Overview

CrossFit's dramatic decline since 2017-2018 has created space for new fitness communities, with racket sports like pickleball and paddle seeing significant growth in 2023-2024, while boutique fitness studios and micro-communities continue to emerge.

Sleep data reveals concerning patterns with only 22% of Whoop users getting 7+ hours of sleep, highlighting the importance of sleep consistency and the negative impacts of "social jet lag" (different weekday/weekend sleep schedules), with significant global variations in sleep habits.

The entrepreneurial journey involves balancing internal drive with gratitude, separating self-worth from business performance, and developing resilience to rejection—with most people fearing potential rejection more than actual rejection itself.

Elite athletic performance requires intense internal drive and significant unseen sacrifices, while highlighting the importance of both work ethic and "rest ethic" in achieving sustainable high performance.

Personal growth comes from introspection and self-awareness, with the speakers emphasizing the value of feeling emotions fully (particularly during grief), developing consistent morning routines, and pursuing activities for enjoyment rather than obsessive optimization.

Content

CrossFit and Fitness Industry Trends

The speaker describes CrossFit's decline as dramatic and unexpected
Key issues contributing to CrossFit's downfall include:

- Greg Glassman's racism controversy during Black Lives Matter - Internal dysfunction (described as the "most dysfunctional partner" the speaker has worked with) - A recent tragic event - Significant loss of brand momentum since its peak in 2017-2018

CrossFit's decline has created space for new fitness communities
Emerging fitness trends include:

- High Rocks - F45 - Orange Theory - Boutique fitness studios - Micro-communities around specific activities

Significant growth in racket sports in 2023-2024:

- Pickleball (especially in the United States) - Paddle (international racket sport played in glass-enclosed courts)

Sleep Insights and Global Patterns

Only 22% of Whoop users get over 7 hours of sleep
Approximately 80% of users sleep less than 7 hours
Whoop now evaluates sleep based on:

- Total hours slept - Sleep consistency - Sleep efficiency - Stress levels

Sleep consistency is crucial - going to bed and waking up at the same time
Inconsistent sleep patterns negatively impact circadian rhythm, performance, longevity, and health
People often overestimate their actual sleep time
"Social jet lag" is common - different sleep schedules on weekdays vs. weekends
Worst sleep days are typically Friday or Saturday nights
Global sleep variations:

- Middle Eastern countries (Riyadh, Doha) have very late average bedtimes (1:55-2:00 AM) - Attributed to cultural factors like late-night food, shisha bars, caffeine, and nicotine use

Additional global activity insights:

- Ireland: Highest alcohol consumption - Australia and US: Highest reported sexual activity rates - Sweden: Popular for cold plunging - Finland: Known for sauna use

Fitness App Categories and Exercise Types

Discussion about adding bodybuilding as a new activity category to the app
Current categories include powerlifting, weightlifting, and functional fitness
Clarified definitions of exercise types:

- Powerlifting: Squat, bench, deadlift (SBD) - Weightlifting: Olympic lifts (snatch, clean and jerk) - Bodybuilding: Hypertrophy-focused, 8-14 rep range

Only Child Reflections and Entrepreneurship

Personal insights on being an only child's impact on personality and entrepreneurship
Key characteristics:

- More self-centered - Comfortable spending time with adults - Strong ability to look inwards and reflect - Potentially higher self-esteem due to focused parental attention

Entrepreneurial advantages:

- Clear understanding of personal goals - Resilience in facing rejection - Comfort with self-reflection - Belief in one's ability to achieve goals

Importance of internal reflection, especially for young entrepreneurs
Avoiding the mistake of constantly seeking external validation
Balancing introspection with external engagement
Developing practices like meditation to enhance self-understanding

Self-Doubt and Personal Growth

Self-doubt is a common experience for growth-minded, high-achieving individuals
Complete elimination of self-doubt is neither possible nor desirable
Confidence and self-belief are crucial for tackling difficult challenges
People with high standards often compare themselves to idealized versions of success
Goal-setting creates a perpetual cycle of feeling "not enough"
Individuals frequently move goalposts, preventing a sense of true accomplishment
Overcome self-doubt by:

- Questioning personal convictions - Examining perspectives critically - Maintaining a balance between self-doubt and self-belief

Adopt a stubborn, persistent attitude toward goals
Focus on the potential of the project/idea rather than personal limitations
Speaker shared an example of overcoming imposter syndrome through a large live show
Described a mindset of "making it until you believe it"

Leadership Evolution and Self-Worth

The speaker discusses the importance of separating personal identity from business performance
Early in his entrepreneurial journey, he tied his self-worth directly to the company's success
Recognized that being a chaotic founder can be detrimental to the company's success
Admitted to putting up "walls" and being stubborn, especially between ages 22-25
Acknowledged being difficult to work with during this period
Suggests this stubborn approach can be helpful in initially launching a venture
Reflects on the challenge of developing a sense of self in early adulthood
Shared a personal pattern of linking self-worth to:

* Professional success * Subjective experience of suffering * A belief that hard work and pain correlate with good outcomes

