The lure of an award, a badge, a personal best (PB), or even a pat on the back will drive most of us to be better, especially in the short term. To achieve long-term success, the desire to be better must be intrinsic. Accolades will get us out the door when the weather is lousy and encourage our bodies to go that little bit harder when feeling the burn of an intense effort.
Over time, those goals, awards, and targets can become addictive as they add to the endorphin surge sport already gives us, former WorldTour pro Michael Barry says. Knowing this, most social media, online applications, and training platforms feed the flow of endorphins to keep us engaged, pushing us to reach further, and racing ourselves, our friends, and ultimately, all those on the apps by notifying us each time we’ve reached a target or gone faster than ever.
The gamification of training platforms
Training platforms have been gamified using techniques developed in casinos, which have since been adopted by social media. The brain can quickly become hooked on those small awards; as a result, training and, more generally, sport becomes a constant race where every ride or run is monitored and ranked by a computer platform.
The persistent pull of a possible award will detract from long-term training goals, especially for the bike racer, whose purpose is not only to become fitter and stronger but also to perform in races. This requires process, patience, coordination with teammates, and skill development—elements that platforms don’t quantify. A properly trained athlete, reaching their potential by following a well-structured training program, will hit two to three peaks in fitness throughout the year. Those peaks will be harder, or even impossible, to attain if the athlete is pushing to their maximum capacity too frequently, as fatigue will set in, eventually leading to injury or burnout.
Understanding training
For an athlete to be their best, both mentally and physically, they must set personal benchmarks in which they try to control as many variables as possible. Constant classification and comparison are detrimental, as others’ performances are out of their control. The best athletes who can progress with consistency over time are often the ones who have a clear understanding of their training and what they are trying to achieve while also having the ability to honestly evaluate their fitness and efforts through their…
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