Most people try to remove stress from their lives. They reorganize schedules. They wait for the right time. They look for balance before they act. That approach fails.
In this edition, Joe shares:
Why stress is required for progress
How chaos exposes weak systems
How to respond to stress instead of avoiding it
Joe here, writing from our Spartan Race Orlando office.
I have spent my career operating under pressure.
Farming taught me that plans fail quickly. Wall Street taught me that pressure is constant. Building Spartan taught me that chaos scales with ambition. There were race failures. There were financial setbacks. There were moments where the business nearly collapsed. None of those situations improved when I tried to escape the stress. They improved when I addressed it directly.
Stress forces clarity. It reveals what is not working. It demands better decisions.
The same principle applies to training. Missed workouts. Weather issues. Time constraints. Injuries. These are not exceptions. They are the normal conditions.
How Growth Actually Happens
Muscles grow because they are stressed then allowed time to recover. Skills improve when conditions change and judgement is tested. Remove the stress and there is nothing to adapt to.
Stress can feel like chaos. Caught in the winds of a tornado, conditions presented that are out of your control.
In training, it shows up as scheduling conflicts, fatigue, poor sleep. At work, it shows up as new responsibilities or uncertainty. In life, it shows up when plans break down.
These moments are often labeled as setbacks.
They are not.
They are the point where adaptation happens.
The Spartan Approach to Stress
Stress is neutral. It's outcome – negative or positive is determined by your response to it.
Here are three principles that I apply across training, work, and racing.
1. Control what you can control. You cannot manage every variable. You can manage effort, consistency, and attitude.
2. Accept chaos as part of the process. If conditions change, adjust and continue. Do not wait for ideal circumstances.
3. Take the next best action. Stress often leads to panic or avoidance. Neither helps. Identify the next hard but productive move and execute it.
Everyday Stress Is Training
You do not need extreme situations to apply this.
A disrupted commute becomes additional movement. A packed schedule becomes a shorter but focused session. A difficult workday becomes a test of discipline. These are not interruptions to training. They are training. The mind is our most powerful muscle. Frame it correctly through positive thinking and you'll build the resilience you need to conquer much larger more difficult obstacles in your future.
Obstacle Course Racing: The Ultimate Stress Test
I designed Spartan Races to create pressure on purpose. On the course, stress shows up immediately. Uneven terrain forces constant adjustment. Cold water drains energy faster than expected. Grip fails. Legs cramp. Breathing spikes. Fatigue sets in early. Obstacles do not go the way you practiced. Weather changes mid race. Your pace plan stops working.
Nothing goes exactly as planned. That is intentional.
The course is a controlled environment where you learn to operate when control is limited. You are forced to make decisions while tired, uncomfortable, and behind plan.
That is the value of racing. It trains you to keep moving forward when conditions deteriorate. It teaches you how to respond instead of react.
You are not supposed to be ready for everything.
That is the test.
You Ask, Joe Answers
Q: “Q: How do I stay calm when everything starts going wrong during a race or workout" –Daniel M
A: "Calm is not the goal. Control is. When things start falling apart, most people waste energy reacting emotionally. I focus on execution. One obstacle. One step. One decision. Stress narrows your world. Use that. Do not think about the entire course or the entire problem. Identify the next required action and complete it. Momentum comes from action, not reassurance." — Joe
A Stress Challenge
For the next seven days, pay attention to stress. Each day, identify one stressful moment. Write down what caused it, how you responded, and what a better response would look like.
Do not analyze it deeply. Do not dramatize it. Use it as data. Stress does not weaken you. Avoiding it does.
I will see you on the course,
Joe
