Why Your Training Feels Harder Than It Should

Over the past decade, I’ve worked with adults and athletes to help them improve how they look, feel, and perform, so they can stay strong, lean, and confident for the long run.

And over time, one pattern keeps showing up.

The people who get the best results aren’t doing more…

They’re doing the basics better.

For adults 35+, this matters even more.

Because at this stage, it’s not just about pushing harder, it’s about recovering better, moving better, and sustaining it for life.

And the foundation of all of it?

Sleep.

Most people I work with don’t have a training problem.

They have a recovery problem.

They’re showing up, putting in the effort…

But:

• Workouts feel harder than they should
• Energy is low
• Strength isn’t improving
• Motivation comes and goes

Here’s why.

When you consistently get 5-6 hours of sleep, your body and brain both take a hit.

Physically:

• Strength, speed, and endurance drop
• Coordination and movement quality decline
• Recovery slows down

Mentally:

• Stress and cortisol increase
• Focus and drive go down
• Everything starts to feel harder than it should

Same workout.

Same weight.

But it feels heavier.

Over time, this adds up.

Training feels off.

Results slow down.

And frustration builds.

Not because you’re not working hard…

But because your body isn’t in a position to respond.

So what’s the fix?

You stop treating sleep like an afterthought…

And start treating it like a priority.

Schedule it like you schedule your work.

You wouldn’t skip work and expect to get paid.

But a lot of people skip sleep and expect their body to perform at a high level.

Here’s a simple way to start:

• Go to bed 30 minutes earlier than usual
• Work toward 7.5–9 hours in bed
• 3 hours before bed: finish your last big meal
• 2 hours before bed: start wrapping up hydration
• 1 hour before bed: limit screens and bright lights

You don’t need to be perfect.

You just need to be consistent.

If you get this right, everything else gets easier.

You recover faster.

You train better.

You have more energy.

And your results actually start to match your effort.

I get it, life is busy.

I’m a husband and a dad of three young kids.

It’s not always perfect.

But small improvements here go a long way.

You don’t need a new program.

You need a stronger foundation.

Start there.

—Coach Erick