Olympic athletes make everything look so effortless. Whether they’re tumbling across a gymnastics floor or somersaulting into a pool from the high dive, Olympians leave us wondering, could I do that?
Of course, the answer is probably no. The only reason why Olympic feats look easy is because athletes have dedicated their entire lives to their chosen sport. They’ve sacrificed nights out, vacations, hobbies, and decadent meals to train relentlessly, go to bed early, and follow a stringent diet.
While most of us are not likely to compete in the Olympics any time soon, we can still adopt the Olympian training mindset. Whether your goal is to complete your first marathon, improve your golf game, build muscle, or lose a few pounds, we’ve gathered some valuable lessons you can learn from the best of the best – lessons that you can apply to your fitness goals at AFAC gym in Thornton, CO!
How Olympians Can Inspire Your Fitness Journey at the Gym
With the 2024 Summer Olympics taking center stage in Paris from July 26 to August 11, we all have the Games on our minds. Have you ever wondered what it takes to be an Olympic athlete? In this blog, we’re exploring some top Olympic training principles and how you can fit them into your fitness routine. Whether you want to tone up, slim down, or add variety to your workouts, we’re bringing you tips from Olympians to help you “bring home the gold” in your own life.
From training regimes to mental strategies and nutrition plans, let’s find out what Olympians do to achieve peak performance. It will inspire us to take our fitness journeys to the next level at the gym!
Pursue Specific, Achievable Goals at the Gym
One of the most fundamental practices of Olympic athletes is setting specific, achievable goals. They aim to surpass their personal bests, outpace their competitors, and break world records.
To train like an Olympian, you need a clear objective—something that pushes you to give your all in every workout. Goals not only keep you motivated, but they also help you track your progress and achieve results faster.
For instance, you could set a measurable goal such as, “I want to complete five consecutive 150-pound deadlifts,” or “I aim to walk 3 miles on the treadmill at a 15% incline.” Alternatively, you might focus on consistently beating your personal best in specific workouts. This approach gives you a clear target and allows you to compete with yourself, maintaining your motivation and pushing your limits.
Define Your Objective
Understanding your goal with precision, therefore, is crucial. While many people aim to lose weight, weight loss itself is a process rather than a specific goal. A more precise goal might be, “I want to reduce my body fat percentage to a healthy level.”
This goal should drive your training efforts. Avoid getting sidetracked by activities that don’t align with your objective. If your aim is to have fun, then join various classes and play sports you enjoy. However, if you have a specific fitness goal, ensure your training regimen is tailored to achieve it.
Establish a Fitness Benchmark and Continually Assess Your Progress
Once you have a clear understanding of your fitness goals, it’s essential to determine your current fitness level through specific tests. This could involve running a mile, lifting a particular weight for a set number of repetitions, or trying to do a chin up. Having a baseline allows you to measure your progress effectively.
For instance, if you couldn’t run before but can now complete a mile in a specific time, you can aim to improve that time over the next few months. By regularly testing yourself, you can track your progress and adjust your training regimen as needed to ensure it remains effective.
Create a Step-by-Step Gym Plan
Athletic training takes time. Lots of time. Olympic athletes prepare for their next gold medal over a four-year period, or longer. After establishing a goal to win a medal or set a world record, they and their coaches break the journey down into tasks and smaller milestones that mark progress along the way.
For example, if you’re training for a cross-country Nordic walking trip, you might start by aiming to walk 3 miles a day for the first 2 weeks, gradually increasing to 10 miles a day by the end of 10 weeks. By breaking down your goal into manageable steps, you’ll find that even seemingly unattainable goals become achievable.
Remember, you can’t accomplish everything at once. Many people make the mistake of trying to do too much too soon, especially at the beginning of their gym membership, which often leads to burnout and loss of motivation after just a couple of weeks.
