4 Traits Of An Everyday Athlete

At the bottom of my CV, there’s a sentence I've got in the hobbies and interests section.

I’m an everyday athlete who likes competing in various races such as Hyrox and running.

I’ve been asked a few times what this means. My answer is as follows:

Someone who pursues athletic feats commonly reserved for full-time professionals.

Fast-growing sports such as Hyrox allow trained individuals to qualify for a World Championships because the sport is still relatively new and most of the top athletes (the Elite 15) are amateurs like the rest of us.

This has created insight into the inner workings of such athletes' lifestyles through their social media.

Alexander Rončević, the 2024 World Champion, is a school teacher. Many of his other competitors are coaches or have their own businesses which allow them to prioritise their training.

For someone like myself who works 9–5 in an engineering role, key aspects of my daily life promote the everyday athlete lifestyle.

Act Like A Black Belt

There’s a phrase thrown about the self-development space related to martial arts — white belt mentality.

This way of learning is fundamental to progressing through the ranks, ultimately becoming a blackbelt. It all starts with an innate sense of curiosity.

I love this because I remember being a white belt in taekwondo when I was 10. All I wanted to do was kick the pads with as much power as I could and get better at my moves.

As coloured belt students, we were always encouraged to behave like a black belt would even if we didn’t have one.

For example, sitting correctly or addressing the instructors as “sir” or “miss”.

Unbeknownst to me, I was developing discipline.

When I became a black belt myself, my aforementioned desire to become better never waned — it intensified.

The level of expectation on you increased, your depth of knowledge grew as well as your responsibilities.

As everyday athletes, we must embody these same characteristics.

Expectation — what can you achieve in a day/week/year?
Knowledge — what do you learn from each training session?
Responsibilities — who requires me to be turning up at my best?

You Must Do This As Hard As You Train

LeBron James is known for prioritising sleep.

He aims for 8–9 hours a night, sometimes even 10. If he misses out on this he adds in naps in the afternoon.

An athlete at the most elite level of support understands the seriousness of getting enough sleep.

While you might not be an NBA basketball player, you’re quite possibly someone who wants to succeed in your professional life as well as your athletic endeavours.

This means placing a large focus on recovery.

A few non-negotiables I have around recovery are as follows:

Sleep — 8 hours per night
Sauna — 2 or 3x per week for 15 minutes
Flexibility/Stretching — 2 or 3x per week for 30 minutes
Cold Water Exposure — post sauna or long endurance session

Eat Like An Adult

This one complements the above.

The correct nutrition is going to benefit your recovery.

There’s been a bit of confusion in the fitness space whereby carbs and fats have been vilified at various points with protein reigning supreme as the number 1 macronutrient.

What this has resulted in is protein becoming a buzzword for branding and marketing.

Every supermarket now seems to sell protein *insert food of your choice*.

It’s great there is more awareness around protein however most of these products require more processing to raise the protein content. In some cases, the high protein option is greater in calories than the normal version.

Instead, your focus should be on the quality of your food — fresh, whole and minimally processed.

It’s also essential to ensure you’re taking on an appropriate amount of carbs (especially if your focus is on endurance) and fats (essential for everyday function).

Be Like Ross From Friends

In one of the most iconic scenes, Ross, Chandler and Rachel are lifting the couch to Ross’ new apartment. They get stuck resulting in Ross’ famous line:

Pivot, Pivot, Pivot

The ability to change on the fly is going to increase your resilience.

While training for a double ultra, I experienced a foot injury that caused intense pain and trouble walking never mind running.

Instead of missing important sessions, they were replaced by the equivalent time on the bike.

The easy way out would’ve been to admit defeat and let the injury win however when your goals are big the needle still needs to be kept moving forward.

In Summary

Changing your mindset will change the way you behave.

When becoming an everyday athlete, you put more and more scrutiny on how you live your life.

In essence, you develop greater levels of self-awareness. How each action you take reflects across your life. Turning up for a session under-recovered might rinse you before you head to work, for example.

The everyday athlete mindset is the foundation work required to ensure you set out to achieve the ambitious goals you set for yourself.

If you enjoyed this, please share it on your stories.

Or send it to someone who will enjoy it.

Speak soon!