Pro Athlete

The science of energy regulation

Watching world class athletes can feel like watching a different species. On the one hand, they look human. On the other, they’re achieving feats of physical performance that seem impossible. How do they have such energy? Where does it come from? Part of why we love to watch these experts is because it hits that perfect balance of disbelief and aspiration. Most of us have the experience of running, jumping, or lifting. We’ve just never done it that fast, or that strong. Witnessing their mastery, two voices pop into our head. One voice says, “I can’t believe that’s possible.” The other voice says, “hmm, I wonder what I’m capable of?” To perform at the highest levels of human physical performance is undeniably challenging. It requires an intricate blend of training, nutrition, willpower, and genetics. Not everyone will go to the olympics. In fact, statistically, very few will. However, every one of us can benefit from the hard work these athletes have put in to optimize their health and performance. The first thing we need to realize is that pro-athletes build routines around regulating their energy usage. Energy is what animates us. It’s our fuel. When it’s out of whack, our whole system is negatively impacted. When it’s fine-tuned, we feel our best, and are able to reach our full potential. Most of us know this in theory, we just don’t have a way to systematically optimize it. That’s where we can use the guidance of a program built around top athletes like Tom Brady and Lebron James, who are veteran in their respective leagues, but are still somehow at the top of their game. Let us not forget that we all have the same 24 hours at our disposal. The pro-you protocol So, what would it look like for you to be the pro version of yourself? Let’s imagine it’s Monday morning. You wake up fully rested, having clocked eight hours of sleep. Instead of loading up on a carb heavy breakfast, you eat an omelette with feta and vegetables. The protein and fats will break down slowly throughout the morning. This ensures your mood and energy levels will be much more stable. You drink plenty of water, and do some light stretching before heading out to work. You have also thought ahead, and done meal prep. That means you bring protein-focused lunch and snacks to work. Throughout the day you avoid sugar and try to minimize your caffeine intake. You are fully awake and present not only for your ten am meeting, but for your meeting at one, right after lunch. Roughly two hours before you will finish work and hit the gym, you load up on plant protein. Forty five minutes before working out, you have a cup of coffee. The timing is no accident: it’s intentionally integrated into your day to keep your energy levels high and to ensure you get a good workout in. At the gym, you follow a superset program. A superset involves doing two (or more) different weight-bearing exercises back to back. It is an incredibly effective method to make sure your fitness goals never plateau. You also make sure to focus on one muscle group per gym day, so that you don’t overwork certain areas and underwork others. After your workout, you go home and take a cold shower for two minutes. It’s super painful at first, but then your body adapts and it almost feels good. Once you step out of the shower, you feel completely rejuvenated and wide awake. To finish off your routine, you spend fifteen minutes in the living room with your foam roller, giving yourself a deep tissue massage. All of that may sound like a lot of boxes to check. But it’s certainly a lot more attainable than what we imagine pro athletes are doing, isn’t it? It turns out that you can treat yourself like a pro athlete while still going to work, eating in pretty regular ways, and having a life. The core things to integrate are: A plant based, high protein diet Cold plunges of some form (showers, ice baths, cryotherapy) Minimizing sugar Intentionality around timing food and caffeine, and Tolerance for some pain (to get those gains). Following these simple yet effective principles not only impacts your physical performance, but also your mental health. It helps regulate your system so you have fewer mood swings and anxiety, as well as all the benefits of endorphins. Most importantly, it’s a tried and true method to minimize sluggishness and grogginess, and maximize clarity and energy. What could you do with higher, more stable energy every day? To try the Pro Athlete (and other) ground-breaking self-optimization programs, become a founding pioneer today. Instead of guessing at the impact of your energy-enhancing efforts, The COR makes it possible for you to gain your own longitudinal insights, in just 3 weeks. Welcome to pro-you.