Marginal Gains Theory in Sport

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Marginal Gains Theory in Sport
26 May 2022 10 min read
Marginal Gains Theory in Sport

It's 2003. British cyclists have performed respectably in cycling events historically, but are hardly a powerhouse of the sport. Not to mention the fact that no British cyclist had ever won the Tour de France, arguably cycling's most prestigious award.

So, when Dave Brailsford was appointed performance director of British Cycling in 2003, and later on in 2010 as manager of the British-based professional cycling team, Team Sky, an innovative new approach to training these elite athletes was always going to be needed to take them to the next level.

The solution was Brailsford's marginal gains theory, which is also sometimes referred to as the "aggregation of marginal gains" or "the 1% factor" (which will make sense in just a moment). The results? Well, the results were staggering.

What is Marginal Gains Theory?

Marginal gains theory is the theory that improving and optimising your performance by a small amount across a number of different areas will lead to much more significant, noticeable improvements overall.

Essentially, if you look to improve everything you do by 1%, even the smallest of details, the cumulative gain adds up to a much more substantial improvement.

Its pioneer, Dave Brailsford, looked at every possible area related to his cyclists and their sports performance, and aimed to improve just about everything by at least 1%. And by everything, we mean everything.

Tour de France cyclists mid-race

Naturally, they started with the obvious. They looked at training programme improvements, the comfort of the bikes the athletes used, and optimising their nutritional intake. But as part of marginal gains theory, they went much MUCH further.

They analysed the optimum temperature the cyclists' muscles would need to be for peak performance and found electrically heated training shorts to keep them at that temperature. They started looking at the exact sort of bedding that would give the athletes the best night's sleep.

They experimented with different massage gels and how best to apply them for muscle recovery. They even started teaching the athletes how to wash their hands properly to minimise their chances of getting sick and disrupting training!

Some of this might sound over the top, but the proof is clear for all to see. British cyclists have been largely dominant since 2003, and it took Brailsford just 3 years after being appointed manager of Team Sky to lead Bradley Wiggins to Tour de France glory.

What's more, at the peak of the method's success in Olympic competition, British cyclists won a staggering 70% of the cycling gold medals available at the 2012 Olympics.

So, as trivial as some of the 1% gains may seem - it's even widely reported that Bradley Wiggins was banned from carrying his own travel luggage in case it led to an injury, so his wife had to do the lifting for him - it certainly seems as though marginal gains can be an effective way to make more significant improvements to your performance. Below you can see for yourself how a 1% improvement every day can soon lead to quick growth over the course of a year.

Graph showing progress with 1% improvement every day for a year

Of course, the aggregation of marginal gains is such a simple core concept that it's since been applied to just about everything, from success in business down to making everyday improvements to your wellbeing. But here at Again Faster, we're all about strength and fitness, smashing your personal training goals, and realising your fitness evolution.

So, we'll be elaborating a little more on how you can apply marginal gains theory to your everyday training - whether you train at home, in a commercial gym, or both.

How to Apply Marginal Gains to your Training

I'm sure plenty of us have reached plateaus in our training. Points, where you feel like your progress has stalled, and nothing you seem to try gets you through it.

Sure, you're still in good shape, you may even be very happy with the level you've reached. But you're still chasing that high that only comes with smashing your PB or ticking off yet another personal goal.

We're not here to go into the levels of specific detail that Dave Brailsford might so you can make marginal gains. For most of us not training at a truly elite level, where those really tiny details become more important, getting your partner to carry all your luggage or switching your dishwasher tablets is probably not going to be the thing that makes a difference!

However, when looking at the aggregation of marginal gains in sport performance, we really recommend thinking about those little things - and it can be anything - that have ever given you cause for annoyance, distraction or straight up proved a hindrance to your training performance.

Are they simple enough to fix? And could fixing 3 or 4 of those things help take you to the next level?

Muscular man performing a pull up

Next time you're in the gym, out for a run, or wherever your training takes you, make a mental note of anything that disrupted your focus or held you back and ask yourself: can I change this? Can I improve this? No detail is too small.

Focusing on marginal gains in sport can help you to reset psychologically, too. There's nothing more frustrating than feeling like you're doing everything right, only to still not be making progress.

Simply giving yourself another outlet, different things to work on and improve, can provide that mental reset you need to help you break through to the other side of a wall you've hit. Focusing on things you can control, instead of the frustration of halted progress, can be very helpful!

And the beauty of marginal gains in sports performance is that even if those little changes don't get you to the next level, they can't do any harm either! You're still going to end up better off than you were before attempting marginal gains even if it doesn't lead to substantial improvements to your overall performance.

Common Marginal Gains Examples

So, what are some common things that seem small, but actually can make a much bigger difference than you realise? To name just a few we hear about more frequently from Again Faster customers:

Upgrade your Gear

I know what you're thinking, of course we'd say that! But you'd be surprised how often people don't realise what a difference some of these small things make: the little bit of doubt having a weight bench that doesn't feel completely stable makes to your lifting confidence; that nagging bit of wobble in the power rack pull up bar which throws you off your technique; or how that slight lack of spin in your barbell is disrupting your fluid lifting movement.

