If you’ve been following the podcast over the last several weeks, you’ve heard us dig deep into some of the misinformation spread by magazines, fitness models, and the “health” industry. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight. Our goal at The Hill is to help you cut through the noise as you navigate your fitness journey.

Here are 5 ways you may be sabotaging your fitness:

1. Beginning with the end in mind.

This term became popular in entrepreneurial circles. And – when it comes to starting a business – it’s true! As it pertains to your health, fitness, and wellness this couldn’t be further from the truth. Most people begin their journey with “I’d like to lose 20 pounds” or “I’d like to complete a 30-day challenge” or “I want to get in shape.” While these are worthwhile goals, they will always end in failure.

Why?

There is no end to your pursuit of health. It’s a seasonal evolution with highs, lows, shifting goals, and changing life circumstances. The truth of the matter is that fitness is found in daily habits and rituals – packing a lunch, walking into the gym, suggesting coffee over a happy hour, and so on.

Action Item: Take a minute to write down what’s going well right now. How are you living healthfully? Celebrate that and build (just slightly) upon it. No “challenges” or major life overhauls – it’ll end in failure.

2. Squirrel!!!

Novelty is great. Deal sites and apps have democratized fitness to a greater degree than ever before. We’re all for this! But here’s the reality – aimlessly jumping from program to program is a great way to discover what you like, but a terrible way to achieve lasting results. 

But, isn’t any type of exercise beneficial as long as I’m moving? Absolutely true! But, ultimately (this typically happens at about the 12-week mark), you’ll run into this pesky beast – Adaptation. Here’s adaptation in a nutshell: You run 1 mile a day for several weeks and start to see results. Then you plateau. So, you have a couple options: Run 1 mile faster (intensity) or run 2 miles (volume). Without a well thought out plan to continually move past the Adaptation Phase, you’ll never see long-term results.

The reality of the matter is that most exercisers don’t have the time or mental energy to manage their own intensity, volume, mobility, and overall training plan. By jumping around with no real plan, you’ll ultimately run head first into adaptation.

Action Item: Take a look at your last 12 weeks of training. Is there a rhyme or reason? Your plan doesn’t need to take place under the same roof by any means – but it should have some aspects of progression. Struggling to get consistent for 12 weeks? See: #1.

3. Supplements

I’ll probably catch some flack for this one. Don’t really care. The truth is that supplements serve 2 functions – supplement minor malnutrition and aid in performance. Supplements can be beneficial to supplement lack of nutrients or calories when directed by a healthcare professional. They also aid athletes who find it difficult to ingest sufficient calories and macronutrients to fuel their performance. You already know if you fall into one of these camps.

So why all the distractions with supplements? Honestly, because the manufacturers make an obscene amount of money. If you’re just starting out a workout routine, DO NOT LET SUPPLEMENTS DISTRACT YOU. You don’t need special juices, cleanses, oils, proteins, creatine, amino acids, or pills. You should just buy some chicken breast, brown rice, and lettuce and go find a coach.

Most athletes I talk with about supplements would be better served eliminating before supplementing – things like booze, poor sleeping habits, and junk food. Once you’ve got a solid year of eating real food and consistent training under your belt, then we can chat supplements.

Action Items: Are supplements distracting you? Are you spending hundreds on protein and supplements that would be better served on a cooking class or personal training? Be honest with your distractions and know definitively what will support your goals. Again, back to #1.

4. Looking Back

The road behind is different for everyone, but the road ahead is the same for us all. There are a million circumstances that lead one to neglect their health – genetic factors, family history, medical conditions, family, work, stress, commute, feelings of self-worth. Go ahead and fill in whatever your “my situation is different” here: _________.

No one should diminish these. They’re your truth and your experience. No one should ever try and talk you out them.

BUT – whenever you’re ready to change things – the path forward is exactly the same for everyone – 1. Move safely, consistently, and progressively, 2. Eat reasonably, and 3. Help others along the way. THIS IS THE DEFINITIVE FORMULA. THE ONLY ONE THAT WORKS. Again – our goal is to help you eliminate distractions. You have the litmus test.

Action Items: Be honest with yourself. Is looking back keeping you from moving forward? If you get a moment, check out the guys and gals over at Team Some Assembly Required. There’s a group moving things forward.

5. Not Defining What You Want

Here’s the caveat to #1 and a shout out to the long-term athletes out there. I see a phenomenon at about the year and a half to two year mark for a lot of athletes – wanting something more but not defining what that is. For the competitors this could mean wanting to be more competitive, but not willing to tackle weaknesses. For people wanting to improve body composition, this could mean only exercising but ignoring diet.

