Naresh C. Rao - Step Up Your Game: The Revolutionary Program Elite Athletes Use to Increase Performance and Achieve Total Health

This publication contains the ideas of its author. It is intended to provide helpful information on the subjects addressed in the publication. It is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering medical, health, or any other kind of personal professional services through the sale of this book. The reader should consult a medical, health, or other competent professional before adopting any of the suggestions in this book or drawing inferences from it.

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Copyright 2016 by Naresh C. Rao

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Cover design by Tom Lau

Cover photo credit: Thinkstock by Getty Images/pretrelos

Interior photographs provided by Matt Simpkins

ISBN: 978-1-61321-830-3

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-61321-863-1

Printed in the United States of America

In memory of Neena and Sammy,
who are always there playing with me

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.

Vince Lombardi

E lite athletes achieve their status because they can consistently perform at the highest levels of their chosen sport. They have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of perfection, and are justly rewarded. But like any celebrity, deep down we know that they are just human, and basically, no different than us. Or are they?

Over the past fifteen years I have come to know and treat hundreds of elite athletes ranging from professionals to Olympic superstars, triathletes and marathoners, as well as a full range of weekend warriors, and Ive learned exactly what separates superstars from the rest of us, despite our best efforts. First, elite athletes benefit from both nature and nurture. Many have some type of genetic predisposition that is ideal for their chosen sport. This may have been recognized at an early age: long limbs ideal for swimming, a naturally strong core for wrestling, a limberness for diving or gymnastics. Elite athletes also have an innate, fierce determination and can go after their goals single-mindedly. Some put in the requisite 10,000 hours toward mastery when they were kids, such as Tiger Woods or Maria Sharapova, while others came to their sport later in their development, like Michael Jordan, who spent much of his youth pursuing baseball.

At the same time, these top athletes clearly respond to nurture: the positive feedback they get from achieving the gold medal or the trophy or the fame pushes them to work harder, put in more hours, and perfect their skills. Whats more, they all seem to love what they do; they live and breathe their sport. Its an exciting, integral part of their everyday lifestyle.

While the media often picks up on the backstories that reveal the talent or relentless effort that propelled these athletes to greatness, this illusion of singularity often leaves us believing that sports icons accomplish their goals alone. But nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the real secret behind every uber-successful athlete is their entourage.

Todays elite athletes know that while skill and consistent practice are ingredients to their success, the only way they can reach their goals is through the creation of an individualized, comprehensive program that takes into account every aspect of wellness optimization, ranging from monitoring health to improving nutrition, a goal-based training regimen, and a protocol for recovering from and preventing injury. They also recognize that their mental game is just as important as their physical one, and they proactively address their motivational, psychological, and spiritual needs. In short, the athletes who are at the top of their game know that if they want to improve in some waywhether its their accuracy at the goal, time at the finish line, or dependability of playthey need to take all of these aspects into consideration every single day.

The only way they can accomplish this enormous task while concentrating all of their efforts on improving their performance is by delegating these facets of training to experts. For the very lucky few who have unlimited funds from either corporate sponsors, university backers, or a dedicated family, their wellness program is carefully orchestrated by nine distinct professionals who, more often than not, include:

Team Physician

Physical Therapist

Trainer

Dietitian

Coach

Competitor

Role/Model Hero

Psychologist

Spiritual Leader

These roles form the core idea behind this program. And Im not alone in thinking this way. In a 2015 New York Times article, Yael Averbuch, a midfielder for F. C. Kansas City (of the National Womens Soccer League) and the US Womens National Team, wrote, Over the years, I have devised methods of training and improving on my own. But I have learned that there are aspects of getting to the next level that I cannot tap into independently. For this, it is best to find an expert.

The goal of Step Up Your Game is to provide the best practices of each of these nine roles, based on the latest research. The truth is, you can take on many of these roles yourself, and in this book you will learn exactly how to do so. In effect, you will be able to organize your training in a completely systematic way just like an elite athlete would, regardless of your level of expertise.

By integrating this program into your existing fitness routine, you will take full ownership of your training, and even more importantly, you will remove some of the stress that often hampers outcomes. For instance, my network approach to wellness will alleviate feelings of frustration and loneliness when you are facing a particular challenge, because you will have expert advice to answer your issues right at your fingertips. By taking a proactive approach to your training, youll have the best chance for achieving your goals with greater focus and fewer excuses. Best of all, by following this program you will be able to step up your game because both your body and mind will be in the best position to attain success. Youll finally break through the plateaus, set higher goals, and get to the next level while minimizing your risk of injury, burnout, or overtraining.

This unique approach has been enormously beneficial for the San Diego State University athletics department, Oracle/BMW Racings Americas Cup Team, USA Water Polo (including the 2012 Gold Medal Womens Olympic team) and thousands of my private clients. The Step Up Your Game methodology works whether you participate in team sports or individual competition, and applies to all athletic pursuits: triathlete, gym rat, tennis player, swimmer, golfer, and more. The reason its reach is so broad and flexible is that it is organized by core lifestyle principles many athletes intuitively grasp. We know we are supposed to eat right, exercise, and take care of our bodies and minds. Yet without specific guidelines, Ive found that few people actually put these practices into action, or concentrate on only a few to the detriment of the others. So while you may already be incorporating some of my suggestions into your training, unless you are doing all of the work in concert, you wont be able to achieve the results you desire.