Close up of power rack hole spacing while man performs pull ups in background

Ultimately, you want any plateau to be because your body isn't ready to take the next step yet, not because your equipment is holding you back. Perhaps it's time to replace that budget option you picked up on Amazon with something more substantial...

Power Rack Hole Spacing

Read our article on "westside hole spacing," but essentially switching to a rack with holes closer together can make small but meaningful differences to how you lift that can add up to a bigger difference in performance in the long run. At peak performance, you'd be surprised by how much energy you're wasting if your accessories are just 5mm out of perfect positioning for your needs.

Finding the Right Knurling

Feel like you're spending more time nursing your callouses than actually lifting? Or often find your lifts hampered by the bar slipping? It may even be that you just don't get on with the cold, unforgiving feel of bare steel knurling and might prefer something different. Well, perhaps it's time to find out if you can find your 1% by experimenting with different styles of grip and knurling.

Take your Time with your Music Playlists

It might sound silly but trusting the shuffle function with your music choices can be disastrous. You don't want anything to take you out of the zone, and your playlist going from upbeat music with a quick, steady beat to a sombre power ballad can do exactly that.

Close up of again faster wall timer

Train at a Comfortable Temperature

We've all been there. We've been deep into a workout, wishing we had invested in a better fan, or that we'd requested the air con be turned up, or remembered to turn the heating down, or even just cracked a window for some extra airflow. You power through but it nags at you. Find out your perfect setup to get you the right temperature for your workouts and never look back.

Marginal Gains is a Holistic Approach

The beauty of marginal gains in sport performance is that it's a holistic approach, which means you can look at just about any positive change you make and, if you add enough of them together, they can make improvements in other areas too. Basically, just about everything is linked somehow when you take this approach.

We may have joked earlier about whether changing your dishwasher tablets is really going to help you reach the next level, but if your current brand leaves a strange taste in your water bottle that threatens to disrupt your focus when you're working out... then why not make that change?

Man performing overhead barbell lift in group setting

What are some Marginal Gains I have Applied to My Own Training?

I'm not a professional athlete, and I'm sure not many of you reading this are. I'm certainly not training at a level where marginal gains are applicable in the same way Dave Brailsford was looking at in elite British cycling (I'm hardly looking to compete in the Tour de France any time soon!)

However, here are just 4 of the small changes I have made in my own training that, while they seem small or even irrelevant, have come together to make a difference to how I enjoy my training and stay focused.

  1. I bought a new drinks bottle: For a long time, I was training with a bottle of water that had a screw top. After dozens of occasions fiddling around, spilling water, and accidentally screwing the lid back on wrong making the bottle leak, I realised this avoidable distraction was taking me out of "the zone," especially during heavy cardio sessions. I switched to one of those bottles where you can pull up the nozzle using your teeth: distraction resolved.
  2. I figured out the best way to tie my hair: For anyone with longer hair, you might relate to what a distraction it can be if you've tied it uncomfortably, if a stray hair starts to creep into your peripheral vision, or it starts to stick to your face. I've learnt there's an ideal way to tie my hair depending on which workouts I'm doing, and by getting it right in advance, this distraction is removed. No more laying uncomfortably on a bun while trying to bench, and no stray hairs sticking to my sweaty face when I'm pushing for a new personal best on my 5k time.
  3. I experimented with different t-shirts: I found I disliked the feeling of anything cotton clinging to me once I worked up a sweat, but I also found that traditional sports clothing materials (the so-called "breathable" materials) felt like they made me sweat excessively. After a bit of trial and error, I found a material that I find breathable and absorbent in the right balance, which has made a big difference to my comfort while training.
  4. I found the right headphones: I usually train with earbud-style headphones. After a lot of trial and error, I've finally found a pair that (for my shape of ears) never feel like they're slipping out, have great sound, and are comfortable to wear. And don't get me started on how many pairs of modern headphones I went through that are operated by touch, which makes it just a bit too easy for my liking to accidentally pause my music or skip to the next track!

Track runners being timed by digital stopwatch

These changes may sound minor and as though, in isolation, they're not going to be the thing that helps bring down my 5k time or helps me lift that extra 5kg of weight. But I'm positive that these small improvements when added together have allowed me to remain more focused on the important things in my training, reduced several points of distraction, and helped to keep me in the right frame of mind for making noticeable gains.

Are Marginal Gains Worth It for Sports Performance?

Unfortunately, only you can answer that question! Marginal gains theory in sports performance is not meant to be a fix or replacement for using proper technique or following a well-thought-out training programme. But marginal gains can lead to more noticeable, significant gains to strength and fitness with a bit of patience!

Marginal gains are usually there for those of us who feel like we've tried all the conventional means of making progress, but still feel as though we've stalled. If your nutrition is on point, the programme your following is tried and tested, and you're already training with top-of-the-line equipment...then maybe it's time to start looking at those 1% gains?

So, what are your thoughts? Are there any marginal gains you've implemented that have helped take you to the next level? Get in contact and let us know!

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