iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 19h

Endurance is relative. The endurance that a 400m runner needs is different than what a 10k runner requires. They both require endurance, but how they get there and what counts as “endurance” is different.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 22h

It's fascinating to see what people think is "fast" The guy down the street thinks sub 3 hour marathon is elite The recreational runner thinks sub 2:30 is elite. The former college runner thinks everyone slower than 2:20 is recreational. It's all relative.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

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

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

The driven romanticize the grind. In sport, we mythologize the athlete who is all consumed by the quest to reach the top. You don’t have to be crazy all the time and neglect everything else in our lives to reach the top. There's a fine line between drive and obsession.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

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...

substack.com

The Hidden Cost of Comfort

We Padded the World And Nobody Can Feel Anything Anymore

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

One of the most important lessons running taught me: How to work hard for a very long for something far in the distance. You don’t build a great Track season in May. You build it in the cold, dark months no one sees. Delayed gratification is one of the most transferable skills

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

The best advice for financial investments: Do the boring basics for a long time The best advice for fitness, health and longevity: Do the boring basics for a long time The best advice for mastering a craft: Do the boring basics for a long time Stop chasing hacks and shiny objects!

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Just created a NEW FREE Guide to Recovery! It's what I give my pro athletes. Covering what to do if your fatigued, tired, flat, or lethargic. Each demands a different response. Learn more: thegrowtheq.kit.com/5d0013b37a

thegrowtheq.kit.com

Recovery Guide

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

True confidence is quiet. Insecurity is loud. Inner confidence comes from evidence. Do the work to establish receipts. Insecurity tries to mask over lack of evidence with bravado and projection. Don’t be fooled by those who are loud.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

We misunderstand elite performance. It isn't a puzzle of tiny tweaks. It's a game of fixing glaring holes. Decades coaching top athletes taught me: 99% of success is mastering the fundamentals. Stop chasing marginal gains; master the basics.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Psychologists tracked people walking, reading, and coloring. Measuring the activity made them do more of it. And enjoy it less. "Measurement can make enjoyable activities feel more like work." Not everything needs measured: substack.com/home/post/p-...

substack.com

When the Watch Makes the Call

Data can make you a better judge, or it can make you forget you were ever the judge.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

As coaches, your job isn’t to give athletes the answer, it’s to put them in a place to figure it out.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Should we ice injuries? A review finds: -Icing can impair the inflammatory and regeneration process over the long term -It can reduce sensation of pain -If you decide to ice, do so in the acute phase (first few hours) and not 12hr+ post injury.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Be very wary of those who try to intentionally make ideas more complex by using big words for the sake of using big words. Concepts have to be simple to be practical and usable.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Consider this a message to all the little league parents trying to go all-in on soccer, baseball, football, etc. when a child is 8: chill out! Let them play, explore their talents, and figure out (on their own) what they want to sink their effort into.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I put together a free guide: How to Design Better Workouts. I dive deep into my philosophy of creating workouts that help get the correct stimulus for the right adaptation. Grab a copy:

thegrowtheq.ck.page

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

New video: A deep dive into workout design. Learn how to progress workouts via 4 different methods: Bottom Up Top Down Alternations Blends/Combos. This one is for the running nerds and for those who want details: youtu.be/Z5hHRE4w_zU?...

youtu.be

Workout Design Masterclass

YouTube video by Steve Magness

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Tip for novice runners: You don't need a gel/gatorade for your 5k or 10k race. It's doing nothing except maybe giving you GI issues. Energy intake isn't a limiter until we get close to ~2hr of racing For ~60-90min, it can help via modulating perception of effort, but not necessary

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Excellence is boring. But in the most interesting way possible. It’s staying with that run, swim, or sentence long enough so that you appreciate its nuance. You see that staring at the same line over and over, can bring new challenges and insight. www.stevemagness.org/p/why-...

stevemagness.org

Why the Best Don't Find It Boring

Kobe said fall in love with the boredom. A sociologist who spent years with Olympic swimmers found they'd stopped calling it boring a long time ago.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

One mistake we often make in sport is thinking that an athlete always needs to be giving 100% effort/engagement. In most sports that's impossible. The best athletes know when to be on 'auto-pilot' trusting they know what to do, and when to flip the switch and be 100% engaged.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

How hard should your hard workouts be? This is nearly 3 years of data tracking how hard every run, workout, or race felt for a world-class runner. Notice how few 5s, all the way to the well, there are And nearly all of those were races Real life is different than social media

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

With so much junk out there on HIIT and other interval training... I put together a free guide: How to Design Better Workouts. Filled with insights on writing creative workouts that get the right stimulus for the desired adaptation. Sign up: thegrowtheq.ck.page/c51b8637db

thegrowtheq.ck.page

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

We turned doing hard things into posting hard things. The ice bath, the puke-after-the-workout pic, the 4 a.m. watch. None of it is inherently bad. But much of it is performative instead of meaningful. On performative suffering vs. the real thing: stevemagness.substack.com/p...

stevemagness.substack.com

We turned doing hard things into posting hard things.

Why performative suffering doesn't build toughness, and what actually does.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

One of my favorite parts of XC is yelling stuff at athletes... You can see it in their eyes while racing if they hear you and respond to it. Your voice as a coach or fan can help. Take the time to figure out what works/resonates with athletes.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Competing when you are in the race or have a shot is easy. Being a true competitor is being able to put out the same effort even when you are losing and there's little hope of a victory.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

A college hockey player is in a coma after being run through a long ‘military style’ workout in the Arizona heat designed around “team building.” It’s time to stop the stupid punishment and toughness workouts designed only to make people suffer. www.stevemagness.org/p/stop-with-...

stevemagness.org

Stop with the Punishment and “Toughness” Workouts!

