The Over-Optimisation Sickness in the Fitness Industry

Over optimisation culture is a huge step back for the fitness industry and the people. Why are average gym goers concerned about the latest wearable, the best carbon plate running shoes, the best gels, the best diet? Why do even some of my newest clients as me about the best timing window to consume protein, or whether they should do an ice bath to improve recovery between sessions?

HAve we taken 1 step forward but 2 steps back?

On one hand we’ve improved soo much, debunked soo much and managed to deliver better and better training protocols to people. But on the other hand we’ve almost gone too far in and lost sight of the simplicity of training, and how just like everything context matters massively.

It’s almost like people ran out of things to say (or sell) and decided to either make up stuff or actually focusing on something soo trivial with minor benefits to be different.

Questions that once seemed irrelevant now dominate fitness conversations:

• Should I train in Zone 2 or Zone 3?

• What’s the optimal fasting window?

• Am I taking the right supplements?

• Is my recovery score high enough?

• Should I cold plunge before or after training?

• Is my protein timing optimal?

  
  

Let me tell you the truth, if you’re the average joe none of these questions matter. Actually even if you weren’t, the body is soo flexible and robust that on a fundamental level nothing is more important than the practicality of things.

Chasing the Last 1% Before the First 99%

One of the biggest mistakes in modern fitness is focusing on marginal gains before securing the major ones. People spend hours researching the perfect workout split while sleeping five hours a night. They debate supplement stacks while barely eating vegetables.

They analyse heart rate variability charts while struggling to maintain a consistent exercise routine. It’s like worrying about the aerodynamics of a Formula 1 car before learning how to drive.

The fundamentals still account for the vast majority of results:

• Consistent exercise

• Adequate sleep

• Sufficient protein

• Daily movement

• Sustainable nutrition habits

  
  

Everything else can be built on top of that foundation.

The Rise of Fitness Anxiety

I think all this mixed information and various data points do more harm than good. They somehow fuel a lot of anxiety in people, as they become more focus on the statistics over how things feels and their own enjoyment. I see people around me anxiously walking fast to get some “steps in” but what happened to just going on a walk and enjoying it? I see others punishing themselves because the scales is not where they want it to be after a fun weekend. I see people stressing because their sleep score is low this week, what happened to using the powerful and incredible bodies that we have to gauge that? Can you watch estimate how alert you feel today, how energetic, your mood, motivation and how rested you feel?

At some point fitness becomes a full time job for people when it should never be the case, but instead be an interception of various organic decision made by someone. Fitness paradoxically should not come at the expanse of your living, but compliment it so you can live your life to the fullest.

Why the Fitness Industry Loves Optimisation

It sells.

Because of something called complexity bias, people often mistake complexity for intelligence and effectiveness.

Simple yet powerful advice seem dumb, sleep more than 5-6 hours a night ? Everyone knows that, that’s not very special. Also people will always pick the solution they like the most, if they’re told they can keep doing whatever they’re doing on the weekend and start Monday with an ice bath sauna session to detox they’ll keep on doing that.

Nobody gets rich telling people to:

• Walk more

• Lift weights regularly

• Sleep enough

• Eat mostly whole foods

• Stay consistent

  
  

Those principles work. They’re just not exciting.

Optimisation creates endless opportunities for products, content, supplements, courses, apps, and gadgets. The more complicated fitness appears, the more solutions can be sold.

The Hidden Cost of More Data

Most people assume more information automatically leads to better decisions.

Not necessarily.

More information can also create:

• Decision fatigue

• Analysis paralysis

• Anxiety

• Confusion

• Constant self-monitoring

What actually matters

Consistency and enjoyment. People that actually get result don’t worry too much on data but on execution.

Final Thoughts

The fitness industry’s obsession with optimisation has convinced many people that health is a puzzle requiring endless tweaks and adjustments. In reality, the biggest challenge isn’t finding a better protocol. It’s sticking to a good one. Before worrying and actually questioning the real value behind recovery scores, sleep stages, fasting windows, cold plunges, and supplement stacks, ask yourself a simple question:

Have I mastered the basics?

Because the people who get the best long-term results aren’t usually the best optimisers. They’re the one that get stuff done.