Steve Magness
Performance coach/author; posts research-backed commentary on training, self-talk, psychology, and endurance performance.
Running Cultivates Solitude and Deep Human Connection
Running teaches more than fitness. It builds two skills we desperately need today: – The ability to be alone with your thoughts. – The ability to connect deeply with others. In a world dominated by screens and distractions, that’s no small thing.
Hard Work Alone Drives Only Small Performance Gains
Hard work is necessary, but not sufficient. How much does deliberate practice explain the variance in performance? According to research: 24% for games 23% for music 20% for sport 5% for education 1% for business 1% for elite athletes https://thegrowtheq.com/hard-work-is-necessary-it-is-not-sufficient/
Build Mental Toughness by Gradually Embracing Discomfort
A large part of getting back in shape is remembering how to hurt. Mental toughness is a skill. It's normal for your alarm to be hyper reactive when it hasn't experience fatigue in a while. The way back is to gradually show...
Rejection Fuels Success: Keep Publishing Despite Doubts
My first book was rejected by every agent and publisher. So I self-published it. Sold 60k+ copies. I thought I made it, it'd be easy now... I got an agent. My 2nd book got rejected by 27 out of 28 publishers....
Gender Gap Widens, Not Narrows, in Ultra Marathons
There's a popular idea that the gap between men and women shrinks in ultra running. They reason that women are better at utilizing fat so it equalized advantage. It's a good story. But it's wrong. The gap actually expands slightly in ultra running...
Preparation, Not Just Belief, Drives Record-Breaking Performance
"I didn't believe, but I was well prepared. The training I've done, the results have come now." — Sebastian Sawe, after running the first sub-2 hour marathon in history. That one quote rewrites the "believe in yourself" cliché. New piece on what...
One More Rep: The Brutal Lesson in Persistence
One of the cruelest workouts you can do, but that teaches a valuable lesson is: The one more rep workout. How does it work? 1. Do a normal hard workout. 2. Let the athlete finish the last repeat & think they are done. 3....
Win‑at‑all‑costs Culture Harms Athletes, Read Cain’s Warning
Mary Cain's new book "This is Not About Running," should be required reading for high school and college coaches and athletes. It's what happens when we allow the win at all costs mindset to take over, with no checks in place,...
Great Coaches Prioritize Development over Winning Outcomes
A coaches job is to develop people That's the secret to the great coaches Their job isn't winning. That's an effect Why? Obsessive focus on the outcome shifts your motivation & perspective. You stop seeing athletes as people & you treat them accordingly....
Turn Overwhelming Challenges Into Everyday Routine
When I was in HS I used to eat a full dinner—steak, chocolate milk, you name it— and then head right out the door for 9 miles at 6min pace It sucked for a week, then your body adapted & it...
True Confidence Is Quiet, Evidence‑Based, Not Loud
Confidence demands evidence. Calm beats control. Real confidence is quiet. Insecurity is loud. Discomfort is information, not a verdict. Toughness isn't the junk you hear on the internet. Learn more. My book is 45% off: https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Things-Resilience-Surprising-Toughness/dp/006309861X?_encoding=UTF8&=&qid=&=&sr=&_encoding=UTF8&linkCode=sl2&tag=onanofthtr-20&linkId=3a530dc2dd71cc20c69b59ad23ef2640&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
Discomfort Signals Growth: Push Beyond Your Comfort Zone
Being uncomfortable is a signal that we are in a place to grow. Adaptation and development doesn’t occur when we are smack dab in the middle of our comfort zone, instead it occurs when we are pushing our boundaries.
Two Weeks Off Exercise Triggers Depression Spikes
What happens when you make people take a break from doing what they love? In one study, researchers took regular runners and triathletes and made them take 2 weeks completely off. No exercise. No cross-training. Just rest. The result? Big spikes in...
Turning Playdates Into Full‑Body Cardio Sessions
My new favorite workout: 1mile hard with stroller to lake 5min break feeding ducks 1.5mile hard to playground 10min active recovery on swings and slides 1200m to pond. 5min Feed turtles Jog home
Negotiate with Self‑doubt Instead of Fighting It
We all have doubts, a voice in our head pushing us to quit. It's normal. The key is learning how to deal with it, not by trying to push it away, but by negotiating with it. The best learn to live...
Build Mental Toughness in 14 Free Daily Lessons
We all face pressure. We all need resilience. We need to develop our mental game. It's hard to do. That's why I created a FREE 14 day course on mental toughness. A new video every day explaining a key concept that helps you...
