and Musculoskeletal Sport Injury in University Athletes: A Scoping Review

​https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/fulltext/2024/06000/a_biopsychosocial_model_for_understanding_training.24.aspx​

[2] Allostatic Load and Its Impact on Health: A Systematic Review

​https://karger.com/pps/article-abstract/90/1/11/294736/Allostatic-Load-and-Its-Impact-on-Health-A?redirectedFrom=fulltext​

[3] Exercise and gene expression: physiological regulation of the human genome through physical activity

​https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2290514/

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In this episode, I share my experience training with a conditioning bias, training with a strength bias, why I switched to bodybuilding and where I'm going next in my training.

I talk about muscle growth, the importance of cardiorespiratory fitness, gut health, building athletic momentum, and how I apply these lessons learned with my athletes.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and I'll see you in 2026!

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Whenever you're ready, there are 4 ways I can help you:

1. ​Book an Intro Consult​: This is the next step for athletes who want to work with me 1:1. My coaching is for fitness, hybrid and tactical athletes. You can use this link to get on my calendar. You'll complete an intake sheet as well prior to the meeting. If you decide to hire me, the fee will get put toward your first month of coaching.
2. Training deep dives: Join hundreds of coaches and athletes who have upgraded their training for ​strength​, ​gymnastics​, ​conditioning​ and ​competitive fitness​.
3. ​Programming Mentor Meeting​: For coaches and athletes who want to get clarity on their training. Know your training priorities, measure meaningful metrics, and make real progress.
4. ​Business Mentor Meeting​: For in-person coaches who want to learn how to get online clients.