Everyone’s goals for health are different. And, they don’t need to be the same year after year. One year it could be to get as strong as possible and the next it could be to be as lean as possible. Both are great!

Action Item: Write it down. Give it a name. Then, take it to a coach and ask them how to get there…then listen.

The Guinea Pig Fund is another guest post from The Hill member Christi Crumpecker, M.D. Christ talks about how her goals have changed from simple weight loss to something more meaningful.

When you are obese, your gym goals seem obvious. Well-meaning people say, “Good for you, trying to lose weight!”

For a long time I thought nothing of it. Of course my main goal was to lose weight. I never considered anything else. And there is no shortage of outside praise for making progress: “You look so much thinner!” You get to pick out new clothes. You look better in the mirror. So, that’s what I’ve been aiming for. It made sense.

I’ve been obese for a long time. Like many people, I’ve tried a lot of things that didn’t work—or worked for a while, but weren’t sustainable.

Severe calorie restriction. Eliminating “bad” foods. Extreme cardio to burn calories. I lost weight and gained it back. More recently, I’ve tried some sane, safe approaches to losing body fat while maintaining lean muscle. I’ve had great support from friends, family, doctors, and coaches. And it’s been working, mostly. When I get up in the morning, I am motivated to plan my meals and snacks and to find time to exercise.  But like many people, my enthusiasm and willpower wane. Evenings, after a long day of work and CrossFit, it’s hard for me to be motivated to eat well with the goal of wearing smaller pants.

The last couple of months, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in Nutrition Now at CrossFit Memorial Hill. It’s been a very helpful, supportive group, based on sound, responsible nutrition with reasonable metrics. I gave it my all. I chose to motivate myself with the long-term goal of improving my body composition, measured in small steps along the way. I focused on losing inches and pounds. I changed up my diet and actually gained a little weight. I was terrified. I tried to buckle down and work harder, to change my body to fit my ideal image. Really, I started slipping back into the mentality of just trying to “lose weight.”

But I kept having this single, intrusive thought.

In December, I tried to flip over the largest tire at The Hill.

I made it about halfway (well, maybe closer to a third of the way), but couldn’t quite get it done. I’ve thought about it a lot since then. Flipping over that tire has been a secret goal, one that I only mentioned to a single person who scoffed, “You’re a 41-year-old doctor! Why would you want to get dirty and risk hurting yourself? If you want a tire flipped over, hire someone else to do it.” Yes, that’s right, I thought. It’s a silly goal to have. And I wasn’t really sure I was allowed to have a goal like that, anyway. I’m obese, after all. I should be working on losing weight. But I haven’t been able to put that tire out of my mind. In sneaky ways, it has found its way into how I approach workouts and think about eating: I feel like I am preparing myself to someday flip that tire, and most nights that’s enough to keep me out of the peanut butter jar.

I think about my patients, the ones I am trying to help stop smoking.

They each need to find a goal that motivates them. Typically, the looming threat of emphysema and lugging around an oxygen tank isn’t what does it. It’s something closer and more tangible. One patient wants to buy his daughter a guinea pig for her birthday. We figured out how much it would cost with all the accessories. He’s saving for it by purchasing fewer cigarettes. When he comes in for his appointments, we talk about the growing Guinea Pig Fund, not the shrinking risk of lung cancer. He found a meaningful, positive goal and is totally committed to it. And in every way, it’s working.

It finally occurred to me: Am I any different?

I want to live a long and healthy life and set a good example for my patients. And I appreciate that this means working to improve my body composition. But having that as a primary goal is, for me, right now, uninspiring at best and anxiety-provoking at worst. Yes, I sure hope that a “better body” is a side effect of the work I do, but when it comes to the hard choices, a tangible, performance-based goal seems to be the motivation I need. I’m not used to this. I’ve never been an athletic person and never believed I had the ability to be. I felt like I needed someone’s permission to set a goal other than weight loss. But I really, really want to flip that tire. I decided to just start believing in myself. That I am strong and I am capable, at any size. That I’m going to flip that tire. This is a big mentality shift for me. It means letting go of the socially accepted goal of “bettering myself” by losing weight and admitting to myself and others that my current goals are different. I don’t want to take up less space in the universe. I want more.

