Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Every couple of years, many of us are glued to our television sets to watch one of the most amazing examples of athletic prowess in the world: The Olympics. And it's no wonder. These elite athletes are so fit, they make everything look easy.
Just watching a gymnast do a backflip or an ice skater fly through the air might make you think, hey, maybe I could do that! Except the reality is that unless you're a professional elite athlete, attempting these impressive feats of athleticism could lead to injury without proper training and conditioning.
There's one thing we can do: We can get inspired by their incredible skill and commitment to reach our own fitness goals. Find out how you can train like an Olympic athlete for weight loss and fitness. Fortunately, training like an Olympian doesn't mean running 20 miles before breakfast or spending half your Saturday doing anaerobic sprints. However, even if you're not training for the Olympics, you can emulate the best athletes in the world to get the most out of your workouts:.
Many people fall victim to the weekend warrior syndrome: after sitting on a couch after a long day of work all week, you may try to make up for it by overexerting yourself with hours of exercise on the weekend.
Instead of setting yourself up for injury, think like Olympic athletes who train every day in order to compete with the best. Exercising regularly not only helps you lose weight, you also maintain a level of conditioning that will keep you strong and fit. It also helps your body become more efficient at burning fat. Olympic athletes have a specific goal; to compete with the best athletes in the world and win. Our goals may be smaller, but they're just as important in motivating to get us out of bed each day to exercise.
When setting a goal , keep it simple, specific and, most importantly, reachable. An Olympic marathon runner has to have incredible endurance and strength in order to complete a marathon.
To compete, they will have to incorporate specific training such as long runs, speed work, and strength training. As the animal grew, he repeated the lift until it was the size of a bull. He supposedly then carried it on his shoulders around Olympia, before slaughtering and eating it.
Given that a fully-grown adult bull can weigh to 1,kg 1, to 2,lb , there is surely some exaggeration in this tale. Croton's feat would have exceeded the heaviest deadlift on record. But what's interesting about the story is that his technique echoes a modern principle of training called " progressive overload ", where weight is gradually added over time to build muscle.
So, how did other ancient athletes train? The first fighters and runners of the Olympic Games had only rudimentary technology and scant physiological knowledge, but their methods were more sophisticated than many might assume.
The first Panhellic contest, the Olympics, dates to BC. It began with foot-races, but later the Ancient Greeks added jumping, boxing, wrestling, and the now-forgotten brutal fighting technique pankration , whose modern equivalent might be Ultimate Fighting. It often ended with mutilation or even death. A pot from the tomb of a great athlete depicts a fighting scene. Could the distended bellies represent the breathing technique used?
Credit: Getty Images. Historians have had to piece together how competitors prepared for these events from very few sources, says Clayton Lehmann of the University of South Dakota, who has studied the athletic training of the period. One of the only specific sources about athletic training is called Gymnasticus, written by the philosopher Philostratus the Athenian around the 2nd Century AD.
Philostratus didn't go into that much detail about everyday methods — mainly writing about sport as a noble endeavour — but occasionally he remarks on how some athletes would do curious things like chase animals, bend bars of iron or swim fully armoured in the ocean.
Based on this and other sources, here's what else we know about how to train like an Ancient Greek athlete:. Milo the wrestler's bull-lifting wasn't the only way to bulk up. Other tricks included holding four horses at the same time, resisting the effort of someone's push, or gripping their fists closed. Fighters also pulled, punched and chest-bumped filled bags: the weaker athletes used flour and fig seeds, while the stronger ones used sand.
Wrestlers threw the discus, which were much heavier back then, and lifted weighted rocks with handles. On Thera, a black volcanic stone taller than most men and weighing kg 1,lb was discovered with an inscription naming the strongman wrestler who lifted it off the ground.
Athletes trained in gymnasia and outdoor palaestra, but unlike the present day, these settings also featured libraries and lecture halls. The Ancient Greeks believed it was the duty of citizens to perfect mind and body together.
Athletic activity was seen as another form of wisdom sophia , comparable to the creative arts, philosophy, mathematics or astronomy, so it made sense that exercising the brain and muscles was performed in the same place. A number of the dialogues by great philosophers were set in a gymnasium , says Lehmann, and these forums helped to foster the more open form of democracy that would later emerge in places like Athens albeit only among male elites.
Trainers were called paidotribes — which stems from the roots "boy" and "to rub", which suggest that their main focus was sports massage with oil. Wrestlers also coated themselves in oil in their training and competition. They would then throw sand over their skin, to enhance grip. Afterwards, they'd scrape it all off with a strigil , a semi-circle shaped tool made of wood, bronze or iron.
A strigil, which was used for cleaning off sand, sweat and mud Credit: Getty Images. In an echo of modern concerns about overpaid, lazy athletes, Philostratus lamented what he saw as the decline of athletic tradition in the Greek world, labelling sportsmen of his time "sluggish and soft" compared with centuries prior.
He blamed the decoupling of athletics from warfare, a rise in monetary greed and the availability of luxurious foods. As such, Philostratus prescribed what he saw as the ideal mental temperament for the aspiring athlete, and how to foster it.
He advised that choleric, irritable sportsmen needed restraint, says Lehmann, whereas phlegmatic, calm athletes need urging on. As for melancholics?
Part 3. Maintain healthy eating habits. Your diet is the fuel that you need to perform. The recommended calorie intake varies for each sport, so check in with your coach or a dietician for advice. Always wait at least half an hour between eating and starting your daily training.
Hydrate continuously throughout the day. If you are exercising intensely for several hours a day, aim to drink half your body weight in fluid ounces of water. Carbohydrates will restore what you lost during your workout and the protein will help rebuild your muscles.
Have a consistent sleep schedule. Aim to get eight to 10 hours of sleep each night and try to fall asleep and wake up around the same time. The consistency is good for your body and will make you feel more energized. Have a strong support system. A good support system is an often-overlooked aspect of being a successful athlete. You will need friends and family in addition to coaches and trainers in your life who support your dream.
Keep your balance mentally. Training for the Olympics is not only physically challenging: it also requires an incredible amount of mental strength. Keeping your focus while still taking care of yourself and maintaining your relationships with others isn't easy. That's why many people training for the Olympics try out a number of techniques to stay healthy mentally. Meditation is also a good way to relax your body and your mind, especially when practiced regularly.
Learn how to meditate through a class or by reading resources online. Remember to always listen to your body and to your own needs. See a sports psychologist. Many people aiming for the Olympics find it helpful to see a sports psychologist. The pressure of competing on such a high level is something that not many people have to go through.
This is why it can help to talk to a specialist who is used to talking to people in high-stakes situations. Use physical trainers and massage therapists to prevent injury. Training for the Olympics puts you more at risk of injury than the average athlete, both because of the stunts that you may perform and the sheer number of hours that you spend training. Meet with a physical trainer who can do an assessment of your fitness and your risk of injury.
Many athletes also find that having weekly massages as well as visiting the sauna helps to relax muscles, which in turn reduces the chance of injury.
Always consult with a physical therapist or movement specialist before engaging in any kind of high-intensity training. They'll be able to assess your physical history and warn you of any risks to your body associated with working out intensely. Did you know you can get expert answers for this article? Unlock expert answers by supporting wikiHow. Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer. Yes No. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0. Michele Dolan Certified Fitness Trainer.
Michele Dolan. Not Helpful 3 Helpful 8. Not Helpful 2 Helpful 9. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Training for the Olympics is a lot of work. Keep your focus by keeping your goal at the forefront of your mind. Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1.
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