Intro
I’ve learned a lot through sport and fitness, from coaching others to competing in races. I’ve swam from a young age, played football, started coached swimmers at 17 and eventually coached clients in CrossFit, PT and online for the past 10 years. In between then I’ve trained at CrossFit, competed in weightlifting, in IronMan and learned from hundreds of people around me.
I started gathering some thoughts on things I’ve learned over time. It’s not exhaustive and I plan to continuously add to it. But if I don’t post it now then I may never will as I don’t think it’ll ever be complete. My aim is that you can dip in and out of reading these. They’re in a random order, something may relate to nutrition, then physical learnings and then mental learnings, before jumping into relationships. I’d love to hear which ones reasonate with you the most.
Let's go
1. You never/rarely regret a workout - 99% of the time we only ever regret missing a workout or training session. I had never in here but it’s such a strong word.
2. Intensity can be your best friend and your biggest enemy. Choose it wisely.
3. Exercise fixes broken hearts. Most breakups are solved through exercise.
4. Leave your ego at the door, for every sport. Egos are fragile. They prevent learning and are bad for culture.
5. It’s not worth it to sacrifice your health for work. Many I coached who did had a tough journey back. Rewarding but getting started was hard. There are many who don’t start that journey.
6. There will always be someone faster than you. Don’t get too cocky
7. Keep it simple. The exercises, the programme, all of it.
8. Never trust someone/a coach who promises to know everything.
9. Getting started is the hardest part, tie your shoes.
10. Most people don’t hydrate. Hydration is key. Electrolytes help.
11. You won’t get big by just lifting weights. Many people worried about this.
12. 80/20 rule, Pareto’s principle. Works for nutrition, works for exercise structure and it applies to most things in your life.
13. Babies and toddlers have great squat technique. Most adults suck, especially those who sit all day. Work on it often.
14. All things are hard before they are easy.
15. Couch to 5k is a great programme for people who do not run. I’ve seen a friend go from smoking and no exercise to couch to 5k to Ironman.
16. Start low and build slow. Too many people try to jump straight into it. You need to walk before you can run and crawl before you can walk.
17. Stress + Rest = Growth (see Steve Magness / Brad Stulberg)
18. You don’t need to warm up to run, running is the warm up. Start slow and build.
19. Stress is stress. Work, life, high intensity in the gym. It’s all stress. Manage accordingly and balance it.
20. What get’s measured get’s managed. Gaining weight can be hard. Losing weight can be hard. Both require a measured approach. If you want to save money you’d track spending, so do the same with calories
21. We neglect our parasympathetic nervous system because we seek stress and dopamine hits. Make time to “activate” it.
22. Good ideas don’t happen sitting at a desk. We process thoughts on walks.
23. 8,000-10,000 steps feels like a good base. I still can’t find the source for 10,000 but it makes the day better.
24. Maybe we should have more walking 1-1 meetings and catch ups. Things that don’t need screens. Let the conversation flow.
25. CrossFit helped build a better me after one breakup. IronMan made a better mental me after another. You find what you need when you most need it.
26. The best time to start was yesterday. The second best time is now. Don’t delay, you don’t need to “ready”.
27. Float day recovery. Plan your recovery day for say Thursday but be flexible and open to moving it around. Maybe you’re feeling good and when it comes around you move it to Friday or don’t take the day, or maybe you’re overly tired on Tuesday and you bring it forward. More flexibility and less guilt.
28. Trust is key to success. Trust from a client or athlete in the coach opens the door and gets buy-in for teamwork and growth. Without trust it two forces pulling in opposite directions.
29. During workouts it’s only you, your thoughts and what you’re exercising at. That time to process is what heals. No screens, no social media, no other voices giving opinions.
30. Most people under fuel before sessions and over eat after. Eat to recover and nourish, but you’re not necessarily entitled to whatever you want. Your intake should match your goals.
31. Desks are bad. They’re not evil but they’re bad. People in their mid 30s moving like they’re in their 80s from sitting all day. You can sit but should also stand and should move frequently.
32. Good coaches can simplify a message, explaining as if to a 5 year old. Less knowledgable coaches will over share with jargon and complexity.
33. Try to eat protein at every meal. This small, mindful, change can make a difference.
34. Consistency is everything. Turning up every day, even in a small way, keeps momentum.
35. Gyms, running groups and sports clubs are great places to meet people, friends or partners. Like minded doing things they mutually like. Build a circle or even find a partner for life.
36. Consistency compounds. Compounding is true for exercises the same way it is for savings. Small deposits daily, over long periods of time, reaps huge rewards.
37. No need to be a hero. You don’t need heroics to get better. No heroic workouts. Usually they are the ones that set you back rather than push you forward.
38. If you want to go far, go together. Find a community, a coach or a partner. Training with people is more enjoyable, it’s mentally easier and it will develop you as an athlete and person.
39. Accountability promotes consistency. We do things for others more than we do for ourselves. It’s much harder to let someone else down than it is to let ourselves down.
40. Put on your shoes. The hardest part of going for a run is putting on your shoes. Complete this step. Then aim to do 10-15mins. 99% of the time you will continue for the rest of the session. 1% of the time you might call it a day after 15mins and that’s ok.
41. The same applies for other sports. Take this concept and apply it to all. Getting started is always the hardest part, the most resistance. It’s a snowball effect.
