6 Tips On How To Train Like An Olympian
With all the excitement of the 2016 Summer Olympics reaching its height, most of us are simply in awe of the amazing athleticism displayed on a daily basis. The athletes are so powerful, so graceful, and so all-around amazing that it can be easy to forget that they are actually human beings. Olympic athletes are people who have taken a natural gift and trained it to the maximum. These training skills aren’t only available to the Olympians, either. The following six tips tell you how to train like an Olympian.
1. Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Rest
Most people know that the human body needs eight hours of sleep to be at its best, and Olympic athletes tend to follow this rule religiously when they’re in training. The Olympic athletes generally say that they require a minimum of eight hours of sleep per day, and ideally as much as ten hours of sleep. When you go to bed, focus on sleep instead of reading or your cell phone. It will allow for higher quality sleep, and you’ll fall asleep faster.
2. Prepare Yourself Psychologically
Psychological preparation is essential for Olympic athletes. In fact, many athletes say that being prepared mentally is the only way that they feel truly confident about winning. Keep some inspirational reading close at hand and read it over breakfast to start the day off right. Look for quotes that inspire you and print them up. Keep those quotes within eyesight as much as possible. Create and constantly rehearse power mantras. Simply repeating those mantras can make you feel more powerful — and it can make you feel capable of anything.
3. Start Training Early in the AM
One of the habits that nearly all Olympians have in common is an early rising habit. Early morning workouts are less likely to be inhibited by distractions, and most people feel far more energetic early in the morning. Waiting until late afternoon or evening to start workouts is a bad idea because you’re already tired and less motivated by that time.
4. Visualize Success
Visualization can make a big difference in success levels. Before a big sports event, a major workout, or a challenging match, try a creative visualization that imagines decisive success. Imagine each step of every movement, and imagine how it will feel to win. This will make it seem natural when the success really happens.
5. Eat For Success
Maintaining the ideal weight for your sport is extremely important. Even a few extra pounds of fat can slow you down significantly, while replacing fat with lean muscle will make you much more powerful. Olympians are well known for their hard core diets. Many of them completely remove all junk food from their diet. They often focus on lean proteins, oatmeal, fruit, and veggies.
6. Practice Good Warm-Up And Recovery Techniques
Taking as little as 10 to 25 minutes to do a full body warm up will set you up for great success. Olympians know how important it is to do a light jog or jump roping session to loosen the muscles. They often follow this with exercises such as reverse lunges to help with flexibility and coordination. After exercise, do a series of gentle stretching and flexibility exercises to help you recover. Many Olympic athletes also use methods like foam rolling and massage to help the body recover effectively.