Recognizes the unhealthy nature of tying self-worth to external validation

Balancing Drive and Gratitude

The speaker discusses balancing drive and gratitude in entrepreneurship, highlighting two key psychological systems:

- Dopamine (drive) - Serotonin (gratitude)

Key insights on entrepreneurial mindset:

- Avoiding the trap of thinking happiness comes only after reaching specific financial milestones - Understanding that gratitude is not the same as complacency - Focusing on being of service rather than solely on accumulation

Personal growth philosophy:

- Viewing pain and challenges as opportunities for growth - Adopting a growth mindset that allows comfort with difficult experiences - Expanding emotional range through challenging experiences

Personal anecdote about loss and emotional resilience:

- Experienced profound grief after a close friend's suicide - Recognized that the painful experience ultimately expanded his emotional capacity - Learned to reframe traumatic experiences as potential sources of personal development

Processing Grief

The speaker discusses processing grief after losing someone close to him
Initial reaction was to try to "go numb" as a coping mechanism
Emphasized the importance of feeling and processing emotions rather than suppressing them
Delivered a eulogy for a loved one in front of 800-1000 people, which was emotionally challenging but ultimately therapeutic
Had support from his executive team during this difficult time
Experienced different stages of grief, including emotional triggers like visiting places associated with the lost person
Delivering the eulogy provided a sense of relief and allowed him to celebrate the person's life
Encourages others experiencing grief to:

- Take time to process emotions - Allow themselves to feel the pain - Follow their own emotional processing path

Grief can be physically overwhelming and emotionally disruptive
Public speaking and articulating feelings can be a form of emotional release

Defining and Pursuing What You Want

Finding your true desires requires internal, introspective examination
Do not rely on external opinions to determine what you want
Pay attention to:

- Things you're naturally drawn to - Thoughts that recur during quiet moments - Interests that emerge during unstructured time

Young people often struggle with self-awareness
Smartphones and constant digital stimulation can block inner dialogue
Fleeting thoughts are important but easily overlooked
Meditation or mindfulness can help develop self-understanding
Strategies for getting what you want:

- Clearly state your goals and desires - Hard work and consistent effort are critical - Persistence creates opportunities and "luck" - Be willing to show up repeatedly, even after rejection - Remain open to unexpected connections and opportunities

Rejection and Commitment

Most people are more afraid of potential rejection than actual rejection itself
The fear of failure often prevents people from pursuing their goals
People tend to become insular and avoid taking risks due to fear of rejection
Many people avoid full commitment as a defense mechanism
Partial commitment allows individuals to protect themselves from potential failure
Staying fully committed to a goal or relationship is crucial for success
Personal experience with rejection:

- The speaker experienced significant rejection between ages 21-24 when starting his company - He faced skepticism from respected people who thought his idea was bad - Reasons for rejection included his youth and lack of technical expertise - Despite repeated rejections, he maintained commitment to his idea

Psychological impact:

- Repeated rejection can erode self-belief - When facing overwhelming odds (50:1 or 100:1 rejection), one starts questioning their own judgment - Conviction in the idea helps sustain motivation during periods of repeated rejection

Ageism in Entrepreneurship

The speaker reflects on experiencing ageism as a young entrepreneur
Key insights about age-related challenges in business:

- Younger entrepreneurs often face significant skepticism from older, established industry professionals - There's a "reverse ageism" where young professionals are not taken seriously - The age range of mid-30s to 60s is generally seen as credible in business contexts

Personal anecdote from nightlife industry:

- As a 19-20 year old, the speaker and his business partner would pitch ideas to older club owners - They recognized underutilized venues and potential market opportunities - Older professionals were dismissive of their suggestions due to their youth

Philosophical observations:

- Perspective on problems is often clearer in retrospect - Lessons are not always immediately apparent during an experience - Having belief in a product/idea can be distinct from having belief in oneself

The speaker emphasizes the frustration of being capable but not being taken seriously due to age

Entrepreneurship, Failure, and Success

The speakers challenge the romanticization of failure
One speaker admits to hating failure and having few professional failures
They suggest few failures might indicate playing too safely
Failure should be viewed as a way to:

- Overcome fear of taking risks - Encourage people to "put themselves out there"

Perspectives on learning and success:

- Learning more from successful endeavors than failures - Most startup failures stem from a few common reasons (e.g., lack of product-market fit, cash burn, competition) - Successful companies have a unique "special sauce" that sets them apart - Avoiding pitfalls can be more valuable than expediting success - Consistent winners tend to accumulate more advantages over time (referencing the "Matthew principle")

Success follows a power law distribution (being #1 is exponentially more valuable than being #2 or #3)
The primary purpose of avoiding "red flags" should be to pursue "green flags"
Experiencing failure can:

- Reduce fear of future failures - Increase emotional resilience - Help individuals "alchemize" difficult situations into learning opportunities

Personal business example:

- The speaker's company (Whoop) nearly went bankrupt around its sixth year - If the company had failed, the perceived lessons would have been different from the actual reasons for its success - Success was partly dependent on factors like timing, luck, and early mover advantage