A college hockey player is in a coma after a preseason "team-building" workout. It's time to stop treating suffering as the point.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Don’t get stuck in comparison mode. Don’t look fondly at the glory days and think that they hold some secret to success. It worked in that moment. That moment is now gone. Focus on what you can do in the moment to get better.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Part of why middle age people run the marathon is it's a modern day spiritual experience: -It's challenging. You go through lots of emotions. Making you feel alive. -It's communal. You're in this together. You experience a collective bond. -There's a big party at the end.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Why do sports create such tight bonds? You get to see each other at your most vulnerable points. Fatigued, stressed, anxious, exhausted, overjoyed, and overwhelmed. We ditch the facade. Shared stress and vulnerability bring people together. We need more of that in life.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

The 5 Fears of Failure: 1. Fear of shame and embarrassment. 2. Fear of losing a positive self-image. 3. Fear of an uncertain future. 4. Fear of important others losing interest. 5. Fear of upsetting important others. What's holding you back?

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

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...

instagram.com

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Diversify your sources of meaning. If your sport or job is the be-all end-all of your life, you are making yourself fragile. Any failure becomes an attack on your self-worth & status. All-in looks good on social media. A robust sense of self works better in real life.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

As a parent or coach, the hardest moments come when you clearly see someone’s potential, yet they can't. You can’t force motivation—but you can plant seeds. Here's what to do about it: thegrowtheq.com/you-cant-fo...

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

We need to learn how to disagree without taking it personally. Social media has eroded this. It makes folks think they are defending their life instead of discussing an idea. A thanks to all those who continue to engage and even disagree in a civil and productive manner.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

New video deep dive: How do you dig yourself out of the hole? A look at overtraining, fatigue, and recovery. What can you do to get yourself feeling and performing well again: www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_ZL...

youtube.com

How to Bounce Back From Overtraining | Coaching Masterclass

YouTube video by Steve Magness

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

One of the most powerful and important lessons for mental health that more people need to know: You are not your thoughts. We all have “crazy” thoughts. Let them float on by. No need to assign meaning to them.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

If you enjoyed this story, it originally came from my weekly newsletter. Wouldn't you like to have thoughtful takes on performance delivered to your inbox for free? Sign-up:

thegrowtheq.ck.page

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

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

My principles of coaching: 1. Coach from dependence to independence. 2. Coaching comes from conversation. 3. Caring comes first. 4. Standards without warmth makes them fragile. And many more principles that guide my philosophy: substack.com/home/post/p-19...

substack.com

The Craft of Coaching: 33 Principles for Leading, Teaching, and Helping People Grow

Coaching and leading others is one of the hardest but most worthwhile thing you can do.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Stop trying to prove fitness, and start trying to do what is best to get you to the starting line fit, healthy, and ready to go. The need to prove oneself comes from insecurity. It’s a lack of trust in the plan and the process.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Under preparation is a coping strategy for stress. It allows you to protect your ego because you didn't 'try.' Actually putting forth effort, requires being okay confronting your limits.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Making teaching a low-status profession will have prolonged negative ramifications for decades to come. When you constantly demean a profession, and politicians paint you as "indoctrinators", you push talented people out and discourage the next generation of educators.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

While running 400m repeats, my coach once said to the group "Your parents probably haven't felt what you are feeling for decades. Maybe even ever!" A reminder that once in a while we have to remind our body what it's like to go to the well and use all of the systems of our body.

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Reposted by Steve Magness

Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Recently, I've decided to dedicate more and more of my time to long form content. BlueSky is great. But when everything pushes you to write in short, punchy bites, it loses it's meaning and impacts your thinking. So check out my improved Substack: www.stevemagness.org

stevemagness.org

Steve Magness | Substack

The science and art of sustainable excellence. How the best master their craft in sport, work, and life. Click to read Steve Magness, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Many people run too fast on their recovery days. Especially on HS teams. The top kid sets the pace. So those who are motivated & want to be good, latch on to them. The top kid may be recovering. But most of the rest aren't. On recovery days, let kids know it's okay to go slow.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

7 Ways to improve your mental health that actually work: 1. Build Community 2. Don’t Expect Things to Feel Good all the Time 3. Seek Professional Help If You Need It 4. Get Off Your Phone and Do Real Things In The World 5. Read Books 6. Work in Intervals 7. Spend Time in Nature

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Help keep our newsletter and podcast advertisement free! Check out our Patreon, you get: -Monthly book club -Peer-to-peer slack channel -Mastermind groups -Guides to sustainable performance and resilience, and more.

patreon.com

The Growth Equation | creating a newsletter, podcast, and community. | Patreon

Become a patron of The Growth Equation today: Get access to exclusive content and experiences on the world’s largest membership platform for artists and creators.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Thanks for the wonderful contribution.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

stevemagness.org

Steve Magness | Substack

The science and art of sustainable excellence. How the best master their craft in sport, work, and life. Click to read Steve Magness, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

My old man running training: 4-5 days: 45min easy 1- 2 days: moderate or hard workout: Varying intensities. Short, medium, and long reps. 1-2 days: short strength circuit. Repeat for months. Keeps you in solid shape. Not very time consuming. Covers all the basics I need.

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Steve Magness @stevemagness.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

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...

substack.com

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.

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