No One Way

MUSINGS FROM A COACH - 18 FEBRUARY '26

I just returned from 5 days down at the US Olympic Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. We had many National Team athletes and their coaches there getting annual medical and performance tests done. The group also had presentations from USOPC's Sports Psych, Physiologist and Dietician.

We also had an outside Open Water Swim expert with decades of experience at the LA28 Olympic Triathlon venue up there with us. He'll be at different camps with the Olympic and Paralympic National Team athletes this year, next year and leading up to the Games.

Needless to say, if you know me, I loved every minute of the trip. Seeing old friends, meeting new coaches and athletes and learning from the best in the business (the USOPC Staff), pumps me up. :)

So what's the difference between what you read in an article by a coach, and expert in their field or even a lab study versus spending 1v1 time with a USOPC Physiologist, Sport Psych, Dietician or Strength & Conditioning staff member? What do conversations between those world-class brains and world-class athletes sound like? How are they different?

In one word, "Individualized". There really is no "one way" of doing things. There are no training regiments that any two athletes do the same. There's no mental exercises, tools or mantras that are the same for everyone. Heat adaptation and altitude training for one athlete may look very different for another athlete. And food and supplements for one athlete might be completely different for another.

So at the top of sport, we have these highly educated professionals with years of education who are charged with giving the best USA athletes, the best advice in the world. What makes them different is their application of this advice to these athletes living in the real world. They've taken the data and figured out what to apply and what not to apply based on real life scenarios for each athlete. This is super important for me to convey: Just because a medical study says one thing doesn't mean these professionals apply that information to everyone - or even anyone. Just because this staff learns what other countries do successfully doesn't mean it will work for their US athletes. And every athlete is individual and requires that individual attention and assessment. It's pretty cool to watch them work.

So what might this mean for all of us mere mortals? I think we should follow the lead of those USOPC Staff professionals and apply their philosophy of individualism by asking ourselves:

- Does this apply to me?

- "Why" am I thinking I need this?

- With my athletic history, ability, age, time-to-train and goals, is this the correct path?

All of these require all of us to continue to be self-aware. The more we know about ourselves, both physically and mentally, the better we can answer those questions and make the best choices that work for us.  

Gratefully,

Mark

CEO Team MPI