How to Train Like an Olympian at Varsity

The Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil are fast approaching to begin next week on August 5! The Olympic Games serve as an opportunity for people from all over the world to cheer on their home countries and watch the world’s best athletes compete at the highest level. The athletes that make it to the Olympic stage train most of their lives to achieve this goal. At one time, they too were once just starting their training as novice athletes!  What can we learn from them that allowed them to reach this elite level of training?  Here are some pieces of advice that current and past Olympic athletes have given as their secrets to success.

Make it a habit - Keep going!

In order for Olympic athletes to compete at the world level, they have to put in the time. This is also true for those of us that have training goals at Varsity. This means consistently coming to class and making sure to do small things at home to work towards your fitness, like stretching, planks, or pushups.

“People don’t know the process which [athletes] undertake in their individual sports to reach the Olympic level,”says Jim Ochowicz, who competed in the 1972 Olympic Games and coached the 2000 and 2004 USA Olympic men’s professional road racing team. “You get there by sticking it out. There [are] a lot of people that try and give up.”

Change Up Your Workouts

Cross-training means incorporating several different types of exercises into your workouts. These can include running, weight-lifting, yoga, and swimming. Changing up your workout helps Olympians prevent injury and workout muscles they may not use regularly.  At Varsity, our Adult Fit classes are designed to “change up”your workouts and keep working many different muscle groups in each class.

Find a Workout Buddy / Team

Olympians don’t train alone. There is an entire team of people behind an athlete that competes at the Olympics. Having a team of peers and coaches will help you motivate yourself to keep going and push towards your fitness or training goals. Ask your coaches questions! Find a friend to keep you responsible for your progress!

"You have to rely on your support system. Growing up, I always thought it was a sign of weakness to ask for help, but now I realize it’s really a sign of strength to say, ‘I need help, I can’t do it all.’"—Kerri Walsh

Visualize Your Goals

Shannon Miller, an Olympic gold medal-winner in gymnastics says, “The physical aspect of the sport can only take you so far. The mental aspect has to kick in, especially when you’re talking about the best of the best. In the Olympic games, everyone is talented. Everyone trains hard. Everyone does the work. What separates the gold medalists from the silver medalists is simply the mental game.”

“If you dream and you allow yourself to dream you can do anything."

—Clara Hughes, Canadian cyclist and speedskater and the only person to have won multiple medals in both the Summer and Winter Games.

For us here at Varsity, we can use this advise to push ourselves during our workouts as well as use it as motivation to get ourselves to the gym regularly and eat well. We can visualize many different things depending on what best motivates you. Does a bikini body get you to the gym? What about having the energy to get through the day without having dips in the middle of the afternoon? How about extending the longevity of your life?

Find what motivates you and use visualization as a powerful tool during training.

 The authors：

Dancing has always been the big love of Amy’s life. Born in Houston, TX, Amy began training in dance at a young age. She grew up in studios dancing competitively across the country. She trained and competed in ballet, jazz, tap, pom, and hip-hop.  Amy went to high school in Lafayette, LA where she was a member of the 19 time national champion St. Thomas More Sparklers and served as Co-Captain her senior year. She attended college at the University of Oklahoma where she received a B.A. in Material Dynamics and Computer Systems, and was a member and Captain of the University of Oklahoma Pom Squad.

After university, she continued her career in dance choreographing competition routines for several schools including NDA pom national champions Norman North High School, and receiving the Best Choreography Award twice over the past 4 years at NDA nationals. She is excited to share her love of dance with those at the Varsity Cheerleading Academy!