Seek Real Challenges to Feel Truly Alive
We need to feel alive. To challenge ourselves in meaningful tasks. In a world that numbs us out and pushes us to superficial feeling, we need deep, real experiences. An essay on the magic of doing real things in the real...
Self‑awareness and Humility Drive Athletes' Biggest Improvements
The athletes who improve most all have: Self Awareness to understand their weakness and the humility to accept and do something about it.
Stop Over‑Optimizing: Embrace the Messy Middle
Are we optimizing our way out of joy? When we try to optimize everything, we stop living and experiencing. We lose out of the messiness that makes life interesting, and work creative. The case for the messy middle: https://thegrowtheq.com/stop-over-optimizing-everything/
Even Elite Athletes Want to Quit—Training Overcomes It
Every world-class endurance athlete I've asked says the same thing: They want to quit during a race It's natural to want to quit. Your brain is looking for a 'better' alternative to escape the threat of pain. Doubts are normal The best...
Training Volume Predicts World-Class Running Success
What's the best predictor of world-class performance in runners? Volume of Training. You've got to spend a lot of time doing the thing if you want to get good at just about anything.
Quiet Inner Strength Enables Thoughtful Decisions Under Pressure
True toughness is quiet and comes deep from within. It’s about making the right choice under stress, uncertainty and fatigue. It requires emotional control: cultivating the power to respond—not react—and thus making thoughtful, deliberate decisions during pressure-filled situations.
Live Real Experiences with Real People for Mental Health
There are a lot of tips and tricks that can help our mental health. But after researching and writing about this for years, the best advice I can give is: Do real things in the real world with real people, occasionally hard,...
Design Smarter HIIT Workouts with Our Free Guide
With so much junk out there on HIIT and other interval training... I put together a free guide: How to Design Better Workouts. Filled with insights on writing creative workouts that get the right stimulus for the desired adaptation. Sign...
Joyful Deliberateness: The Secret to Elite Performance
What does a high-performance environment look like? Relentless work ethic, high expectations and standards, excellence, optimization, accountability? Maybe...it's simpler: Fun. How two elite teams emphasize "happiness" & being "joyfully deliberate": https://thegrowtheq.com/to-perform-better-be-joyfully-deliberate/
See Activities as Privileges, Not Obligations
You don't HAVE to run, you GET to. You don't have to write, you get to. Simple shifts in mindsets can make a big difference in the activity itself.
Train in Doubt, Emerge Stronger on Game Day
One of my favorite tools I learned from athletes I coached: Let your mind go to a dark place in practice, then see if you can get out of it. Instead of avoiding the doubts and insecurities, practice going there in a...
Make the Overwhelming Feel Routine
When I was in HS I used to eat a full dinner—steak, chocolate milk, you name it—and then head right out the door for 9 miles at 6min pace It sucked for a week, then your body adapted & it was...
Run More Miles to Unlock Marathon Potential
Most people don't run enough to reach their potential. It's just a fact. The average 3hr+ marathoner does ~40mpw. No one runs their best marathon on 40mpw. I understand why: jobs, life, etc. But the simplest way to improve your PR for novices is to...
Evidence‑Based Habits for a Longer, Healthier Life
Ways to live healthier and longer that are backed by actual evidence: 1. Exercise: Most days a week= conversational. Occasionally intense 2. Strength train 3. Eat mostly real foods 4. Cultivate genuine relationships 5. Sleep 7+ hours 6. Don't smoke 7. Have ways to cope with stress
Extreme 3x20s Workouts Leave You Exhausted, Nauseous
I just saw someone recommend 3x20sec all out, max effort with 2min rest 3 day a week as a time saver for exercise.. Sure…until you realize you’ll be lying on the ground for 20min after with a headache, unable to function,...
The Weakest Link's Drive Shapes the Whole Squadron
Research out of the US Air Force Academy found that the motivation of the least fit person in the squadron determined how much the entire squadron improved (or didn’t) on their fitness tests. Surround yourself wisely.
Disposable Diapers Block Signals, Stalling Natural Potty Training
In the 1950s, over 90% of toddlers were potty trained by 18 months. Today, that number is about 4%. Why? One reason: disposable diapers block the signals that help us learn. This isn't just about potty training. We block signals with comfort...