I haven’t achieved my goal yet. I expect it to take a long time. I am making progress in strength and work capacity and as a by-product my body composition is changing. My weight has decreased, but I’ve gone up a shirt size because my shoulders have actually gotten bigger. And I’m just fine with that. My Guinea Pig Fund is growing. I’m gonna flip that tire this year.

COACH’S NOTE: Shortly after writing this, Christi flipped that tire. 

Tire Flip from TheHillKC on Vimeo.

I’ve been thinking for quite some time about how to codify the athletic (exercise, workout, whatever) experience. Casually, I’ve been attempting to put athletes into “buckets”. This is important, not to assign labels, but to continually assess our ability to move athletes past their current abilities to continually improve; the constant pursuit of excellence. Never attained, but always seeking.

Below are the 5 stages I’ve noticed in nearly all athletic endeavors. Interestingly enough, these can also be applied professionally, socially, and relationally. The time frames are approximate and do not reflect your abilities (i.e. WOD times, weights lifted) but rather the mental/emotional state of the athlete at the various stages.

Take some time to place yourself in one of the categories. Please keep in mind: there are not value statements associated with these stages. Wherever you are is where you are. Frankly, most people will stall out in one of the stages and need to start over. That’s completely OK. Hopefully, this will serve as a roadmap if you ever choose to pursue the next phase. 

1. Noob. 0-18 months.

“Noob” does not mean your first time exercising. Quite frankly, most former high school and collegiate athletes fall squarely in the Noob category. Primarily, because their early success was largely attributed to genetic pre-disposition to athleticism. The “noob” stage is defined by 3 main components:

1. Consistency in Training – regular, progressive training usually requires 4-5 hours per week of effort.

2. Working Hard Despite Circumstances – As mentioned before, most former student athletes fall clearly in this camp. It’s easy to train when it’s built into your school day. Now, you’re learning to build it into your daily routine, work schedule, and family. For the novice trainee, this means a shift in mentality from going through the typically globo-gym routine of 6 weeks post-New-Years-Resolution and into a consistent effort put forth on a regular basis.

3. Erasing and Re-learning – This is the time to shed all pre-conceived ideas around self-image, gyms, exercise, movement, etc and learn to be coached. It’s important to enjoy this phase. This is a great time to really enjoy what your body can do. Often times, this phase is accompanied by a ton of success and new feelings of self-worth around your abilities vs. your body image. This is a very fun time for all.

PLATEAU WARNING – 2 types of plateaus happen here for 2 distinct types of athletes: 1. Inability to Erase – you’re unwilling to learn new things. Often times accompanied by “________ told me _____” or “I saw _____ online.” and 2. Learning to Push – THIS IS A HUGE STEP. Your coaches will focus largely on your comfort and success in the Noob phase. This is an important step in trust-building. Towards the end of this phase, your coaches will push the outer limits of your comfort level – you may be surprised that they’re no longer making exceptions for you. This is because they know you’re ready to move on to the next phase.

2. Building Phase. 18mo-3yrs

Rhianna has summed up the main focus of this phase nicely: WORK WORK WORK WORK WORK. You have all the terminology, understand the basic motor patterns of nearly all movements, your barbell math is on point, and have a clear understanding of the progressions. Now, you just need to WORK HARD. The two main components of the Building Phase are:

1.  Know Thyself – You should now have a general idea of your max lifts, where you are in the pull-up progressions, double under progressions, etc. You’ll begin to pay closer attention to weight percentages and intended adaptations to various workouts. You’ll know how hard you can push it in a conditioning workout. You may also begin to recognize some workouts that you could potentially “Rx” – but this is not the end goal here.

2. Put in the Work – This is that intangible aspect of your fitness. You can do 10-15 double unders but generally don’t use them during workouts because they’re…well…really frustrating. You may consistently see yourself at the top of levels B or C and you’re wondering if it’s time to bump up.

PLATEAU WARNING – I won’t sugar coat it. This phase is uncomfortable. But, the good news is that you’ve developed consistent habits in the previous phase. You’ve readjusted your schedule, developed relationships with your coaches, and have trust in the process. That’s the hardest part! Now, it’s time to dig deep.

3. Exploration #1 3yrs-6yrs

You Rx most workouts in your respective level. You work hard in classes, you may read training blogs online, you probably own your own jump rope, weightlifting shoes, and have 10 shaker bottles. You understand terms like “meso-cycle”, “perceived rate of exertion”, and “total training volume.” You may have even considered becoming a coach. This phase is defined by 3 main components:

1. Complexity – You’re drawn to workouts that are complex in structure, movement, or weight. Often times heavier and higher-skilled workouts are given exertional preference over seemingly “simple” workouts. You may say things like “active recovery” to workouts you perceive as below your current athletic ability. 2-a-days may be a thought here.

