19 August 2026

Beyond Fitness: Building Durable Performance for Sustained Operations

When I transitioned from Major League Baseball (MLB) to the tactical sector in 2020, as an H2F Program Director with the 20th Engineer Brigade, one immediate realization hit me hard: there is no equivalent offseason.

In professional sports, training plans are built around a defined game schedule and travel calendar. Athletes train in world-class facilities, compete, and then enter a dedicated offseason to rest, recover, and reset. Soldiers don’t get that luxury. The operational environment is constant, volatile, and ever-changing—new commanders, shifting missions, and training spaces that range from state-of-the-art garrison performance centers to an open field with limited equipment. In the tactical setting, readiness isn’t seasonal; Service Members are expected to be ready all the time.

That sector difference changed how I think about performance. Early in my career, it was easier to focus on short-term optimization—pushing for immediate gains in the moment. Over time, I learned that optimizing for the short term can often costs athletes in the long run. Performance management isn’t about always emptying the tank today; it’s about making intentional trade-offs now so Service Members can reap the benefits and sustain their capability years down the line too.

Throughout my career—whether guiding professional baseball players, leading Army Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) programs, or now serving as Director of Research Operations and Analytics at The Geneva Foundation—I’ve found that one of the biggest misconceptions about warfighter performance optimization is that fitness and readiness are the same thing.

Fitness is important and it’s only the starting point. Readiness is building the ability to perform consistently through the physical and cognitive demands of the mission, recover effectively, and do it again tomorrow — durable performance.

Moving Beyond Fitness

Traditional fitness programs are designed to improve general physical capacity. But operational environments aren’t general. Every Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) places different demands on the mind and body, and those demands change as missions evolve.

Performance programs should begin with understanding the mission, not selecting exercises. Before building a training plan, it’s important to understand what the Service Member is being asked to do, how often they’ll need to do it, and what barriers could affect their ability to sustain performance over time.

The goal isn’t simply to produce stronger or faster individuals. It’s to prepare people to meet operational demands repeatedly throughout their careers.

Building Performance That Lasts

One of the greatest threats to readiness isn’t always a catastrophic injury. More often, it’s the gradual accumulation of overuse injuries, fatigue, inadequate recovery, and poor health habits that can reduce a Service Member’s ability to perform.

In my experience, building durable performance comes down to a few fundamentals.

First, healthy habits have to become part of the culture. Consistent sleep, sound nutrition, regular physical activity, and meaningful social connections all contribute to long-term resilience.

Second, recovery must be planned with similar intent as physical training. Recovery isn’t something that happens after the work is done. It’s how the body adapts, reduces injury risk, and prepares for the next mission.

Finally, we need to use objective data to make better decisions. Workload monitoring and wearable technologies, when used appropriately, can help us understand how individuals are responding to training so we can adjust programs before small issues become larger readiness challenges.

None of these principles are revolutionary on their own. Their value comes from applying them consistently over time.

Training for the Mission

One lesson I’ve carried from professional sports into tactical performance is that training should support the operational schedule, not compete with it.

Athletes don’t train the same way every day of the season because performance demands change. The same is true for Service Members. Training should reflect mission cycles, field exercises, deployments, and recovery periods.

When Commanders and performance professionals work together, physical training becomes part of operational planning instead of a separate and isolated activity.

Understanding the Individual to Strengthen the Force

Building durable performance requires understanding both the demands of the mission and the individual responsible for carrying it out. A well-rounded needs analysis sets the foundation for identifying the gap between a Service Member’s current capabilities and the occupational demands.

That process begins with understanding the individual: their goals, training opportunities, access to equipment, physical demands, and professional constraints. From there, performance professionals can identify available resources, anticipate potential barriers, and develop a plan that is realistic, sustainable, and responsive to changing conditions.

The most effective programs aren’t necessarily the most complex. They’re the ones that can be consistently implemented, evaluated, and adjusted based on the individual, the mission, and the resources available.

When we understand individual responses to training and performance demands, we can also begin to identify broader patterns. Those insights can inform better programs, resource decisions, and readiness strategies across larger military populations.

Factors Beyond Physical Training

Training does not occur in a vacuum. A Service Member’s ability to perform is influenced by external factors, including family dynamics, financial stressors, cognitive readiness, and shifting operational requirements.

The training approach must be built with the awareness that conditions will likely change. When new obstacles emerge, the goal is to recognize the friction, adapt the plan, and regain momentum as quickly as possible.

By considering these human and professional factors alongside physical training, we create a more sustainable approach to development and help Service Members build the resilience required for long-term operational success.

Readiness Over Time

At Geneva, we’re helping advance research that strengthens this approach to warfighter performance by generating evidence that improves how we understand workload, recovery, and operational readiness.

Readiness isn’t measured by what someone can do on their best day. It’s measured by what they can continue to do over weeks, months, and years of service.