The Toughest Athletes I Know Complain About Being Sore

One of the funniest things I've noticed in rodeo is that the toughest athletes are usually the biggest complainers.

Not publicly, but spend enough time around them and you'll hear it.

"My shoulder is killing me."

"My hips are smoked."

"My back is locked up."

"My elbows hurt."

And if you've been around the sport long enough, you've probably heard some version of this conversation a thousand times.

The funny part to me?

Most of the athletes saying it are still competing.

Still winning and still climbing the standings.

Which got me thinking a few years ago.

If everyone is sore, then maybe soreness isn't the problem.

Maybe it's the expectation.

I think a lot of athletes secretly believe there's some magical level of fitness where soreness disappears.

Like one day they'll get strong enough, fit enough, or conditioned enough.

And suddenly, their body will feel amazing all season.

I've got bad news.

That day ISN'T coming.

The human body wasn't designed to get on bucking horses, rope calves, travel across three states in a weekend, sleep in a different bed every night, and wake up feeling fresh every morning.

That's not reality.

The goal isn't to never feel sore.

The goal is to stay functional despite the demands, and that's a completely different objective.

Because I've met athletes who were sore and performing great, and I've met athletes who felt great and weren't performing at all.

The presence of soreness doesn't automatically tell you anything.

What matters is what accompanies it.

Can you still move well?

Can you still train?

Can you still recover?

Can you still perform?

If the answer is yes, then soreness may just be part of the game.

The bigger issue is when soreness becomes your normal operating system.

When every morning feels worse than the last, or every movement feels restricted.

That's when it's worth paying attention.

Because at that point, soreness is no longer the story.

It's evidence that something else is happening behind the scenes.

Maybe you're under-eating.

Maybe you're under-recovering.

Maybe you're trying to train like it's January while living like it's July.

Or maybe your body has simply accumulated more fatigue than you've acknowledged.

Whatever the cause, the answer usually isn't another recovery gadget.

And it's almost never the magic mobility drill somebody promised would change your life.

Most of the time, the answer is far less exciting.

Sleep.

Food.

Hydration.

Movement.

Consistency.

The things nobody wants to hear because they're too simple.

But after years of coaching athletes, I've learned something.

Simple works.

The best athletes I know aren't necessarily the ones who recover the fastest.

They're the ones who respect recovery the most.

And that's a big difference.

So if you're sore right now, don't panic.

Don't assume you're broken or you're doing something wrong.

Ask a better question.

Is this normal soreness from the demands of the sport?

Or is my body trying to tell me that I'm falling behind on recovery?

Those are two very different conversations.

And knowing the difference might be one of the most valuable skills an athlete can develop.

If you're ready to take the next step in your Champion Living Athlete Pathway, let's get you on a call with a coach to see if you're a good fit for our Individualized Coaching.

Use the link below:

https://championlivingfitness.com/sign-up

Your Coach,

Doug Champion