2. Externalization – You’ve moved beyond the building phase (where coaching holds the highest value). Now, you begin to look outside yourself & your coaches for your further progression. Here are a couple key indicators of athletes in this phase:

• “Is there a competitor’s/RX+ option?”
• “I need to do a ______ cycle”
• Hatch, Smolov, Smolov Jr, German Volume Training, Russian Squat Program, Westside Conjugate
• Invictus, Lynchpin, Monster Mash, The Outlaw Way, OPEX, etc
• “______’s programming isn’t enough volume for me.”
• Instagram and Facebook become sources of training advice/programs.

3. Not-Applicable – You’ll zone out during warm-ups and movement instruction; tuning out the cues you’ve heard over the last several years. It becomes difficult to distinguish between movement review and decipher how it could possibly apply to you. You’ve done 10,000 dead lifts – what more could you possibly learn? At this point, you feel the need to get to lifting heavier and for more reps.

BIG PLATEAU WARNING – for those of you that have put in all the work to get to this phase – CONGRATULATIONS. This is a huge milestone. Remember, there are no value statements associated with this phase – it’s a normal progression. Unfortunately, this is – by far – the hardest phase to push through. Often times, one of two things happen here: Burnout and Injury. Burnout and injury are primarily caused by the “externalization” experienced in this phase. Athletes typically look to the more tangible aspects of fitness – weight lifted, programming style, complexity of movement – instead of looking in the mirror for more impactful, but less tangible, aspects of fitness – sleep, recovery, nutrition, stress. Failure to address the intangibles will inevitably result in a complete standstill at this phase.

4. Back to Basics – 6yrs-7yrs

You stop looking externally and take a very honest look in the mirror. This is a hard phase to go through, but you likely have a strong base of movement that will allow to push through this one fairly quickly. Hopefully, you didn’t experience injury or burnout leading up to this phase but rather arrived here through a plateau in performance or declining favorable body composition outcomes.

This phase is marked by the following:

1. Obsession with motor patterns – you realize that your crappy air squat turns into a crappy back squat. No Hatch Squat Program will fix this. You re-visit your noob phase. You zero in on the med ball cleans being done leading up to touching a barbell. Weight is an afterthought – speed and ideal movement patterns are what you care about here; down to the smallest aspect of movement connectivity. Here are some common indicators in this phase:

• “How does my default push-up affect my muscle up?”
• “Where do my eyes go when I lift?”
• “How do my default everyday positions (sitting, standing, texting, typing) affect my performance?”

2. The other 23 – you understand that you need to begin eating, sleeping, working, and recovering like an athlete. This means avoiding alcohol, eating reasonably, and getting plenty of sleep. These factors impact your performance to a much larger degree than anything you did in phase #3.

3. Re-Coachable – you’ve emerged from Phase 3 and newly understand the value of the experts at your disposal. You realize that, just as you are the expert in your respective field through countless repetitions, so are your coaches. Your consummate desire to move better means you understand and respond to the cues given during warm-ups and movement prep. You may even seek out undivided attention to push through some plateaus.

PLATEAU WARNING – Consider yourself in the “Noob” phase once again. You’re re-learning and correcting bad habits both inside and outside the gym. The same warning applies – now’s the time to apply your corrected brilliance with basics toward hard work and new goals.

5. Exploration #2 – 7yrs+

Now, you’re ready to re-visit complexity and higher training volumes. The only difference is that it’s no longer arbitrary exploration or complexity or volume – it’s for a purpose. You find yourself being “up for whatever”, not looking at the workouts, and no longer externalizing programming as not being suitable for your level of athleticism. You probably re-visit your gym’s regular programming. You fall back in love with fun, simple, classic workouts. You show up to the gym as a blank slate everyday ready to use your body functionally and with intent. You’re eating like a responsible, athletic adult, getting plenty of sleep, and using those things to inform your training plan. This phase is marked by two things:

1. FUN – you enjoy the challenge of a workout. Your time/weight/reps on a given day really don’t matter. This doesn’t mean that you can’t turn it on, however – you have wisdom to know when to hold ’em and know when to fold ’em. You can access your various mental capacities at a moment’s notice.

