As the 2024 Olympic Games get underway, we are all reminded of the real possibilities of human athletic performance. While most people are not Olympians, the principles that guided them to these incredible feats of fitness and skill apply to everyone. Training, method, and determination are what got them where they are today. Where can Olympian discipline and techniques get you?
If you have been inspired by the Olympics to approach your personal fitness journey with new vigor, then shape your training based on what many of the world’s greatest athletes have done to achieve success. Let’s dive into the training techniques and attitudes that have the most proven results in the world.
Dedicate Yourself to the Routine
The one thing all Olympians can agree on is that your routine is paramount. No matter how you feel in the morning or when practice begins, train anyway. Whether you feel amazing or don’t want to get out of bed, stick to your routine. Your body will adapt. You will get stronger, your stamina and endurance will increase, and your ability to perform your routine even when half-asleep will improve.
Use proven training plans and principles to create a routine with the right balance of skill, endurance, and rest to achieve your fitness goals. Then build yourself a routine to get dedicated. Set the days of the week you will train and the time. Whether it’s every single morning or three evenings a week, don’t let yourself stray from that routine. Make it part of what you do automatically and do it like clockwork.
The magic of a routine is that you simply don’t give yourself a choice. Want to or not, you will train and you will enjoy the gains that come from training every single time.
Rely on Music for Motivation
If you love to rock out, if music gets you in the zone, you’re not alone. Many of the world’s greatest athletes rely on their favorite music for motivation. Driving beats can help you push through a tough workout and peaceful melodies can soothe you between sets while carrying your mind away from distractions.
Music can help you get super into your workout or it can occupy your mind while your body does the rest. It can provide the perfect tempo to push yourself and help you truly focus on rest during your resting periods. Build your perfect workout playlist or build multiple playlists that help you carry you into a world of cardio or focused workout routines.
Embrace Challenges and Failures
Another common thread between all Olympians is the theme of facing challenge, discomfort, and failure with the will to try and try again. It’s common to fall short of the mark or to feel like giving up when exercise is uncomfortable. There are several aspects to pushing through when the going gets tough.
It’s OK To Work Hard and Be Uncomfortable
Remind yourself that it’s OK to embrace hard work and that discomfort is the path to strength. Intense exercise isn’t easy. It’s not always runner’s highs and feeling strong. Sometimes, you feel the burn. Often, you will finish a routine gasping and exhausted. Sometimes your body just doesn’t want to get going. Not letting that discourage you is the key.
Missing Goals is Part of the Process
Olympians may be setting records, but not every practice is a banner day. Embracing and learning from failure is a normal part of the process. You might not make on-paper progress for weeks or months, but each day you train still makes you stronger.
Rolling with Setbacks
Setbacks happen. Maybe you strain a muscle. Maybe you move somewhere new with a less ideal gym selection. Whatever happens, adapt your training plan and maintain your routine in any way you can. Setbacks are an opportunity to get resourceful and bounce back with more vigor than ever.
Always Trying Again
Most importantly, just keep trying. Always be ready to try again. Improve your technique. Build a new routine. Get up and stick to your schedule every time training time comes around again. Not giving up is what all Olympians have in common.
Care For Yourself During Recovery
Recovery is also a very important part of Olympic performance. It’s important to remember that every incredible Olympic athlete is still human, and the human body needs to recover from intense training and from the occasional sports injury.
Quality of Rest
The quality of your rest matters. Eating right, staying hydrated, and giving your body the resources it needs to build new muscle and recover strength on your rest days will influence your performance on training days.
On days when your routine says to rest, really take the time to rest. Learn the best nutrition and types of rest to achieve your fitness goals. Body building and heavy lifting require a different rest pattern than someone doing cardio for lean muscle. There’s also an essential difference between active recovery and passive recovery.
Injury Recovery
If you get injured, that’s also part of the game. Instead of getting discouraged, dedicate your focus to recovery. Care for the injury, stretch as you recover, and take care of your body with active rest and selective exercise until you are fully healed and can resume your normal training routine.
Compete Only With Yourself
Lastly, remember that the competition is only with yourself. The most important goal is to beat your personal high scores. Run faster than you did before. Train a little harder than you did last year. Olympians may be trying to win global competitions but when they are training on their own, they train to improve their own performance one increment at a time.
Build Your Olympics-Inspired Routine at Merritt Clubs
If you are looking for the right gym to start your Olympic-inspired training routine, bring your personal fitness journey to Merritt Clubs. Our diverse facilities, equipment, and fitness programs can help you set and achieve your goals and begin your path to Olympian-style physical achievement. Some of our locations even have the pools for you or your kids to take up swim lessons with our Michael Phelps Swim School.
