There’s no better way to describe it…
Back in the saddle.
Cinco de Mayo.
Cool morning air.
Albuquerque foothills.
I mounted my carbon fiber steed and rolled out onto the trails.
We had moisture on the ground, hero dirt.
The kind of conditions you dream about.
The Ride
From the first pedal stroke, everything felt… on.
Flowing through corners.
Smooth on the climbs.
Confident on the descents.
My bike and my mind were in sync.
But my body?
That was a different story.
The Reality Check
About halfway through, I started to feel it.
I was riding fast…
But I didn’t have the strength to match it.
After 48 minutes:
- ~8 miles
- ~1,000 ft climbing
- ~1,000 ft descending
I was cooked.
And it hit me
My output had increased… but my capacity hadn’t caught up yet.
What’s Really Going On
This is where most people get it wrong.
If you’ve been working out, pushing hard, and still not seeing results…
You might not need to do more.
You might be doing too much.
The Lesson I Had to Learn (Again)
This last injury forced me to slow down.
And I realized something:
I was trying to outwork the basics.
- Nutrition
- Sleep
- Recovery
- Thermal Therapy
Simple.
But not easy.
And for years… I tried to skip past them.
What Actually Moved the Needle
Two major things changed everything for me:
1. I Got Clear on What My Body Needed
I ran a full blood panel with hormone testing through Beyond Health.
I found out where I was deficient…
And started addressing it directly.
2. I Dialed in My Nutrition
Nothing fancy.
Just consistent.
- Hit my protein targets daily
- Focused on quality food
- Supported recovery instead of just chasing workouts
The Result
Once my body had what it needed…
Everything changed.
Without training like a madman:
- I maintained muscle
- I lost body fat
- I felt better day-to-day
All tracked through our InBody system.
The proof was there.
The Real “Secret”
There wasn’t one.
It was the system.
- Proper rest and recovery
- Consistent nutrition
- Strategic training
- Thermal therapy for recovery and rehab
I leaned into the Performance Ranch Training System.
I listened:
- To my coaches
- To my sports medicine team
- To my wife
And most importantly…
I finally listened to my body.
The Difference This Time
In 2023, this same injury crushed me.
- Lost 10 lbs of muscle
- Gained 5 lbs of body fat
- Took months to recover
This time?
It felt completely different.
I didn’t lose a step.
Why?
Because I had a foundation to fall back on.
Why Foundation Matters
Injury isn’t a matter of if…
It’s when.
The question is:
What do you have to fall back on when it happens?
If you’ve built a strong foundation:
- You recover faster
- You lose less progress
- You come back stronger
If you haven’t…
You start over.
Final Thought
Getting back in the saddle felt incredible.
But it also reminded me of something important:
Performance isn’t built on intensity alone.
It’s built on consistency.
On discipline.
On respecting the basics.
Build Your Foundation
If you’re tired of spinning your wheels…
Or worried about losing progress when life throws something your way…
Start with the foundation.
👉 Come check out Performance Ranch and learn how we build it the right way.
👉 Schedule your complimentary Strategy Session HERE