2. Goal time – it’s probably been quite some time since you’ve verbalized a goal. It’s very important that you do so in this phase. Sign up for an event, tell a training buddy, and put in the unwavering work necessary to get there.

PLATEAU WARNING – There aren’t many carrots or sticks in this phase. You’ll need to create them yourself. It’s highly important that you put your goals in your calendar and really stretch yourself. You probably haven’t written a difficult, self-improvement goal down since your “Building Phase.” Up until this point your goals have probably looked like “Get a muscle up”, “Squat ____”, etc. Now, you need to do something pretty far outside your comfort zone. Something that requires 16-20 weeks of training. You need something to look toward.

Bonus Phase – Pay it Forward.

It’s easy to get all up in your head throughout this journey. Internally focused on your own circumstance, (dis)abilities, schedule, finances, a coach you don’t like, a crappy day…whatever. If you find yourself at a plateau throughout any of this, the quickest and easiest way out is to help someone else. High-five them, ask them how they’re doing, and be a light in their life. “I”, “me”, and “my” is a dangerous road to travel down – in all aspects of your life. Help someone on their journey and it will surely push you along in your’s.

“That’s crazy. I could never do it.”

After interactions with well over 4,000 people along their fitness journey, I’ve heard literally every reason why someone can’t do this or that. Honestly, there’s not much new under the sun. The unfortunate fact of the matter is most people have resolved to fail something before ever trying it. It’s unfortunate, but true. Instead of trying for the thousandth time to talk someone down, let’s just face it head on. Yes – CrossFit is scary. Hell, life is scary. Here are some reasons why.

1. You’ll try something new.

My lovely wife just bought me a new watch. When it came, it was just a tad too big, so I had to go get some links removed. I had to go to a wonderfully helpful local jeweler to complete this task. I’ll be honest – the minute I walked in the door I knew I didn’t belong in there.

One of the benefits of owning your own businesses is that you set the dress code. For me, this is the same 10 t-shirts and a rotating stock of 10 pairs of shorts every week. I was obviously not dressed to be in this store. I stood out like a sore thumb. Amidst all the jet-setting wives picking out their next $20,000 piece of bling, there was me – flat-brimmed hat, t-shirt, and Reebok sweatpants.

Needless to say, the security guard had eyes on me from Jump Street. My number was passed over by multiple attendants. It was the most out-of-place I’ve ever felt. But – that’s because it was A NEW EXPERIENCE. After that first exposure, the next time will be much easier. And the time after that – it’ll be old hat.

Just because it’s fitness and exercise doesn’t mean that you won’t have some first-time jitters. You have them for anything. It goes away after 2-3 times through the door. But understand it’s not the exercise method, brand, or style. It’s simply the fact that you’re trying something new. New things are always scary – scary helps you grow. Embrace it.

2. You’ll be using your body…

And all the baggage that comes with it. And – trust me – there’s a lot. Past feelings of physical abilities, looking in the mirror, being picked last (or first) at recess. It’s all out there. This is probably one of the biggest areas that hamstrings people from starting up a healthful habit. Past feelings are just too much to deal with.

I’m not going to try and talk you out of this baggage. In fact, I advocate that you embrace it. But, more powerfully, I encourage you to embrace the baggage of others. It’s so easy to try something new and replay the broken record in your head of: You don’t understand my situation. I was born with _____. Everyone will be looking at me. 

We’ve heard it all. The path forward is clear: No more “I’s” “me’s” and “my’s.” Think “how,” “why,” and “when.” That’s where you’ll find success.

3. But the people are in such good shape.

Yes. They all woke up that way. No one ever put in hard work, planned their meals, or had been grinding it out for years. They were all born with chiseled bodies and an uncanny athletic ability. Seriously?

Since diving head first in this industry, I’ve found it quite interesting that there are essentially two types of marketing imagery in fitness: Fitness Models and Actual Members of a Gym. Wouldn’t you prefer to be a part of a gym that actually delivers results instead of one that pays models who have never stepped foot in the facility?

It’s an ironic juxtaposition, no doubt; people are more intimidated by a gym that delivers results.

4. But the women are so…

They’re what? Strong? Capable? Confident? More concerned about what they’re body can do than what it looks like?

Yes. Those are all true.

5. I know a guy who ____ at a CrossFit gym.

Here’s the deal: CrossFit is an affiliate business model. One CrossFit affiliate is as similar to another as one restaurant is to another – they both serve food. But, beyond that, just about everything is different.

