Michael Jordan’s Trainer Shows You How to Become Unstoppable

Tim Grover is a personal athletic trainer and founder of Attack Athletics.

He was the personal trainer for Michael Jordan, Dwayne Wade, and Kobe Bryant, among other world-class athletes. 

In his book Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable, Tim shares his stories of training and working with some of the greatest athletes in the world.

The book centers around his most well-known clients. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Dwade Wade are some of the fiercest and most competitive athletes we have ever witnessed.

He starts by explaining that there are three types of people in the world: Coolers, Closers, and, the ultimate title, Cleaners.

To become a cleaner, you must develop specific traits he lays out in the book. He calls them the “Relentless 13.”

For this article, I’ll give you a sample of five traits. To learn all thirteen, You’ll have to get the book.

But before we dive into those traits, you need to understand the three types of people.

Coolers, Closers, and Cleaners

Tim says there are three types of people in the world: coolers, closers, and cleaners.

Let’s break down the three:

• Coolers: This type of person will do the job given to them. They will never go above and beyond. Their desired result will be satisfactory, and they find no reason to push themselves harder to achieve the next level.
  

• Closers: Closers are a step above coolers. You can count on them to do the job and get it done in specific situations. They are good at specific things and will always perform well in situations they feel comfortable in.
  

• Cleaners: This type of person relentlessly pursues their end result. They know exactly where they want to go and spend little time thinking. Cleaners spend countless hours preparing and training to be the best at their specific skill sets. No matter the situation or issues, you can always count on them to achieve their desired result. 

5 Traits of a Cleaner

1. YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHO YOU ARE

This trait is all about the practice of thinking less and just doing.

It is so easy for us to get distracted by others and worry about what they are doing. Most of us live in this world of measurement, constantly competing with others and measuring our abilities to see how we compare. 

Even if you practiced for hours to ensure you’re prepared for every outcome, you still ask yourself: Am I doing something wrong? Was this how it was supposed to go? Did I do better than the other person?

These questions race through your mind while the other person, the cleaner, runs past you, trusting that all the hard work and practice will guide them.

Cleaners don’t care about the opinions of others, society, or being “civilized.” If anything, that concept repulses them. Instead, cleaners compete with themselves. They focus on their own growth and progress and seek to get better than they were yesterday.

They recognize that they have ambition and pursue greatness at a level that most label as “crazy” or “psycho.”

Who cares? The cleaner doesn’t. And if you want to achieve the heights of greatness, neither should you.

2. YOU’RE NOT INTIMIDATED BY PRESSURE. YOU THRIVE ON IT

When you feel pressure or stress, it makes you know that you are alive. When you are alive, you feel. And at the end of the day, how you feel is everything.

Directly quoted from Tim because I could not say it any better:

“Pressure can bust pipes, but it can also make diamonds. If you take the negative view, it will crush you. Now you’re in an ‘I can’t do this’ frame of mind.

But the positive view is that pressure is a challenge that will define you; it gives you the opportunity to see how much you can take, how hard you can go.

Everyone wants to cut back on stress because stress kills. I say bullshit. Stress is what brings you to life.

Let it motivate you, make you work harder. Use it; don’t run from it. When it makes you uncomfortable, so what? The payoff is worth it. Work through the discomfort, and you’ll survive. And then go back for more.”

Did you catch that?

The trainer of champions says to lean into stress. Grover says stress is a good thing, and it brings you to life.

Stress, discomfort, and challenges are where most people quit. And because they can’t take the stress, they never become champions. Only forgotten.

Never quit because things are difficult. Train yourself to lean into what’s hard and live in that world. Bathe in its uncomfortability. Desensitize yourself to the pressures that others are so keenly aware of.

To you, pressure is paradise.

3. WHEN EVERYONE IS HITTING “IN CASE OF EMERGENCY BUTTON” THEY ARE LOOKING FOR YOU

The ultimate competitors have absolutely no fear of failure.

A lot of competitors don’t want the ball for the game-winning shot. Michael Jordan relished it. And the thought of anyone but him taking it was blasphemy.

And for Jordan, it wasn’t arrogance. It was a pure, unwavering confidence that he was the guy to do it because he had put more time in than anyone else. He had out-trained everyone in the league physically, mentally, and emotionally for the big moments that make legends.

Cleaners don’t waste time thinking positively. To them, hoping and wishing isn’t an effective strategy. They keep moving forward with relentless action, trusting themselves to do the right thing.

All the hard work and preparation you put into your craft allows you to let go of any insecurities or fears to go full speed ahead.

But that’s the key. You have to put in the reps. You must put in the time to earn that unwavering knowing that you are the “one” who can win.

4. YOU DON’T COMPETE WITH ANYONE; YOU FIND YOUR OPPONENT'S WEAKNESS, AND YOU ATTACK

The mindset here is simple: Get on my level or get out of the way.

“We will win with or without you.” 

These are the words Michael Jordan said to Rodman when he joined the Bulls in the 90’s. So, if you want to be like Mike, start thinking like him.

That level of mental resolve isn’t given. It’s earned.

Regardless of who was on his team, Jordan knew they would win. Why? Because he had refined the skill of dominating. He learned how to target weaknesses in others and attack them like a shark drawn to blood.

The behavior that Jordan exuded infected his teammates regardless of who was on the court with him or not.

Coolers, closers, and commoners compete. Cleaners dominate.

5. YOU KEEP PUSHING YOURSELF HARDER WHEN EVERYONE HAS HAD ENOUGH

When exercising, you most likely spend your time in the gym trying to increase your physical strength.

Most people do the same workouts they’ve been doing for years. They check the box and then go home. This type of behavior keeps them average. They stay stagnant, and nothing ever changes.

A cleaner relishes this moment because it’s what creates champions. When everyone else quits, a cleaner keeps going.

Tim has spent most of his career training with MJ. He clearly knew that the difference between MJ and everyone else was not his pure physical talent. What separated MJ was his non-stop training working his mind.

Being physically gifted can make you great, but being more mentally fit than your peers is what ultimately makes you unstoppable.

“Every day, you have to do something you don’t want to do—every day. Challenge yourself to be uncomfortable, push past the apathy and laziness, and fear. Otherwise, the next day, you’re going to have two things you don’t want to do, then three, four, and five, and pretty soon, you can’t even get back to the first thing. And then all you can do is beat yourself up for the mess you’ve created, and now you’ve got a mental barrier to go along with the physical barriers.”

– Tim Grover

The BMM Takeaway

Tim Grover is probably the best mental toughness coach on earth.

His words aren’t just words. It’s a creed for anyone with big goals and dreams. If you apply Grover’s words religiously and allow his message to re-wire your brain and change your thinking, this book becomes your blueprint for greatness and success.

And remember, I only shed light on five of the thirteen traits that make a cleaner.

Relentless is perfect for those rare individuals who think they’re crazy because they don’t fit into society. It’s for those who know they’re capable of greatness but are dragged down by the mediocrity of their lives and environment.

But be forewarned, his book isn’t for the faint-hearted. If you can last through the hard lessons, it will challenge your thinking to change your commoner identity to an unstoppable one.