How do you tell who is doping? How does a fan decide who to root for and who is shady? I break it all down on what we look for, what should raise red flags and more. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=b542...

How to Tell If Someone is Doping

YouTube video by Steve Magness

youtube.com

The athletes who improve most all have: Self Awareness to understand their weakness & the humility to accept and do something about it.

George Orwell thought the government would install the cameras. We installed our own and called it content. New piece on what a life with no backstage does to your performance, your ethics, and your sense of who you are: www.stevemagness.org/p/what-happe...

What Happens When the Camera Never Turns Off?

Surveillance Doesn't Make Better Workers. It Makes Better Actors.

stevemagness.org

I'm a big believer in meeting people where they are at. I've decided to up my Instagram game. The goal is to share actionable, evidence-based advice on performance & well-being. Check it out: www.instagram.com/stevemagn...

My first book was rejected by every agent and publisher. So I self-published it. It sold 60k+ copies. My 2nd book got rejected by 25+ publishers. Only one gave me a shot. It sold 350k+ Don't let other folks opinion of your work determine its value: substack.com/home/post/p-19...

A Lesson in Rejection:Write the Book You Need to Write:

Rejected by every publisher. Sold over a million copies. The lesson isn't what you'd expect.

substack.com

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 train to navigate them better

For the running nerds, I created an 800m racing game. Complete with historical runners with different skills, a model of fatigue, big kicks, and hitting bricks... Check it out, let me know what you think: finallap800.com

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.

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.

We think we are missing out on a lot by sleeping but, in fact, we are missing out on a whole lot by not sleeping. Sleep is one of the most productive things we can do

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, sometimes alone.

There's a phenomenon in running that applies to the rest of the world: It's the beginner runners who deck themselves out in all the gear. They try to look the part they've been sold. As they gain experience, they ditch most of the gear. And show up with the basic necessities.

If you are interested in sustainable excellence join over 35K and sign up for my newsletter. We cover: -Habits -Mindsets -Routines -Book recs -Cutting edge science -Rubber meets the road practice It’s what the world’s best read: thegrowtheq.ck.page/steve

Sign up for the Growth Equation Newsletter

Join over 35,000 readers, including many of the world's best performers, and subscribe to the Growth Equation newsletter.

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If I enter a race, I know it's going to be painful, that I'll want to quit, that it may be a grind The best way to prepare isn't to ignore that or hope it'll be easy. It's to prepare for the demands. Know the distance and course. Understand the pain and fatigue. No sugar coating

The Bannister story is the most quoted self-help nugget in corporate America. It's also one of the most misunderstood. The actual research on belief and breakthroughs is more honest and more useful: substack.com/home/post/p-19...

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.

The state of reading is depressing: Less than half of US adults read an entire book in 2022. 13-year-olds who rarely or never read for fun: 8% in 1984 → 31% in 2023. We're living through the obesity epidemic of reading: www.stevemagness.org/p/we-killed-...

We Killed Reading the Same Way We Caused the Obesity Epidemic

Reading Is a Workout Your Brain Isn't Getting Anymore

stevemagness.org

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 secure environment. So you are ready on game day.

Every week I put out a newsletter that includes: 1. A deep-dive article on a performance concept. 2. Practical tips and takeaways to apply to your life 3. The latest research studies 4. Recommend reads Join over 40K & subscribe here: thegrowtheq.ck.page/steve

Sign up for the Growth Equation Newsletter

Join over 40,000 readers, including many of the world's best performers, and subscribe to the Growth Equation newsletter.

thegrowtheq.ck.page

84% of 11-year-olds aren't allowed to leave their street. 53% can't leave their front yard. 92% of 14-year-olds can't leave their neighborhood. We built a culture obsessed with safety. The result? A generation that's measurably more anxious: substack.com/home/post/p-19...

The Cost of Safetyism

What we lost when we stopped letting kids leave the front yard.

substack.com

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 figure out how to run more

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

For all coaches, teachers, etc. can you please help me with some research and fill out this survey on the job of a coach, misconceptions, and biggest challenges: forms.gle/8k71bWVQn2r9...

Coaching Survey

Thanks so much. I'm researching coaching philosophies/behaviors and how our conventional wisdom aligns with people's real world experience. And to see where their are gaps in the field This isn't lim...

forms.gle

"They have to want it. They have to make the choice. Sometimes it's at 16yrs old. Others it's at 20" A coach in Norway on youth to elite transition. You can NOT force success. It has to come from within. And if you are pushing your kid at age 8, you are DESTROYING that drive.

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.

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 develop the joy of the pursuit

Every elite competitor has to deal with this tension: the love of the craft versus the urge to be the best. You've got to hold on to the joy. New piece on how to compete like crazy without losing what made you fall in love with it: www.stevemagness.org/p/the-artist...

The Artist and the Competitor

How to Keep Ambition in Service of the Craft

stevemagness.org

FYI: I started a YouTube channel No script, no notes. Just me talking into a camera. Why this format? In a world where it's easy to appear knowledgable through polish and AI, I want you to see it's just a real guy, riffing with earned knowledge Find it at: SteveMagness

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 performance.

In the 1950s, over 90% of toddlers were potty trained by 18 months. Today, that number is about 4%. Disposable diapers block signals that help us learn This isn't about potty training. We block signals with comfort everywhere and it impacts our mental health: substack.com/home/post/p-19...

The Hidden Cost of Comfort

We Padded the World And Nobody Can Feel Anything Anymore

substack.com