Ep. 388: Injury and the Stockdale Paradox, feat. Alex Sterner

This week, we're joined by Alex Sterner! Alex is a black belt and the owner of Electrum Performance in San Diego, where he coaches strength and conditioning for jiu-jitsu and combat sports athletes. In this episode, Alex breaks down the psychology of injury rehab and the Stockdale Paradox: the marriage of optimism about recovery with brutal acceptance of where you actually are right now. Topics include: pain as a feature, the staircase model of rehab, healing it like you hurt it, short term versus long term risk, and a sample weight room program for jiu-jitsu.

Follow Alex on Instagram:
instagram.com/alex.sterner

Follow Electrum Performance on Instagram:
instagram.com/electrum_performance

Train with Alex on YouTube:
youtube.com/@electrumperformance

Mental models discussed in this episode:
• Visualization
bjjmentalmodels.com/visualization

• Mindfulness
bjjmentalmodels.com/mindfulness

• Growth from Discomfort
bjjmentalmodels.com/growth-from-discomfort

• Loss Aversion
bjjmentalmodels.com/loss-aversion

• Compounding
bjjmentalmodels.com/compounding

• Timeframe Paradox
bjjmentalmodels.com/timeframe-paradox

• Silver Bullet Fallacy
bjjmentalmodels.com/silver-bullet-fallacy

• Prioritize Longevity
bjjmentalmodels.com/prioritize-longevity

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Music by Enterprize:
enterprize.bandcamp.com