Pro sports are dotted with genetically blessed men and women who win the trophies and medals, but pro and amateur athletes alike are finding that top performance requires more than working hard. They’re stacking nutrition, sleep, and mental prep on top of training and practice on the field, court, or slopes.
Alabama Athletics performance director David Ballou has said that his best tip for young athletes is to properly fuel the body, eating four or five times a day and choosing the right foods. “A lot of people work hard, but it’s the people…who stack nutrition, sleep, and hydration on top of each other…those are the ones that separate from the other people.”1
Hard work? Michael Phelps, the most decorated athlete in Olympic history (65 Gold medals), was known to never skip a day of training. According to coach Bob Bowman, Phelps swam 13 kilometers (8 miles) a day, six or seven days a week, spending 5-6 hours in the pool. His diet? Phelps consumed 8,000–10,000 calories a day, starting with a breakfast that might include three or four egg-and-cheese sandwiches, plus an omelet, French toast, grits, pancakes, and two cups of coffee.
Beyond the protein and carbs that fueled his training, Phelps believed that recovery was “pivotal,” using ice baths, massage, and stretching to aid recovery—and prioritizing sleep. He aimed for 8 hours a night and took 2- or 3-hour afternoon naps when training intensely.2
Tom Brady stacked mental preparation on top of drills with his team. Adopting the practice from coach Bill Belichick, Brady’s “superpower” relied on hours of film analysis to spot the habits and weaknesses of opposing teams. “He focused on…defensive players’ tendencies, body language, and “telltale signs,” sometimes watching for 4–5 hours… .”3 Brady’s knowledge of the other team’s defenses allowed for rapid mental processing, predicting plays, and moving swiftly downfield, even though he’s been described as a “Clydesdale” when he runs.4
Just as Brady looked for weaknesses in opponents, others have made “deliberate practice” a key part of training, consistently targeting weaknesses rather than repeating the skills already mastered. Jordan’s trainer, Tim Grover, has said that Michael Jordan was clear about his strengths and weaknesses and focused on turning weaknesses into strengths. In doing so, Jordan’s game continually evolved until he became the greatest of all time.5
An analogy to the “stacking” concept, the Great Britain Cycling Team achieved unprecedented success under Performance Director, Sir David Brailsford, who adopted a “marginal gains” strategy—improving 1% across nutrition, equipment, and training. The team focused on identifying weaknesses and making “minute changes in equipment, training routines, diet, and even personal hygiene practices.”6 Brailsford’s holistic approach was validated when British riders won the Tour de France six times between 2012 and 2018.
Brailsford’s philosophy can extend beyond cycling.7 Be it sport, finance, productivity, or professional advancement, deliberate actions shape results. A serious commitment to excellence, to making incremental improvements in every facet of a process, is key to a leap in performance, moving one closer to the ultimate goal.
- x.com/challenger_st/status/2040980825555038483?s=43&t=e2gg_mw9oHxSyIF8_3iq2A
- olympics.com/en/news/michael-phelps-training-regimen-workut-diet
- theguardian.com/sport/2017/feb/03/tom-brady-patriots-game-film-belichick-study
- foxsports.com/stories/nfl/tom-brady-admits-he-ran-like-a-clydesdale-at-the-combine-in-2000
- x.com/challenger_st/status/2041140260508233777?s=43
- www.waywedo.com/blog/marginal-gains-strategy/
- bbc.com/news/magazine-34247629