The British cycling team – once a team known for being unknown, recently took the world by storm, becoming champions at the Olympics and produced multiple winners of the Tour de France.
But their accomplishments aren’t the interesting part. What’s remarkable is what they did to get there. Simply put – They improved everything they did by 1%.
Too small to matter
Individually, doing something just 1% better does not matter. What does matter though, is doing everything 1% better for multiple years. It adds up. In the case of the cycling team, it took them from nobodies to the dominant force in their sport.
Doing things like tying a double knot on your shoelaces so you don’t trip, bringing lip chap to a competition, washing your hands more thoroughly, cleaning your climbing shoes the night before a competition, or even using sunscreen when you go outside are small things that eventually snowball.
On their own, they don’t make a huge difference. But when years go by and you haven’t been sick as often compared to your competitors or you’re more focused during training, 1% gains start to reveal themselves.
We often fall into the trap of thinking success comes in the form of “breakthroughs”. I’m often a victim of this mentality when I claim my success began the day I won Youth Nationals in 2016. In reality, my success began the day I decided to sweat the small stuff. It was when I started eating healthier and paying closer attention to recovery that I started down the path to success that ultimately led me to that event in 2016.
The Champion’s mindset
When the COVID pandemic was first starting, many athletes at the gym didn’t care. They still ate trail mix with their chalky hands and sneezed into their palm. But when you think about hygiene as it translates to more high quality training sessions, you start to convert into the champion’s mindset:
There’s no such thing as a “non-essential”.
When you decide to be a champion, your breakfast becomes an opportunity to overtake the competition. So does your wardrobe, and your skin care routine, and your transportation to the gym.
You don’t need to do a complete overhaul of your life. You just need to care about the things other people don’t. That’s what being a champion really means.
Sure, we want to know what Shauna Coxsey’s training schedule is or Adam Ondra’s meal plan, but that’s not where you’re going to find the information you care about. Like I said before, breakthroughs don’t just happen. By adopting Shauna’s schedule, you aren’t going to all of a sudden win a major event. You probably already had a really good schedule that was working well for you. What’s more valuable to know is what her nighttime routine is, or the contents of her gym bag. Maybe you want to know what time she usually gets to the gym or why she wears what she does when she gets there.
Changing your schedule or diet is just one piece of the puzzle. The smaller, 1% pieces actually make up a lot more of the picture. You need to have the champion’s mindset of constant iterative improvement in the overlooked things. If you’re playing the long game, that’s the best investment you could possibly make.
What You Can Do
1% gains are really easy to do on their own. Because they’re so small, they become little habits that you don’t even notice yourself doing. Now, committing an entire lifestyle to micro-improvements is a bit of a step, but you don’t need to take it all at once. Ease into it, adopt one at a time.
Here are a few that I do to get you started:
- Always pair nut butter with a fruit snack
- Turn off electronics one hour before bed
- Take email off of your phone
- Always wear a chalk bag or Quik Hitter
- Run in indoor tracks only
- Arrive early for sessions
This post was originally published on PodiumPartner.com.