The six elements that prevent many amateur athletes from being professional
Age group and amateur athletes share more characteristics with professional athletes than you may think.
At the same time, amateur athletes lack features that professional athletes have mastered to perfection. In actuality, these features may play a much more significant role in success than plain physical parameters such as VO2 max, economy, lean muscle mass, metabolic efficiency and mental toughness.
First, let's just try to see how success happens. Being successful as an athlete, amateur or professional alike, has nothing to do with the number of podium wins achieved. Podium wins are irrelevant. Whether you are an amateur athlete that has just started the sport or you have been doing it for a few or multiple years, whether you are a tier 2/3 (newbie) or a tier 1 (top 10 in the world) professional athlete, the podium does not define you. You can always find a relevant race somewhere in the world that you can probably earn a podium spot, regardless of your experience, level or ability. This alone does not make you successful.
Let's just now talk about the characteristics of success that amateur athletes oftentimes lack compared to professional athletes. The six elements of being a successful professional in your sport - regardless of your actual title (amateur, professional, age-group, semi-professional, elite, etc.):
1. Professionally outlined plan
Whether they have a coach or not, true professional athletes always have a well outlined plan. Tailored to their individual strengths and weaknesses, a well outlined plan has specific goals that are usually challenging but achievable.
2. Professional execution of the plan
True professional athletes are committed and relentlessly persistent. They execute the prescribed workouts at their best of their abilities. And they stick to the plan. They have No excuses. They just make it happen. And when it's time to back off or take an extra day off, they adjust with no extra drama.
3. Professional attitude during injuries and other set-backs
Everybody gets injured at some point. And it is never easy. True professional athletes deal with injuries setting timelines and following the prescribed rehab plans. No excess emotion or depression. It is what it is and they just have to go over it. Oftentimes, they may utilize the injury to take a break and work on some of their weaknesses as long as whatever they do does not affect the rehab and does not slow down the progress of getting better faster.
4. Professional attitude to failure
Everybody fails at some point. Failure is a good thing. Winning is also a good thing but failure is better. Failure unveils the true athlete. The way a true professional handles failure exposes their true character. True professional athletes know how to embrace their failures. They analyse them in detail so that they do not repeat the same mistakes again.
5. Professional commitment to strengthen the weaknesses
Who doesn't feel strong and powerful on their element? In case of triathlon, athletes usually come from different athletic backgrounds or from an individual sport. Therefore, inevitably, they have weaknesses. True professional athletes focus at prolonged and consistent times on their weaknesses. They just outline whatever they need to do in order to get better and then try to nail them down to perfection.
6. Professional passion for the sport
True athletes love what they do. There are no sacrifices while training and racing. There are only future investments and tons of excitement in every step that makes them better.
Always remember that almost every professional athlete started by competing at the amateur level. Some made the transition to being professionals faster, others slower (for various reasons). Others had equipment and resources and others did not. If you really want it, you can make it happen. You should not complain for not having this or the other - athletes make it work with what they have.
At the same time, amateur athletes lack features that professional athletes have mastered to perfection. In actuality, these features may play a much more significant role in success than plain physical parameters such as VO2 max, economy, lean muscle mass, metabolic efficiency and mental toughness.
First, let's just try to see how success happens. Being successful as an athlete, amateur or professional alike, has nothing to do with the number of podium wins achieved. Podium wins are irrelevant. Whether you are an amateur athlete that has just started the sport or you have been doing it for a few or multiple years, whether you are a tier 2/3 (newbie) or a tier 1 (top 10 in the world) professional athlete, the podium does not define you. You can always find a relevant race somewhere in the world that you can probably earn a podium spot, regardless of your experience, level or ability. This alone does not make you successful.
Success comes from careful planning and execution along with consistent and long-term progress.