Patience and Consistency Beat Rush for Elite Performance
One of the keys to elite performance is staying in the game long enough to allow your talent to fully express. A rush to be great can often impede our development Be patient Focus on consistency over heroic efforts Play the long game Keep and...
Elite Runners Prioritize Sharpening Over Traditional Tapering
How should you Taper or Peak? Why the research doesn't align with what actual elite runners do...the difference between tapering and sharpening, and so much more. A new video deep dive on Youtube: @ SteveMagness Link below:
Flexibility Beats Extremes: Neuroticism Undermines Performance
The influencers in grind culture speak in absolutes: No alcohol, candy, sugar, etc. Super strict crazy routines Every world class athlete I know: eats some candy, drinks an occasional beer, has routines but is flexible Why? Neuroticism gets in the way of...
Motivation Can't Be Forced—Plant Growth Seeds Instead
As a parent or coach, the hardest moments come when you clearly see someone’s potential, yet they can't. You can’t force motivation—but you can plant seeds. Here's what to do about it: https://thegrowtheq.com/you-cant-force-motivation-you-can-plant-the-seeds/
Focus on Passion, Let Success Follow Naturally
Stop chasing outcomes. Chasing leads to worry, fear of failure, & trying to force your way towards success. It never works. Find things where your interests & talents align. Work your butt off at things that you enjoy the process of doing....
Mix Easy Runs with One Fast and One Uptempo Day
A simple way to develop aerobic fitness: Lots of easy runs. 1 day/week = short and fast but under control. (i.e. 8x1min on/off, or 12x 30sec/1 off at 5k to 1mile effort) 1 day/wk = longer, controlled & uptempo (4x5min, 2x10min, or 6x3min...
First Cool-Day Tempo Run Boosts Speed and Confidence
One of my favorite tricks I learned from my HS coach. In TX in the fall, on the 1st day when cool weather finally hits, do a longer hard tempo run. Why? You finally feel good on a run & instantly run...
Unlocking Norway's Training Secrets: The Power of Muscle Tone
New Video: Understanding the Norwegian Method of Training with special guest Marius Bakken. This was such a fun conversation. We went DEEP on so many topics, including one of the most impactful but seldom used one: Muscle tone. Link below.
Coach for Joyful Curiosity, Not Fear‑Driven Ego
The longer I coach, the more I’m convinced that it’s mostly about putting people in a place where they can perform out of joy, curiosity, exploring their potential, and taking on a challenge. Too often we let fear, protecting our...
Positive Game Review Boosts Hormones, Performance; Negative Harms
Research on professional rugby players found that watching what they did wrong after a game led to elevated cortisol and worse performance the next game. Watching what they did well had the opposite effect, a bump in testosterone and better...
Secure Striving Beats Fearful Effort for Real Growth
There are two kinds of striving: secure and insecure. The insecure variety comes from fear. Secure striving comes from wanting to win, to do your best, but realizing that it’s not the end of the world if you fall short. https://thegrowtheq.com/the-power-and-danger-of-caring-deeply/
Consistent Excellence Beats Occasional Greatness
Anyone can be great occasionally. When everything comes together and you're in the zone, performance is easy. What's really hard is being pretty darn good, day after day. Raise the floor. Not just the ceiling.
Reframe Stress: See Events at Their True Scale
Whenever we face a stressful situation, we tend to overestimate its importance. We need to gain perspective. Perspective isn’t about downplaying the significance of the event, it’s about reframing it to its proper level: https://thegrowtheq.com/to-perform-under-pressure-shift-your-perspective/
Sleep: The Untapped Billion‑Dollar Performance Drug
If you could bottle up sleep and sell it as a performance-enhancing drug it would be a billion-dollar blockbuster.
Constant Online Exposure Makes Failure Feel Public Judgment
We’re training a generation to fear failure. Not because they’re soft or lazy, because everything they do is on display. Every test score, every game, every rejection lives forever online. When life becomes performative, failure feels like a public referendum on your worth.
Coach Turns Anger Into Disruption of Negative Spiral
How do you disrupt the spiral? We've all been there, losing focus, our mind drifting to the mistake we just made. And then a coach gets in our face... Too often, that coach is just expressing anger. They are yelling at...
Fitness Silences the Discomfort Alarm, Making Toughness Easier
A secret: Being tough gets easier the fitter you are. When you are out of shape, the alarm bell in your head goes off at the slightest sensation of discomfort. When you are fit or prepared, the alarm is quiet for...