What Alex Honnold can teach us about peak performance
I’ve spent a lot of time trying to crack the code of ultra-performance.
I do it by looping back through everything I’ve learned as a scientist and physiologist, and comparing that knowledge to everything I am learning from meeting and working with some of the highest-achieving people on the planet.
What I’ve observed is that elite performers are consistently able to access their full potential.
One of the best examples I can think of is Alex Honnold.
Honnold is the greatest free solo climber of all time. He has climbed some of the most challenging rock faces in the world without any safety equipment at all. No ropes. No harness. Just his shoes, a chalk bag, and his unprecedented physical, mental and emotional abilities.
On June 3, 2017, after nearly two years of meticulous preparation, Honnold accomplished what many argue is the greatest athletic feat of all time. In 3 hours and 56 minutes, he completed the first ever free solo ascent of El Capitan, a massive rock outcropping in Yosemite National Park in California. Not only that, he did it with a film crew tracking his every move.
The odyssey of Honnold’s preparation, including the climb itself, was captured in the Academy Award-winning documentary Free Solo by two of his close friends, wife and husband team Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.
“I could go back down and do it again right now.”
Soon after Honnold had arrived safely at the top, his friend and videographer Jimmy Chin had this to say:
“Alex’s process to prepare for his dream of free soloing El Cap has been an incredible, and sometimes stressful, journey to witness and be a part of . . . I expected (and prayed for) nothing less on his big day, but it was still mind bending to see how relaxed he was in the final days leading up to the climb and of course during the climb . . . When he got to the top, he looked at me and said, ‘I’m pretty sure I could go back to the bottom and do it again right now.’”
The fact that Honnold found it only moderately challenging is fascinating.
In speeches he gave after the climb, he explained that his goal with the climb was total mastery. He wasn’t satisfied with simply making it to the top. He wanted to proceed in a way that meant he was never – at any moment – anything but confident and calm.
Prior to making the attempt, Honnold reached the point where he could recite, in order, every single micro movement he would make during the entire climb. Honnold’s preparation and unique temperament enabled him to make one of the greatest athletic accomplishments in history easy.
His story is consistent with great performers across various disciplines. They have an ability to stay relaxed while performing so they can access their true potential. They achieve this calm and peak performance by putting themselves in gamma mode. It is a state of intense brain activity, and it is one of the few states when the entire brain works together at once.
Accessing gamma mode is critical for you to achieve peak performance.
Want to learn more?
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In a 24/7 world, it can be a real challenge to get proper rest and give your mind and body the opportunity to fully recharge. In my new book, I outline how small changes in the way you rest, refocus and recharge can help you improve your mental health, prevent illness and deliver optimal results. In high-performance athletic circles, “deliberate recovery” practices are the secret weapon of the very best. But you don’t have to be an elite athlete to benefit from these strategies. Rest Refocus Recharge offers simple and practical techniques that you can easily incorporate into your existing routine, including:
Rest and sleep
Relax and create
Reflect and learn
Recharge and focus
Regenerate and perform
Let me know what you think about this article and the new book in the comments section below!
