There are six components or building blocks for an athlete to optimize. Any advancement in any block improves the athlete. There are three blocks for the mind. The leader of the mind and therefore all six blocks is the athlete’s Mindset. Your Mindset Block directs your actions. It encompasses your identity, your goals and will, and your approach to life. Second, the Knowledge Block is your level of expertise in all six blocks. More specifically it is your level of expertise in your chosen sport. Third, is the Teammates Block. This is how you deal with and work with people. It’s how you communicate. No athlete gets to the top alone. Maximizing your potential will require a lot of help along the way. You must improve each block for you to become the best athlete possible.
The body also has three blocks. First is what goes into it. This is your Nutrition Block. Next is what you do with your body. This is your Training Block. Last is your Recovery Block. It’s not how hard you train. It’s how hard can you train, recover, and then train hard again, every day. Each block for the body must be optimized like the ones for the head. Only then will you reach your fullest potential.
Improvement in any block will elevate the athlete. And if one block is overwhelmingly weak, then the athlete will be severely limited in his ability to advance. I’ve been to a lot of seminars. I’ve seen thousands of videos and tutorials on training. I have about 100 improvement books at home. (Every time I read one, I buy two more. So, I’ve only been through about 40 of them.) I’ve been to weekend seminars with Tony Robbins, Eric Thomas, Grant Cardone, Ohio State football seminars and more. Each time, I can pick up at least one method to improve. Most times I pick up at least a dozen tips and tricks.
The thing I consistently find lacking in each resource is the process for improvement. Tips and tricks are nice. But what’s the process?
Training example: Box squatting is great for building the hips, total body, posture, etc. But how and when do I use it during a week? What about a month or year? When is it most beneficial? When is it time to adjust and squat differently? It’s the difference between a strategy and a tactic. The strategy is the long-term, overarching plan to improve an athlete. The box squat is only one tactic utilized in the strategy. The process is the strategy. And process is king.
Nutrition example: The long-term process of perfecting food and fluids intake for the purpose of losing fat, gaining muscle, improving strength, speed, and physical play falls under the strategy for the Nutrition Block. Weighing in each Friday to let your accountability ally know your results to determine your “carrot/stick” (reward/punishment) is merely one tactic. Strategy or process is the long-term plan. Tactics are the short-term maneuvers.
As you progress through this book you will learn more about yourself. There will be tough questions for you to answer or find the answers with the help of someone else. After assessments and inputs, we will map out your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. We will further home in and decide what you must do, specifically in each block. This must be done daily as best you can. You must work to perfect your new habits. Some may be done at once. Others may take months to master. And once one habit is set, it will be time to add another. We will continue this cycle until you maximize what you can do as an athlete. There is a process, and it will get you there if you do the work. The following is one basic example of what you could do for each block.
- Mindset Block: Take 10-15 minutes daily to “brainwash” yourself with content that build you up: motivational, inspirational, podcasts or montages. Do this on your way to the gym or first thing in the morning to set the tone.
- Knowledge Block: In your sport, find a mentor or coach. Meet with him/her monthly but talk at least weekly. And get every bit of info your mentor has.
- Teammate Block: Learn how to be a legit spotter in the gym. Learn how to keep your Teammate safe. But also learn how to spot the flaw and cue correctly during the lift. Get your Teammate belter, and your Teammate will get you better.
- Nutrition Block: First thing is first. Track what you eat for a week. Use a journal or My Fitness Pal. You need to know what’s going in before you can adjust it.
- Recovery Block: Top 3 tasks: no electronics 45 minutes prior to bedtime, eliminate all light in your room, and keep the room as cold as possible.
- Training Block: We just put out a series on the pyramid for building an athlete. Recognize what are the limiting factors in the pyramid. When each section is perfected, then the next step is to grow the pyramid. Specific example. You want to improve at muscle ups. Determine is it a strength issue, Knowledge issue on how to do it, power issue for using your hips, or a process issue for practicing. Once we know that, then we can map a course of action.
