Coach Sommer is a former U.S. National Team gymnastics coach and the creator of GymnasticBodies. This personal email sent to me, which I reread often, was so good that I had to include it in Tools of Titans. Make the one big decision.
Enter Coach Sommer…
Hi Tim,
Patience. Far too soon to expect strength improvements. Strength improvements [for a movement like this] take a minimum of 6 weeks. Any perceived improvements prior to that are simply the result of improved synaptic facilitation. In plain English, the central nervous system simply became more efficient at that particular movement with practice. This is, however, not to be confused with actual strength gains.
Dealing with the temporary frustration of not making progress is an integral part of the path towards excellence. In fact, it is essential and something that every single elite athlete has had to learn to deal with. If the pursuit of excellence was easy, everyone would do it.
In fact, this impatience in dealing with frustration is the primary reason that most people fail to achieve their goals. Unreasonable expectations timewise, resulting in unnecessary frustration, due to a perceived feeling of failure. Achieving the extraordinary is not a linear process.
The secret is to show up, do the work, and go home.
A blue collar work ethic married to indomitable will. It is literally that simple. Nothing interferes. Nothing can sway you from your purpose. Once the decision is made, simply refuse to budge. Refuse to compromise.
And accept that quality long-term results require quality long-term focus. No emotion. No drama. No beating yourself up over small bumps in the road. Learn to enjoy and appreciate the process. This is especially important because you are going to spend far more time on the actual journey than with those all too brief moments of triumph at the end.
Certainly celebrate the moments of triumph when they occur. More importantly, learn from defeats when they happen. In fact, if you are not encountering defeat on a fairly regular basis, you are not trying hard enough. And absolutely refuse to accept less than your best.
Throw out a timeline. It will take what it takes.
If the commitment is to a long-term goal and not to a series of smaller intermediate goals, then only one decision needs to be made and adhered to. Clear, simple, straightforward. Much easier to maintain than having to make small decision after small decision to stay the course when dealing with each step along the way. This provides far too many opportunities to inadvertently drift from your chosen goal. The single decision is one of the most powerful tools in the toolbox.
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Hey Tim! Very inspiring. Curious: what movement? “ Strength improvements [for a movement like this] ‘
Im going to guess straddle L sits based off the tools of titan excerpt: “Despite Coach Sommer’s regular reminders about connective-tissue adaptations taking 200 to 210 days, after a few weeks of flailing with ‘straddle L extensions,’ I was at my wits’ end. Even after the third workout, I had renamed them ‘frog spaz’ in my workout journal because that’s what I resembled while doing them: a frog being electrocuted.”
Thank you for this inspiring share. You can tell this comes from someone who knows. I am a yoga teacher about 7 months post breast cancer and diep flap bilateral mastectomy where they used my belly fat to replace my breasts. Losing what I lost, I have had to take some serious self inventory along this journey. I agree that “keep showing up, do the work, go home” has been key to slowly, gruelingly regain my core strength, balance, my range of motion, yes. I made the one decision. I am now teaching classes again, taking classes at a local gym with amazing positive trainers pushing me to a whole new level. Patience is hard but knowing we are not alone is a beautiful part of this journey.
Keep going Rachel, you too are inspiring.
Every single paragraph was between helpful and an epiphany for a personal challenge I currently am in a tug of war with. Thanks Tim and Coach Sommer for sharing these hard-earned life lessons with all of us.
Yo Tim!
That email is a good smack in the face.
Decide once and enjoy the long journey you’ll be on.
Also a reminder to get back to gymnastics!
Thank you for all your thought out and thoughtful content!
-Tony
That’s great.
I train for one arm handstand for more than 12 years now.
I am 47 , the journey is slow but so worth it.
Refining delicate balance in the body is actually refining neural connections in the brain.
Thanks 🙏
Hey Tim,
I receive your 5 bullet Friday emails. Which I really appreciate. It’s the only regular email that I receive that I consistently read.
This most recent one had 101 additional advices and some other items that I, again, appreciate. I have an observation and question though. I have been in business for some time and all the business advice I see always resembles these “feel-good” pieces. Be authentic, be noble, be giving. Etc.
However, when I look at business, we know that psychopaths and sociopaths are over represented in the top echelons of the western corporate world. We know that disagreeableness is a trait that is frequently common with top performers and top earners from psychological studies.
I largely don’t see the traits that are commonly held as “how to get ahead” being exemplified by those who are successful. (with a few exceptions). I do see the people who don’t hesitate to exploit others get ahead. How do you square this observation of reality with the advice that is commonly regurgitated within the business (self-help) world?
I saw your tweet about preferences…I’d love more episodes with weirder/less-known guests + experiments. Also hey Tim, Ashley Barnhill here (Chappelle opener at Paramount Oct ’19). If you’re ever hunting for an Austin-based off-template guest: UT Law grad + decade touring w/ Chappelle + major TBI rebuild story (5 brain surgeries; titanium skull).
How do you balance making “the single decision” with staying flexible enough to adjust your approach when new information or setbacks arise?
hi Tim, question, are the David’s protein bars acceptable to use for slow carb? or is this more of a maintenance thing? thanks for all you do!
As a table tennis coach, I agree that determination and the traits you describe are essential — they’re non-negotiable if someone wants to progress.
The part that always sits quietly underneath, though, is the assumption that the journey itself is right for the person. Persistence is powerful when the direction is sound; it becomes dangerous when it isn’t. Doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result is often framed as grit, but sometimes it’s just unexamined inertia.
From a coaching standpoint, there’s also a shared responsibility. If an athlete is stuck, some of that belongs to them — effort, discipline, consistency — but some of it belongs to me. My job is to listen to the static, adapt the approach, and question whether what worked before is still what’s needed now.
I’d add one key skill that sits alongside determination for both coach and athlete: the ability to listen. Not just to each other, but to themselves and to circumstances. If you refuse to listen, you end up staggering around in the dark — and any success that follows may come through chance rather than grit.
I appreciate you sharing this — it prompted reflection rather than easy answers.
Reading this in my mid-30s, amidst an existential crisis, feels worlds apart from how I would have received it in my 20s when I was just trying to ‘get ahead.’ Words, after all, are merely pointers to the moon. You can’t simply look at one layer and believe that professional attendance and a goal are enough to reach the summit. But that’s probably why the advice is rather unique to training athletes and not necessarily encompassing other vocations, or you need to really dig deeper to not mistake it with another “keep calm and moving forward” kind of motto. To me, the secret is to not just to keep working, but rather let the work, the drama, the emotions, the “I wanna quit,” the “I love this but not this”…. even the self-criticism, teach you about who you are. Only then can you adjust your compass and make the next right decision.
This blog really hit me! Love the reminder that real progress takes time and patience. It’s all about showing up, doing the work, and sticking to your decision with no shortcuts. Definitely something I will keep coming back to.
Super appreciate your work Tim.
Started 2026 with a layoff and death of the family dog so soaking in all the good knowledge and advice from the blog and pod this month. Thanks for providing value.
I completely agree with your point about minimizing noise and clutter. The idea of narrowing focus to one high-impact decision really resonates, especially in a world with constant distractions. It makes sense that less truly can be more when it comes to meaningful action.