Olympians plan two, three, or even four years ahead. Their plans become more detailed as they approach key milestones, but the overall approach is long-term. If you’re unsure how to create a detailed plan, consider hiring a personal trainer to help you map out the next 6-12 months. This guidance can be invaluable, even if it’s only for a short period, to help you set a realistic and effective training plan.
Discover Your Motivation
You might feel self-conscious jamming to your playlist at the gym, but keep in mind that Olympians use various techniques to manage their emotions. Many athletes practice yoga, meditation, or watch their favorite TV shows to relax before an event and to get pumped up for training and competition.
Take a cue from their strategies and embrace what inspires you. Find the method that motivates you the most, whether it’s listening to music, tuning into your preferred podcast, watching a beloved Netflix show, visualizing success, or getting a pep talk from your trainer. Feeding your passion with what motivates you will help you stay committed and energized in your fitness journey.
Prepare Yourself Mentally
Olympic athletes devote considerable time to psychological preparation for their big day. This involves rehearsing their performance, reading inspirational books and quotes, repeating empowering mantras, and most importantly, having a strategic plan that drives their success. No matter what your fitness goal is, incorporating these techniques can significantly enhance your journey towards achieving it.
Commit to Hard Work at the Gym
While Olympic athletes undeniably possess innate talent, talent alone won’t get anyone to the Olympics. Success at that level requires relentless hard work over many years. No one, not even children, believes they’ll become an Olympian overnight. They understand that only the most dedicated and hardworking athletes will achieve that dream.
The same principle applies to all of us. If you want to achieve your fitness goals—whether it’s losing those extra inches around your waist or building muscle—you can’t do it half-heartedly. You need to give your workouts everything you’ve got and then some. Moreover, you must be prepared to commit to this effort for the long haul. Dedication and perseverance are key to turning your dreams into reality.
Incorporate Cross-Training at the Gym
Olympians might excel in their specific disciplines, but they often incorporate other skills into their training regimen, also known as cross-training.
Cross-training helps reduce the risk of overtraining and prevents injuries. It also boosts muscle performance and keeps your workouts interesting, preventing boredom from repetitive routines.
Cross-training is particularly beneficial for preparing for activities you can’t practice daily. For instance, if you’re planning a ski vacation but there’s no snow on the ground yet, you can get ready by focusing on lower body strength training, balance exercises, and cardio workouts like using the elliptical machine. These activities will help you maximize your enjoyment and performance during your ski trip.
Nutrition Matters
A key component of reaching your gym goals is proper nutrition. Ensuring you’re fueling your body correctly is essential. If you’re short on time, consider meal prepping to avoid grabbing unhealthy options on the go. A solid nutrition plan is critical to support your training.
Training sessions are designed to break down the body, leaving it in a worse state immediately afterward. You don’t become fitter during the workout itself — fitness gains happen during recovery, aided by good sleep and proper nutrition. Your body adapts and improves through this cycle of training and recovery. Without adequate nutrition and rest, your progress can stall.
For peak performance and sustained energy, you must eat a balanced diet that includes plenty of lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Eat plenty of veggies and steer clear of junk foods like sugary drinks, rich desserts, cookies, chips, and crackers. Hydrate with ample amounts of water, and if you’re exercising intensely or for extended periods, consider a sports drink to replenish electrolytes.
Prioritize Quality Sleep
For high-level athletes, getting lots of sleep is essential. To maximize sleep quality, aim to go to bed before 11 p.m. for optimal hormonal release. Avoid looking at your smartphone, computer, and TV within 30 minutes of bedtime to minimize the effects of blue light, and ensure your sleeping environment is as dark as possible.
If you want to train like an Olympian, you might need to adopt an early bedtime. Athletes aiming for the Olympics often sleep between 8-10 hours per night, sometimes followed by a 30- to 90-minute nap during the day. Adequate rest is vital as it allows the body to repair tissue and muscle damaged during training.
So, keep your mind sharp and support your overall training goals by getting plenty of Zs.
