[hyperthesis]

> once they hit a certain wall, growth slows down drastically.

Deliberate practice addresses these plateaus. I think you need to constrict your focus, zoom in, change the scale so the slowing of progress doesn't feel slow. If you can accept that, it can be just as satisfying. A great coach/mentor can help here [but how can you evaluate them?] As the frontier of your knowledge expands, there's more of it.

funfact: Usain Bolt hit a plateau as a teenager, but got a new coach who addressed a congenital spine defect with specific strengthening exercises, and to train less (he was overtraining).

[finnh]

overtraining is such a trap! My college crew program had something like 11 workouts per week - one on the water, at 5am, and one in the gym at 4pm, every weekday, plus a "big one" on Saturdays. Very little tapering before big races.

That's simply too much, especially for 18 year olds...