It is no secret that the athletes who show up at the Olympics are some of the most hard-working individuals that exist. They are people who have dedicated their entire lives to their sports.
However, little is still known about what goes into the preparation behind training for an event like the Olympics.
For starters, it is important to note that athletes not only prepare for the Olympics, but multiple other events through the course of a season and these might include meets at the national and international level.
The logistics that go behind ensuring an athlete’s peak performance for a competition can make or break their opportunity. So, genetics, blood, sweat, and tears aside, here are some preparatory techniques that boost an athlete’s chances at elite events like the Olympics.
The mindset before an event
The initial training that an athlete undergoes is not physical, but rather mental. Athletes Sarah Baum and Maxime Beaumont have been vocal about how it is difficult sometimes to get out of bed and go to their training sessions.
So, it’s not just the average person, but even Olympians struggle with something like this.
There is a certain element of truth to most sports movies, which aside from depicting some wonderful training montages, they also show the inner battle that every athlete faces – the one in their head which is far fiercer than dealing with any opponent.
In order to get past this, what they do start with is a small ritual that can ease them into their routine.
For instance, BMX rider Logan Martin has a peculiar routine that involves chasing kids around the house while prepping them up for the day. This, according to Martin, hands him a bit of exercise at the start of his day.
So, it need not be a dedicated exercise ritual that gets you into the groove of working out, but something that can ease you past the initial mental barriers.
The role of diet
Eating healthy is not just recommended for athletes but it can also do wonders for a person’s physical and mental health.
Greek surfer and competitive bodybuilder advocates for consuming whole foods that comprise of vegetables and meat that can be cooked, instead of pumping in processed foods that contain emulsifiers which could hurt the amino acid system in our bodies.
The general advice to avoid processed food is no secret, which is why athletes sleep better, have stable energy levels and mental clarity, and are also able to handle stress well. While the psychological aspects cannot be entirely attributed to eating well, it certainly plays a part, as eating junk food has the ability to rewire your brain to make you feel lazier.
Dietary requirements may vary from athlete to athlete, as they may consume anywhere between 2,000 to 10,000 calories a day. Good food serves as fuel for their performance, and athletes certainly don’t skimp on eating well and healthy, as they burn more calories due to their gruelling training sessions.
Which is why it is always best to consult a medical professional when it comes to usage of supplements as it is always recommended to get the most amount of nutrients from natural food sources, and only supplement where necessary.
The IOC Medical and Scientific Commission, after taking note of widespread use of supplements among athletes, convened a meeting with dietary experts which came to the following conclusion:
“Athletes contemplating the use of supplements and sports foods should consider their efficacy, their cost, the risk to health and performance, and the possibility that undeclared contaminants present in some supplements may cause an adverse analytical finding.”
The benefits of phased training
Other than sport-specific training, there are several exercise science essentials that Olympic athletes follow.
For example, in a paper review by highnorth.co.uka study analysed daily training data from 11 Norwegian skiers who went on to win gold in the Olympics.
It was broken down into three different phases: General Preparation Phase (a 6–10-month period prior to competitions), a Specific Preparation Phase (for 4-5 month before competitions) and the Competition Phase (the final three months period).
While this study was exclusively done on athletes who were training for Skiing, periodization and tapering are relatively common for athletes to do. Contrary to what may be the image built up about Olympic athletes, they don’t stay in tip-top shape around the year.
Instead, what follows is a three-phase training period as described above which is called Periodization, which ensures that an athlete does not overtrain, and gives their body the rest and recovery that it deserves.
Another tool in the coach’s kit is Tapering, which reduces the training volume and aids the athlete in performing their absolute best for the Olympics or any championship.
Neeraj Chopra after his beautiful win at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics had become significantly out of shape, gaining over 10kg. This off-season period between January to June 2022 was planned for well in advance by his coach Klaus Bartonietz, an expert in bio-mechanics. This period helped his body sustain his regular training and exercise, which helped him win gold at the Stockholm Diamond League later on.
An off-season isn’t an uncommon idea.
Several pictures are available online of bodybuilding legends like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronnie Coleman where they look nowhere near their recognizable on-stage persona. This doesn’t mean they quit training entirely. Instead, it just shows that they made sustainable changes to the way they eat and approach training, often guided by a team of exercise science specialists, sports medicine professionals, dieticians, and physiotherapists.
A takeaway for the average person
While the ordinary person cannot afford to spend on hyperbaric oxygen therapy, engage in ice-baths, or red light exposure therapy, or have an army of professionals looking after every aspect of their physical and mental health to keep them in tip-top shape, what one can do is to implement small changes.
A regular habit of eating one healthy snack a day, practicing mindfulness, exercising for a bit every day, and eventually converting those into sustainable habits can help us reach the best version of ourselves.
The Olympics is about showcasing the best of what the human body can do, and it varies from person to person. So, it is important to seek advice from professionals where necessary, and always stick to what works for a person, through trial and error.
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