42. You can workout and be a parent but it takes discipline and teamwork. I had a couple who did PT together. Then they had a newborn and a growing family. Dad came to morning classes, mum to evening classes. It worked for them.
43. Too many people focus on supplements first. Get the other 99% right before you worry about the 1%. Focus on sleep, nutrition and movement. Then refine.
44. One hot day doesn’t make a summer. Equally, one bad training session won’t make you shit, the same way one good session doesn’t make you an Olympian.
45. It’s a great time to get off your phone. The beauty of running, cycling, pilates classes etc., is that you will be off your phone. It’s 30-60mins for you, nobody messaging, no social media. The same can be said for the gym but nowadays the phone comes to the gym and it’s an added distraction between sets.
46. Exercise outside as often as you possible, it’s good for your head.
47. A swim is for the body, a dip is for the soul. Does a dip in the sea count as exercise? If not, it’s worth noting because it feels good for the head and the soul.
48. Sauna is great but it’s additional. You can’t replace exercise with the sauna.
49. You can exercise every day, you don’t need a full day off lying on the couch. What matters is intensity, this dictates your ability to exercise daily.
50. Walking is almost disguised exercise and it’s great for recovery. Long walks built into lunch time or commutes can work wonders.
51. Mobility is great but useless without strength. Find a balance and incorporate both. Muscles and joints need to be supple and mobile but also strong.
52. Don’t be distracted by shiny gimmicks. Weird ab machines, expensive recovery protocols or 20minute fat burning magical protocols.
53. Some gyms can be $30 per month and you’ll never go or enjoy it. Some can be $250 per month but have a community, coaches, classes and you’ll love it and go every day. Here, the $250 is worth it. You will get value, this is not expensive per se.
54. It’s a great metaphor for life. What you put in is what you will get out. Work and effort lead to results.
55. Be weary of the supplement industry, first focus on daily nutrition, then add where necessary.
56. Don’t judge others choices of exercise as inferior without knowing all of the information. Your CrossFit is not necessarily greater than someone else’s pilates. Your gym session doesn’t make you better than someone’s run session. As long as someone is exercising that’s better than not. Each to their own
57. Discipline over motivation. Rarely you will have motivation to workout. This is why discipline is greater than motivation. Usually in the middle of a session, there’ll be a little spark of motivation because of that discipline that pushes you further.
58. Just start it. Just do it. It really is as simple as Nike’s famous just do it slogan. In fact, it’s even more simple. Just start it.
59. A lot of people think they start think their why is to “lose weight and tone up”. When they dig deeper they find out what their real why is. This is what brings them back day after day
60. There’s a certain type of person who trains at 5:30am vs 7:30am. But both can be high achievers. And coming earlier doesn’t make you better, just likely to get less sleep.
61. How you do anything is how you do everything. There are people who skip reps to appear to finish first vs people who do every rep and still push to the end. Do every rep, you always win in the end.
62. Comparison is the thief of joy. Always. You can use others as inspiration and motivation. Use them to help you improve. But your genetics are different. Your journey is different. Don’t compare your bench press to someone else’s. Your 5k time to someone else’s. Enjoy becoming better.
63. Be better than yesterday. A mantra I’ve developed over time. When I get carried away it brings me back to focusing on today and simply being a little better than yesterday.
64. It’s not the shoes or your gear, but your work ethic to consistently do. Better yoga pants won’t make you more flexible but going to yoga will.
65. However, it’s nice to have nice gear and now and again you should treat yourself. Because it will help you to feel good and maybe make it a little easier to get started that day.
66. You are the average of the 5 people you surround yourself with. Strong people will make you stronger. Fit people will make you fitter. Disciplined people will make you better. But most of all, find people who lift you up and encourage each other.
67. Exercise in Ireland in winter can be really hard. Dark, cold and wet mornings are not easy and motivation tends to be low. You must find a way to make it easier and use accountability to your advantage.
68. Make it easy. Prepare your clothes the night before. Find a gym on your commute or close to home or the office. Have your bike ready.
69. The argument of strength vs endurance is childish. Both are required. If you want to be independent in your 80s, carry your own shopping, go to the toilet by yourself, walk to town and play with grandchildren, then squat, lift, push, pull, run, walk, bike and most of all move.
70. You can always change what you do. I’ve been a swimmer. I’ve been a cross fitter. An IronMan and a gym goer. I’ve hated run and loved the freedom it brings. I’ve obsessed over the gym and weights going up and I’ve hated the claustrophobia and monotony of it. Do what you enjoy that makes you move. Now and again, do a little of what you don’t enjoy but know is good for you and that you need.
71. Walking helps relieve anxiety. So does most forms of exercise but a 5k walk is blissful.
72. Exercise helps to promote better sleep. But try not to exercise too late. Otherwise you might find it has the opposite effect.
73. Social media sessions are usually not what you need to be doing.
74. Most influencers are not good coaches. They simply have good genetics that drive their photos to the top 1% of the algorithm. They tend to be unable to coach others or lack the knowledge to. The best football managers were generally not the best players, the same tends to carry into coaching in many other sports and in fitness. Sometimes even in business.
75. Be Better than yesterday. I try to be 1% better today than yesterday. It can be in anything. Maybe it's waking up earlier, maybe it's meditating instead of not, or maybe it's lifting 1kg heavier than before. Just trying to take a step forward
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