Carl Lewis was a 9 time Olympic gold medalist who was known as a master finisher but a slow starter.

He began races 2nd to last but usually ended up finishing first.

It came to be known that he wasn't performing at full throttle. He was going at 85% the entire time.

When an athlete is told to run at 85% they run faster than if they're told to run at 100%.

Here's why it works:

When you have your best performances you're not trying your hardest. At times you're not even trying at all.

You're in flow where your abilities meet just enough intensity to bring out your best.

Also, going at 100% is the quickest path to burning out.

It's unrealistic and you can't optimize when you're aiming to hit 100% all the time.

Aiming for 85% allows you to relax, and focus on form and flow in the right way.

The 85% rule is about consistency, pacing & finishing. You're not striving or straining by operating at the very limit of your ability.

You have room to think, focus & adapt.

Here's how to apply it to your life:

1) At work

Instead of going full throttle, take your time & focus on your process.

Put the focus on each action you do with a quiet intensity. Adopt a mentality of expending 85% of your energy towards your tasks.

Your perception of energy is the biggest component of being productive.

2) Your diet

Instead of trying to be perfect aim to get 85% of your food choices right. This takes the pressure off of you and gets you away from an all-or-nothing mentality.

You want to be adaptable to any situation and hitting 85% is enough to get your body in shape.

3) Your workouts

Aiming for 85% intensity allows you to focus on your form while keeping yourself injury-free.

We have a rule to always keep 1-2 reps in the tank when lifting and this fits perfectly into it.

Keys to the 85% rule:

1) Relax
2) Focus on form
3) Lower expectations by 15%
4) Work just below your maximum threshold
5) Stop when you feel close to 100% of your capacity

Instead of putting the pressure on you to go 100 try aiming for 85% today.

This might help you unlock new levels of performance.

Onwards and upwards,

- Dan

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