Let's just now talk about the characteristics of success that amateur athletes oftentimes lack compared to professional athletes. The six elements of being a successful professional in your sport - regardless of your actual title (amateur, professional, age-group, semi-professional, elite, etc.):
1. Professionally outlined plan
Whether they have a coach or not, true professional athletes always have a well outlined plan. Tailored to their individual strengths and weaknesses, a well outlined plan has specific goals that are usually challenging but achievable.
2. Professional execution of the plan
True professional athletes are committed and relentlessly persistent. They execute the prescribed workouts at their best of their abilities. And they stick to the plan. They have No excuses. They just make it happen. And when it's time to back off or take an extra day off, they adjust with no extra drama.
3. Professional attitude during injuries and other set-backs
Everybody gets injured at some point. And it is never easy. True professional athletes deal with injuries setting timelines and following the prescribed rehab plans. No excess emotion or depression. It is what it is and they just have to go over it. Oftentimes, they may utilize the injury to take a break and work on some of their weaknesses as long as whatever they do does not affect the rehab and does not slow down the progress of getting better faster.
4. Professional attitude to failure
Everybody fails at some point. Failure is a good thing. Winning is also a good thing but failure is better. Failure unveils the true athlete. The way a true professional handles failure exposes their true character. True professional athletes know how to embrace their failures. They analyse them in detail so that they do not repeat the same mistakes again.
5. Professional commitment to strengthen the weaknesses
Who doesn't feel strong and powerful on their element? In case of triathlon, athletes usually come from different athletic backgrounds or from an individual sport. Therefore, inevitably, they have weaknesses. True professional athletes focus at prolonged and consistent times on their weaknesses. They just outline whatever they need to do in order to get better and then try to nail them down to perfection.
6. Professional passion for the sport
True athletes love what they do. There are no sacrifices while training and racing. There are only future investments and tons of excitement in every step that makes them better.
Always remember that almost every professional athlete started by competing at the amateur level. Some made the transition to being professionals faster, others slower (for various reasons). Others had equipment and resources and others did not. If you really want it, you can make it happen. You should not complain for not having this or the other - athletes make it work with what they have.
Great post, LouLou!!!
ReplyDeleteSpeedylizard! Thank you! What else would you chip in to that list?
DeleteHi Loukia, I Googled your name after examining the preliminary results for the Cranbury 200K we both participated in over the weekend. Stumbled across your blog. I'm not sure I agree with your six traits being lacking in age groupers as compared to the pros. And true athletes don't have to love what they do, either. After reading your post a YouTube video of Chrissy Wellington came to my mind. In that interview she said the big difference between the pros and the amateurs is the amount of time and energy the pros can devote to their sport compared to the age groupers who are in school, at work, or raising a family. Pros tend to balance their training time with their rest/recovery time. Age groupers tend to balance their work life with their training and sleep time. Of course, as an age grouper ages, then there is the change in hormones being produced (or not being produced) and that really messes up the way an age grouper has to deal with training productively. That's something I'm dealing with these days since I will be turning 55 in a month. Training productively was so much easier when I was your age and younger.
ReplyDeleteKeep up your fitness workouts. I noticed you when you arrived at the Pizza Shop alone on the bike, but with hubby in tow. You were a hottie! -Jeff L.
I love your comments Jeff because they bring up an important issue: how many hours of training or recovery an endurance athlete should get? In all honesty, this depends on each athlete's background and devotion, and to some extend, heritability. I have a full time research scientist job and I manage to squeeze in 15hrs-22hrs of pure working out hours a week (depending on the phase of training). Sure, I would love to be able to sleep more during the week or take a nap after my morning long run instead of rushing through the door to catch the train to NY. Maybe I could progress faster if I did not have to work full time? Maybe but I am not sure by how much. I have seen athletes of phenomenal ability, speed and endurance, juggling family, work, training, and racing with incredible results. And these are my role models. Do they get the extra rest? No. However, their devotion, commitment and professionalism has brought them to the highest point and their times are equally comparable to the professionals. This is my point of view - not everyone has to agree, and I entertain the idea of healthy arguments!
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