Train Under Challenging Conditions
A common performance-enhancing technique used by Olympians is practicing under challenging conditions. For instance, a sprinter doesn’t spend all their training time on the track—they also train with cables and bands to increase difficulty, simulating the stress and exhaustion they’ll face in actual races.
You can apply the same principle by making your training sessions harder than necessary. This approach accelerates progress and ensures that real-life situations feel easier by comparison. For example, adding a barbell or dumbbells to your squats will make bodyweight squats feel effortless. Similarly, wearing a weighted vest during pull-ups will make regular pull-ups seem much easier. Or, once a week, attempt 2-3 sets of lifting the heaviest weights possible for 4-6 reps. Lifting heavy not only makes you stronger, but it also maximizes your hormonal response.
The key is to be creative and constantly push yourself to train harder and faster than before. By consistently challenging yourself, you’ll build the strength and resilience needed to excel in your fitness goals.
Exercise with Others at the Gym
Olympic athletes rarely train alone. Instead, they often train with individuals of varying skill levels. This blend of competition and encouragement helps maintain high motivation and offers distinct training benefits.
For example, if you’re a runner, varying your training partners can be highly beneficial. Running with someone slower can help you focus on endurance by staying out longer, while running with someone faster can provide a more intense cardio workout.
Training with friends and family can also be highly motivating. Olympic athletes often have coaches and teammates who foster healthy competition and offer mutual encouragement.
Olympians frequently train together for years before competing against each other on the big day. Accountability plays a significant role in their success. When you train with a friend, spouse, or in a small-group fitness class, your commitment to exercise increases. Plus, having workout partners can help boost your intensity on days when you’re not feeling your best.
Build Your Professional Support Team
Olympic athletes understand that success isn’t achieved alone.
While we often idolize Olympic athletes as solo heroes, we must remember that they stand on the shoulders of many supporters. It takes a community to elevate one Olympian to the world stage. Similarly, we need to recognize the value of having support in our own fitness journeys.
Identify the people who can help you reach your goals. You might benefit from working with a personal trainer, a nutritionist, a physical therapist, or a physician. Help is available in many forms—whether it’s face-to-face sessions with a trainer, a nutrition class, or joining an online community of like-minded individuals.
Athletes at U.S. Olympic Training Centers regularly consult with a team that includes a nutritionist, exercise physiologist, sports medicine specialist, and coach. These experts help tweak diets, training loads, and recovery techniques based on the athlete’s strengths and weaknesses. For example, if an athlete’s body composition isn’t up to standard, additional fitness sessions are scheduled. If fatigue is an issue, iron levels may be checked.
At a minimum, elite athletes have coaches. Anyone seeking significant changes can benefit from professional guidance for planning, motivation, and accountability. A certified professional can dramatically improve your results at the gym.
The Olympian Mindset: Your Path to Peak Fitness at AFAC Gym
Training like an Olympian might seem like a daunting task, but by adopting some of these key practices, you can reach new heights in your fitness journey. By integrating these strategies into your routine, you’ll not only improve your physical performance but also build the mental resilience needed to achieve your fitness goals. So, embrace the Olympian mindset and become the best version of yourself. The road to greatness may be challenging, but with dedication and perseverance, you too can achieve remarkable results.
If you’d like to join a local gym where you’ll have access to all the equipment and expertise you need to train like an Olympian, we hope you’ll stop by AFAC to take a tour of our gym and speak to our team about our affordable memberships. AFAC gym is committed to supporting your health and wellness efforts, so you’ll see the results you’re working so hard for. That’s why we were voted the best gym in Thornton, Colorado, and have hundreds of 5-star reviews.
To learn more about our top-rated gym and our incredible array of strength training and cardio equipment — as well as our unique offerings and amenities like daily group classes, cryotherapy, InBody 770 assessments, hydro massage, and our rock climbing wall and cave — we hope you will contact us or visit for a personalized tour. Our team will be happy to help you. For more information and assistance, you can also contact our gym owner, Susan, at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club.
