To compete at the Olympic Games, athletes have to be in peak physical condition. It requires years of dedicated training to push their bodies to the limit. More goes into training than just physical preparation. It also involves eating the right diet, mental preparation, and getting enough sleep.
Physical training
Olympic athletes may have talent but it also takes hours of physical training every day to make it to the international level. Stretching and doing warm-ups is an essential part of training. Olympic athletes may spend several hours six days of the week training and have a day of rest. They need aerobic fitness so their hearts can use oxygen optimally. Muscle strength and endurance are necessary so their muscles can work long and hard. Flexibility enables their joints to move through a full range of motion.
What athletes focus on most in training usually depends on their sport. Long-distance swimmers will focus on distance and endurance while short-distance swimmers will focus on speed. Many Americans enjoy betting on the Olympic Games and are likely to place bets on Olympic veterans such as Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles. Ledecky trains about 20 hours a week in the pool and 5 to 10 hours in the gym. Gymnast Simone Biles trains close to 35 hours every week.
Nutrition
There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to nutrition for athletes. Any nutrition advice will depend on the individual, the sport, and the type of training. As the training demands increase, they adapt their diets to support the different requirements. Some days they will rest and other days they will do high-intensity training.
Intense training days may only give athletes short windows of opportunities to eat. Tricks such as layering calories and adding seeds and nuts to their diets can help them to do muscle-building exercises and aerobic workout.
Once athletes arrive at the games, stress and jet lag can take their toll on food absorption and digestion. Nutrition experts will devise specific eating programs for them. If they can’t consume full meals, smoothies full of nutrients are often a good alternative.
The body mass of athletes shows whether they have a healthy amount of body fat. If you want to check your fitness level, part of this will be checking your body mass.
Mental preparation
An important part of preparing for the Olympics is visualization. Athletes who visualize can activate a similar physiological response as to when they actually perform. When they improve visualization, they can imagine challenges or obstacles and how to overcome them. On facing these challenges in real life, their responses come automatically. Mental training can help them manage their focus, develop more confidence, and learn how to deal with setbacks.
Mindfulness practices are often part of mental training. This involves being in the moment. When athletes are sweating and their hearts are pounding, being in the moment gives them the confidence they need to carry on.
If the motivation is to win, chances are this is exceedingly difficult to achieve. The trick to managing failure and staying motivated is to focus on the process. The goal for athletes should be to perform at their personal best.
The benefit of sleep
A good night’s sleep is one of the best ways to enhance performance. Olympic athletes usually need from eight to 10 hours of sleep every night and a nap during the day. In the days leading up to the games, athletes need to start adjusting their sleep schedules. This can help them to adapt to time changes. Eating at specific times, stretching, and staying hydrated can help. Educating athletes and reframing what they consider a good night’s sleep is part of the job of athlete sleep services. They will create individualized sleep plans for athletes considering many different factors.