Elite Athletes and High Performance

The discussion focuses on high-performance athletes and their mindset, using Rory McIlroy's Masters win as a primary example
Key insights about elite athletes:

- They possess an intense, hard-to-fake internal drive - Their success involves significant unseen sacrifices: * Being first at practice facilities * Extensive recovery routines (e.g., cold plunging) * Time away from family * Dealing with injuries and constant physical/mental challenges

Specific athletes mentioned as embodying this mindset:

- Rory McIlroy - Michael Phelps - Cristiano Ronaldo - Patrick Mahomes

Rory McIlroy's Masters win was particularly emotional, representing a 14-year journey
The discussion explores the hidden psychological costs of extreme success
Core themes:

- The sacrifices and personal tolls required to become world-class in a field - The potential psychological and relational damage from single-minded pursuit of excellence - The complexity of viewing successful people beyond their public achievements

Interesting observations about athletes:

- Many become more introspective through practices like visualization and meditation - Some top performers cultivate a form of "cultivated stupidity" - the ability to follow a plan without overthinking - There's an underappreciated skill in having a good "rest ethic" alongside work ethic

Philosophical question raised: "What is the price that people pay to be someone that you admire?"

Whoop's Design Philosophy

Viewed as a tool to help people improve health, performance, and longevity
Deliberately designed to be unobtrusive and not act as a controlling "master"
Intentionally avoids adding another screen to prevent obsessive data checking
Data interaction features:

- Product can collect data without constantly displaying metrics - Includes a toggle to hide recovery and sleep scores - 14-day battery life and ability to store data for up to 30 days without Bluetooth connection

Approach to data and optimization:

- Rejects the critique that more knowledge is inherently problematic - Recognizes potential for health anxiety from over-optimization - Designed to provide insights without creating psychological pressure

User flexibility:

- Allows users to control notification settings - Provides weekly, monthly, and yearly review options - Supports different user preferences for data interaction

Key insight on data consumption:

- Daily metrics can create unnecessary stress - Week-long trends provide more meaningful, less emotionally charged insights

Sleep Apnea and Treatment Research

The speaker discussed an at-home sleep study and learned about restless leg syndrome
Restless leg syndrome can occur even without leg movement, based on brain signals
The speaker has REM-induced sleep apnea and is exploring treatment options
A new device involves 8-14 weeks of 15-minute daily exercises
The exercise is similar to playing a wind instrument, with resistance
Original research was based on a didgeridoo sleep study
Wind instrument players (like marching band performers) showed lower rates of sleep apnea
The speaker plans to use:

- Mouth tape - Nasal dilators - Avoiding back sleeping - Sleep tracking - The new resistance breathing device

Pursuing Activities Without Obsession

Personal improvement is often "emergent" and "bottom-up" - you improve through practice and enjoyment, not by forcing progress
Progress matters, but not every activity needs to become a professional pursuit or business opportunity
It's valuable to engage in activities simply for enjoyment and gradual improvement
Personal examples shared:

- Soccer league participation (enjoyed despite not being naturally gifted) - Cooking as a casual interest - Benefits of picking up new activities later in life (like weightlifting, yoga, Pilates)

Philosophical observations:

- Some activities (like yoga) have no definitive "winning" metric - Be cautious about having too many simultaneous goals, as this can create a "contract with yourself to be unhappy" - James Clear's quote: "If you desire the life, but not the lifestyle, you guarantee disappointment"

Achieving dreams requires embracing the unglamorous "lifestyle" work
Example: Musicians playing small venues for years before potential success

Morning and Pre-Performance Routines

The speaker describes his detailed pre-podcast preparation ritual, which includes:

- Waking up on time - Morning routine: walk, journal, breath work, meditation, reading - Moderate gym training - One coffee max - Protein-based breakfast (eggs, bacon, sausage) - Reviewing notes - Listening to music, singing along - Preparing appearance/clothing

Goal is to create a comfortable, consistent morning that feels like "home"
Aims to avoid chaos and start the day feeling in control
Learned from past experiences (e.g., not over-training before a podcast)
Uses one Optimal Nutrition drink to feel "locked in"
The second speaker (with a 6-week-old baby) has a similar structured approach:

- Shower - Workout with trainer - Sauna and cold plunge - Meditation - Breakfast - Spending morning time with family

Meditation is a crucial part of the daily routine
Emphasizes the importance of having a strong start to the day
Believes the first couple of hours set the tone for managing daily challenges

Sleep and Evening Routine

Considers the day as starting at 9 PM the night before
Uses blue light blocking glasses
Implements sleep optimization strategies:

- Red light in bedroom - Warm shower before bed - Magnesium and occasional melatonin - Reading before sleep

Discusses experiencing disrupted sleep (waking at 3 AM)
Highlights the mental struggle of being neither fully asleep nor awake
Talks about the potential impacts of sleep medication on daily performance
Mentions an interesting observation about functioning on minimal sleep (particularly around 2 hours)

Health Technology and Travel Hacks

Discussion of hydrogen water technology and its potential health benefits
They attended a health

#943 - Will Ahmed - The Downfall Of CrossFit & The Future Of Fitness