Maximal vs Marginal: The Big Drivers of Performance

In the world of endurance sports, it’s easy to get caught up chasing marginal gains and the “special sauce”. But the truth is, the biggest improvements come from nailing the basics: consistency, sleep, fueling, and recovery.

The best training plan isn’t the most complicated one—it’s the one you can execute consistently and effectively. In an industry filled with optimization strategies and "the next best...", there is a lot to be said for maximal gains, and there are only a few of them.

1. Consistency Over Complexity – Plan the work, work the plan. Be consistent and don’t overcomplicate things.

​Green Days. No, not like the band. Consistent, accurate, and intentional training days. Doing the work on the plan.

Dialed and focused sessions yield more substantial results over time than sporadic, big training sessions. Speaking from the perspective of a coach, we just want you to follow the plan first. This principle applies not only to training but is proven across various aspects of your life, including business growth, personal development, and school. By consistently engaging in the routine, even if it is simplified or modified, we can build sustainable habits that lead to significant improvements over time.

By prioritizing consistency and minimizing the Activation Energy it takes to get your workouts done, we can avoid the pitfalls of overcomplicating a training plan and focus on steady, incremental progress. This strategy not only elevates performance over the arc of time but also creates a sustainable and enjoyable training experience.

2. Prioritizing Sleep – How improving sleep quality and duration directly enhance recovery, performance, and health.

Not much needs to be said about sleep. Sleep is one of the most critical factors for athletic performance, recovery, and overall well-being. It directly impacts muscular repair, hormonal balance, immune function, and cognitive performance. Here’s why it matters and how valuable it is across the board:

• Muscle Recovery & Growth 
• Improved Reaction Time & Focus 
• Hormonal Balance & Energy Levels 
• Immune System Support 
• Injury Prevention 

How Much Sleep is Ideal?

For normal, active people, you’ll find the recommended amount of sleep is in the 7-8 hours range. For high-level athletes or during heavy training phases, 8-10 hours may often be ideal. Now, this will certainly vary, and there are always natural differences in what is sufficient for everyone, but the point is that you need it – lots of it.

And time in bed ≠ sleep time. You can realistically get a better idea of your sleep time by taking about 45-1hr off of “what you saw on the clock”.

We won’t dive into the “how-tos” of getting better sleep here. But, you should just take stock of your current situation, cut the lights out a little earlier, put the phone down, and give sleep a little more intention.

3. Fueling the Work – Why proper fueling can make a huge impact on your progression.

Maintaining carbohydrate intake during workouts is essential, even during lower-intensity base training. Carbohydrates remain the body’s preferred energy source at most levels of intensity (plus the brain relies on them). Consuming enough to "get by" does not do your training justice. Increasing your carb/hour during exercise helps sustain goal effort levels, aids in recovery post-ride, supports immune function, and enhances mental clarity (think about how you feel when you bonk...).

​Neglecting proper fueling can lead to depleted glycogen stores, increased fatigue, and impaired performance in subsequent sessions. It’s crucial to approach workout nutrition with the same diligence year-round to maximize training benefits and overall progress.

Again, there are articles to give you specifics on this (like this one and this one) but the point here is to:

• Take stock – look at your current fuel habits and what you consume. Keep those wrappers and get a gauge of what your carbs/hour is.
• Practice with more – incorporate about 10g/hr more week to week on big workouts. The harder you go, the simpler the fuel.
• Train the gut & test – try different methods, test it out, and see how it feels.

While most of your training will occur in Zones 1-3 (aerobic), you can experiment with different fuel sources to keep things varied and incorporate more satiating options. I often “polarize” my fueling to align with the demands of each season a bit more, like more bars or complex items in the winter.

4. Respecting Rest and Recovery – How planned rest days and de-loading phases prevent plateaus and ensure long-term progress.

Lets use the analogy of “filling a cup”…with three items: bigger rocks, small pebbles, and sand. How would you go about doing it?

With big rocks first, followed by smaller pebbles and sand, you would get the biggest pieces in and let the small supporting parts wiggle their way in as needed. That is sort of the point of this whole piece, but it really hits home with recovery. Often, we seem to treat recovery as another part of the training plan. A verb. An action. When in reality, sometimes the best thing we can do is, well, nothing. Less.

Focus on the most impactful stuff for recovery before considering all the bells and whistles. The primary “big rocks” include:

• Quality Sleep
• Proper Nutrition
• Scheduled Rest Days (and weeks)
• Stress Management

    and I might add “schedule management” as a subcategory

Notice how sleep, a training plan balanced with rest, and nutrition all overlap in these categories? Improved performance isn’t siloed off into sections; it’s like one big Venn Diagram where most stuff sits right in the middle.

Once these foundational elements are in place, additional recovery practices like foam rolling, massages, stretching, and special tools can be added to enhance the recovery process and are certainly welcome! By focusing on these key areas first, athletes can maximize their recovery efforts and overall performance without “adding” to their lives.

Assess your own training and lifestyle habits to see which of these “low-hanging fruit” you can improve right away. Maybe it’s right in front of you and all you have to do is take a step back. Maybe you can stop reaching for the tiny fruit hanging waaaay up top and see the improvements you’ve been looking for.