Programming, community, coaching, cleanliness, business systems, cost, quality, members. All different.

I knew a guy who got food poisoning at a restaurant. Are they all dishing out e Coli on the daily? Of course not. We’re all smart enough to understand nuance in nearly every area of life – don’t throw your blinders on with your health and wellness. Do some research.

Here’s the funny thing about how scary CrossFit can be – never has anyone tried it at The Hill and still felt that way. Give it a shot. It could absolutely not be for you – it’s certainly not for everyone. But at least you gave it a shot. Trust me – you’ll be glad you tried something new.

There’s no secret here – organized and recreational sports are the most dangerous physical activity – by a long shot.

The statistics are staggering – Approximately 2 million annual injuries, dozens of deaths, and 1/2 million doctors’ visits.

With competition comes an inherent risk of injury. It’s the nature of competitive sport – pushing oneself to whatever limits it takes to win. There are also catastrophic contact injuries that simply can’t be avoided. For the purpose of this discussion, I’d like to explore those injuries that are related to overuse, poor mechanics, and super-specialization. Things like knee injuries, nagging lower back pain, and shoulder/elbow overuse.

Furthermore, we see the prevalence of injuries increase significantly as athletes sub-specialize for multiple back-to-back seasons. This becomes a necessary exercise as programs become increasingly more competitive. Athletes need to get more sport-specific hours under their belts to remain competitive.

By paying special attention to off-season training, coaches have the ability to buffer injury risk significantly in their athletes. Here are some key elements of an injury-prevention focused training program:

1. Posterior Strength

Most knee injuries are caused by chronic fatigue combined with under-developed hamstrings and glutes. Exercises such as the back squat, good morning, Romanian dead lift, and single-leg squat variations should be a staple of any sport strength and conditioning program.

2. Full Range of Motion

If you’ve spent any amount of time in a high school weight room, you’ll see it quickly becomes a “how much weight can you move in front of your friends” contest. Weight on the barbell takes precedence over proper range of motion and mechanics. Come game time, the athlete will undoubtedly be forced through full range of motion. If the athlete failed to train and strengthen that range, injury occurs.

3. Mirror Your Sport in Strength Training

What does a single play or period of your sport look like? Is it 20 minutes of consistent effort or 9 seconds of intensity and power? Your training should look a lot like your sport. If you’re an offensive lineman or a volleyball defensive specialist, you probably shouldn’t be training like a cross-country athlete. Replicate the speed and power of play in your training so you both perform well and prevent injury when forced into the appropriate intensity level.

4. “Un-Specialize” for a Season

As we mentioned before, today’s athletes need to specialize to remain competitive. But, with super-speciality comes a nearly 2x risk of injury. Take a season to un-specialize and get involved in a strength and conditioning program that looks like your sport. You’ll come back revived, refreshed, and – likely – a better specialized athlete.

5. Focus on Mobility

Athletes use their bodies to the fullest. Therefore, it’s increasingly more important that athletes recover fully. This means stretching, breathing, soft tissue, and other mobility work. Remember: competition will expose how you train. Don’t let game time be the first time you’re forced to consider mobility.

6. Prioritize the Midline

Aside from paper football, nearly any athletic movement originates form the midline – or core – and radiates outward. Passing a football, blocking a volleyball, and swinging a golf club all require force to start in the core and move outward. Offseason strength and conditioning exercises should give priority to movements that require midline stability as well.

7. Don’t Wait Until It’s too Late

We’ve written a lot about the lagging indicator – consequences both good and bad always reveal themselves after an action is taken. In the case of youth and high school athletes, this is gospel. By nature, student athletes’ bodies are bulletproof and full of hormones – often giving the impression that any given strength and conditioning program is effective and safe. But, the marker of a good strength and conditioning program is often seen when those athletes hit their late 20s and early 30s. A 17-year old body can get really strong with minimal effort and can probably buffer some bad form and remain injury-free. HOWEVER, come gametime – in the heat of competition – we see the actual effectiveness of the program. Priority must be given to form and function.

8. SLEEP AND EAT

Similar to the lagging indicator is the false sense of effectiveness when it comes to diet and sleep patterns. Again – from the outside – it appears as though the student athlete is strong and able, regardless of sleep and dietary habits. It’s unlikely that the athlete will appear overweight or tired. But the fact of the matter is that the athlete may be leaving a tremendous amount of performance on the table while increasing their risk of injury by ignoring this important elements of athletic life.