Successful athletes tell you how to properly recover from workouts. Preparation for the Sochi Olympics: how athletes train How professional athletes train

If you want to be an Olympic athlete, you must meet Olympic standards. It's a long and difficult journey, but the success is worth the effort. If you are ready to devote years of your life to professional sports, you have the mindset of the future great Olympic athlete. You are already dreaming of the first medal, so do not hesitate any longer. Get down to business!

Steps

Part 1

Point of departure

Assess your fitness level. It's easy to watch Olympic athletes on TV (especially a curling game, which looks a little funny but mesmerizing at the same time) and think you could handle it. Well, if you're reading this article while sitting with a large bag of chips and a 2-liter bottle of Mountain Dew, you should think about it. Sport is a serious business. People devote their whole life to this profession. Are you capable of this?

As mentioned, certain Olympic sports require different physical fitness. It doesn't matter if you can't swim 400 meters in 4 minutes. There are many other categories that determine your fitness level. What is more suitable for you?

Choose your sport. You may choose a sport that you have been doing successfully for a while. Talking about 10 thousand hours and 10 years of practice is not one hundred percent true, but close to reality. Usually, athletes spend 4 to 8 years in training, only then they can participate in the Olympic Games, so it is best to choose a category that is already well known to you!

Start exercising every day. Every single day. Sometimes twice a day! Even if you don't train specifically for your sport, you can do something that will help your career as a whole. This can be regular rest (which is also very important), flexibility and strength training, experimenting with diets, etc. You can always find a useful activity!

Hire a coach. If a person has a talent for painting, he can learn this on his own all his life and achieve good results. But he will not know what to experiment with, what new techniques to master, what he is really good or bad at. In addition, he can go to watch TV instead of the next class. Do you see parallels with playing sports?
- You should definitely find yourself a coach. Even if you are the best swimmer, curling player, runner or shot putter in your city, your true capabilities will not be known until you start training with a coach on a serious level. Not only will this give you motivation, feedback and criticism, the coach will also push you to the competition and most likely act as your agent.
Don't quit your job. Actually. Unless, of course, she is low-paid and without flexible working hours. In this case, find a new one. Preparation for the Olympics requires a lot of expenses: for the services of a coach, the purchase of equipment, travel, and so on. The cases of bankruptcy of parents of Olympic hopes are so common that the US government is developing a program to help such families. Therefore, you should take care of a constant stream of income.
- If possible, get a job that will support your athletic development (for example, work in the gym or pool). You could work as a coach yourself! It may not even feel like work. But make sure your schedule is flexible enough as you will have to take long-term vacations in order to prepare for the Olympics.
- An important fact: Olympic champions do not receive a large salary. Football players who spend almost the entire game on the bench receive many times more. Many Olympians start working (in the military sphere, as coaches, even as waiters) and after the Olympics continue to live a normal life. If you want to be an Olympic athlete, don't expect a lot of money.
Believe in the dream. You know, as they say, if you want to be an actor, you have to have a backup plan. But there are professions that require a lot of work and full dedication. The Olympic Games are one of those things. You should strive for it enough to breathe it and dream. This is not a hobby to do on weekends.
- Only a dream will support you all the way. There are days ahead when you will feel sick from training, when you do not want to move an inch of your body, and then you will have to get up and continue to work, despite the fatigue. Without a dream, you will surrender. And many do so!
Part 2
Serious approach
1. Compete. Coaching, daily exercise, and a serious approach counts for a lot, but at some point you have to put your skills to the test. In many sports, this is the only way to get up a notch and get noticed (for some categories, there is no selection in the Olympic Games). Therefore, start with local competitions, then take part in regional and finally national competitions!
  - The more you do something, the more calm you begin to relate to it. Imagine your first competition will be the Olympic Games! You wouldn't be able to withstand the tension before the Olympic anthem was over. The experience of previous competitions will prepare you mentally, even if, in comparison with the Olympic Games, these are minor local events.
2. Take control of your lifestyle 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You don't train a couple of hours a day - you train constantly. Everything you do determines progress, productivity, and success. This requires perseverance, perseverance, patience, fortitude and discipline. Here are the main aspects:
  
  Get funding. If you've already competed, you may not go unnoticed. When you get noticed, you may receive a small monetary reward for your efforts. It depends on the country, but, in reality, the best of the best usually get something (not much in the US). This will be in the form of funding from sponsors or government agencies.
  - For this reason, you should consider joining the National Federation of the sport you are involved in. The more you do to become known about you, the better.
3. Set goals for yourself. Specific, achievable, short-term and long-term. You have to work on certain things. Attitudes like “be a great athlete” or “train every day” are not at all the same. There are records worth breaking. There is competition in terms of specific numbers. Therefore, set goals for the next week, for a month, for a year ahead. This way, you will be able to properly distribute your efforts.
  - You will most likely have to deal with a lot of numbers. Speed, strength or amount of load - everything is determined by numbers. Therefore, watch yourself and your capabilities. If you know where you started, you will know how far ahead you are and how much more you can get further.
4. Assess yourself fairly. Many athletes are good. There are millions of them all over the world. You must take an objective look at yourself to see if you are the right fit for the Olympics. How do you meet their standards? How long will it take you to match? Is it all worth the time invested? What's your progress? What results can you expect? What can the coach say about this?
  - It is very important to keep coming back to these questions. It certainly makes the process less enjoyable, but it's inevitable when you take something really serious. You should know what level you are at a given moment in time, use this data for further development and observe the effect. In other words, you need to have your head on your shoulders. That is, in addition to physical correspondence, there must be a psychic correspondence.
5. Say goodbye to your social life. The Olympic Games are not always on the nose. There are times when you train just to get better, and training only takes part of the day! And then there comes a moment when half a year is left before the Olympics, and preparation for it takes over all your life... Say goodbye to your friends (although perhaps all your friends are now your coach and team, so no problem). