Why this coach keeps things MESSY

Terry Williams is a renowned coach who works with all kinds of athletes — from professionals to weekend warriors. He takes a holistic approach to training, focusing as much on the athlete's mindset as their physical conditioning. Terry co-founded two Houston and Austin-based gyms, The League, where he has started helping people prepare for Hyrox and other hybrid competitions. 

The Hybrid Letter spoke with Terry on the importance of mindset, his personal mantra, and what makes an effective coach.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

The Hybrid Letter: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and the work that you do? 

Terry Williams: I am a coach in all regards. I like to coach people physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. At the gym, we call it The League because it's founded on the concept of training like an athlete, even if you're not an athlete. I have a Master's Degree in Health and Human Performance, and I'm certified as a CSCS, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. 

The League was founded on the concept that everybody can move their body like an athlete, even if they're not an athlete.  We do strength and conditioning principles but at a level that everybody can understand. We have Leaguers who are pregnant, Leaguers who are senior citizens, and Leaguers who are athletes recovering from an injury. Then we also have the folks who like to crush a Hyrox or a 5k run on the weekend. We work with professional athletes as well. 

Off the turf, I do coaching in so many other regards. I'm actually in Orlando, Florida at an NFL summit getting ready to speak this afternoon to performance coaches from NFL teams. It’s a fun opportunity today to coach other coaches. 

THL: How did you get involved in Hyrox?

TW: I have always been a hybrid athlete. I try to outlift the runners and outrun the lifters. I like to take a holistic approach to health and fitness. I can't look at any one style of fitness as the way. I do love to lift weights but I can't exclusively lift weights. I do love to go for a run but I can't exclusively run. I’m very attuned to the style of training of professional athletes. In a football training facility, there's going to be some running, some sprints. But there's going to be some weightlifting.

That hybrid approach really spoke to me. I tried so many things. I did some Spartan Races. But when I got into Hyrox, I knew that this was my jam. This speaks to me. I can say with full integrity, that this aligns with the training and systems that I believe in. For me, it was fun to get athletes to do it. And now I'm having fun coaching people through Hyrox workouts. 

THL: You work with athletes and other coaches on mindset. What are some of the most effective strategies for hybrid competitions? 

TW: I think mindset is everything. I love Trevor Moawad's book It Takes What It Takes. He talks about having a neutral mindset. If we are pessimistic, we automatically lose. There's no way to override that mechanism. It's like eating a lot of junk food and wanting to lose weight, right? If I'm going to have a lot of mental junk, there's no way I can win. 

But being passively positive can be really dangerous too. Just expect everything to work. If I'm passively positive, I haven't accepted any responsibility. Now my mindset can lean into the positive, but it has to be built on action. It has to be built on what I can actually control. I'm going to release attachments to anything I cannot control. What I can control becomes my to-do list. I have a way of bringing myself back into positivity that is based on work and not a passivity.

I think everybody needs a mantra that brings back their mindset. I lose my positive mindset at station three in Hyrox. It's at the sled pull where I begin to realize that this is harder than I anticipated. And then the burpee broad jump event comes after it. And, for me, that can be grueling. My first race, it just about took me out. 

So my mantra is "MESSY." It is not an entirely positive word but I love messy because it acknowledges the negative in the experience. This is going to get messy. The wheels are going to fall off. I'm probably going to experience a cramp. 

"MESSY" is an acronym. The M is for Mood. The E is for Effort. The double S is for Stay Smooth, and the Y is for Yes. The way that plays out in my mind is that I just focus on the word, and I fall into the word. When my mindset shifts to negative things, I will literally run down my MESSY checklist to get my mindset back on track. 

So I'll check in. How's my mood? Hey, I'm happy to do this. How's my effort? I'm doing the work. And then the double S. I'm a big believer that smooth is fast. I've seen it where I sit next to a guy in station five, the row, and he's going crazy. I arrived at the rowing machine after him. I focus on efficiency versus speed. And I'll finish faster than the person who's focused on speed. Stay smooth. And then the last one is Yes. I will literally say "Yes." I say it out loud. In the middle of a race. I don't care who's next to me. I don't care if they think it's weird. The thing is that we have to say it if we're going to see it. When we say it with our mouths, we begin to believe with our minds. And that's not bro science, it’s neuroscience. A neurobiologist would tell you that the things that you are professing out of your mouth, your mind comes into agreement with.

THL: How can people find a mantra that rings true to them? 

TW: It comes to core values. When you have those values, you know what to lean into when things get hard. From that, you can deduce a mantra. Say it’s my family. I’m racing for my kids today. When my wife brought my kids out here, and they saw me today, they're not going to see a quitter, they're going to see a winner. That's enough to get my mindset back on track. 

It really comes down to values because core values speak to people so loudly. Values can scream louder than doubts. Something has to be louder than doubt to instill faith and belief.

THL: When you’ve worked with professional athletes. What have you seen from a mindset perspective that stands out? 

TW: I think that people misconstrue mindset and think that a good mindset is the belief that you're unbreakable, can’t be defeated, and nothing will ever knock you off your podium. 

One of the greatest athletes I've ever worked with is Matt Schnell. He's top 10 ranked in the UFC Flyweight Division. He won a match that ESPN calls one of the greatest comebacks in history. One thing I noticed about him is he never guarantees victory. I think that's a powerful mindset to have. It's so underrated. He’s done more winning than anybody I've ever worked with. But he's never going to guarantee victory. He's not pompous. He's not conceited. He shows up to his matches in the UFC with a healthy dosage of fear in his heart. 

This is neutral thinking. I'm not crippled by a sense of fear. Nor am I conceited to where I don't believe I have anything worth fearing. It's showing up right there in the middle. I came to do work today against my fears.

I think that there are two toxic ends of the spectrum. There is feeling conquered. And there's feeling cocky — like you're better than everybody else. Right between conquered and cocky, there's confidence. I am me. You are you. Anything could happen, and it might get messy, but I stand on the values that I represent and the work that I've committed to doing. 

THL: What are three books on mindset that you would recommend? 

TW: It Takes What it Takes, by Trevor Moawab

Discipline is Destiny by Ryan Holiday

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

THL: You also work a lot with other coaches. What do you think makes an effective coach?

TW: It's so driven by values and respect. 

You need to know who you are and how you show up. Then, get to know all of your athletes. Getting to know a person's core values, respecting them, and speaking to those values when you speak to the athlete. It's how you bring out the best in anyone. 

You can connect with Terry on Instagram, learn more about The League (with locations in Houston and Austin), or check out his online platform, Reset Coaching. 

Science Corner: Do cold plunges work?

Cold plunges are hot right now. Scrolling on Instagram, you'll see many people immersing themselves in very cold water and extolling the benefits. But are cold plunges actually effective?

It depends on your goal. If you are training to gain strength, a recent meta-analysis concluded that ice baths can be counterproductive. The researchers looked a eight studies and concluded that if you immerse yourself in cold water after resistance training, you "may attenuate hypertrophic changes." In other words, you may end up gaining less muscle than if you skipped the cold plunge. 

This is because cold immersion reduces inflammation and damage to the muscle. But when you are strength training, inflammation and damage are what you want because those are the things that create adaptation and muscle growth. 

This isn't to say that cold plunges are worthless. But they should be reserved for times when you are prioritizing performance over adaptation. So if you participate in a Hyrox on Saturday and have another race the next day, a cold plunge makes a lot of sense. You do not have time to benefit from muscular adaptations. You want to reduce the damage and maximize your performance in the next race. For some people, cold plunges also have psychological benefits.

If you want to improve your strength, however, consider heat exposure after resistance training. 

Hybrid Athlete of the Week: John Wloch

Name: John Wloch
Age: 37
Hometown: Chicago

When did you start hybrid racing? My first race was the 2023 North American Open Championship. I signed up for Hyrox after a coworker suggested it. I was feeling out of shape and had seen a trainer at my boxing class share some Hyrox competition photos. I was intrigued. Admittedly, I knew almost nothing about the race when I signed up. I had been doing a variety of group fitness classes, so I had some experience with some of the exercises. But I had never pushed a sled or thrown a wall ball.

Favorite race to date?: My favorite race was the recent North American Championships in Washington D.C., where I competed in men’s doubles with my friend Matt Heins. It was the first race Matt and I competed in together after a very serious medical issue prevented Matt from competing with me in New York in 2023.

I am simply horrific at wall balls to the point where I have had multiple races that ended with me arguing with officials about no-reps. I had told Matt to count on me for 15 reps at a time and then rattled off 50 in a row to start. I was elated.

Do you have a race goal? I would love to break 1:20 in Hyrox Pro and break an hour for Hyrox Men's Doubles.

Favorite stations? Farmers Carry. I can get through without setting the weights down. Those 1.5-mile walks with groceries in the Chicago cold are my training.  

Least favorite station? Burpee Broad Jumps. I somehow manage to go really slowly while also being extremely fatigued at the end, a dastardly combination.

Things you wish you knew when you started racing? I think it is healthy to look at Hyrox in a similar way as a marathon or long triathlon – just finishing is a true accomplishment. The accomplishments of the top-end athletes in this sport are unbelievable. Do not beat yourself up if you are not setting records right away.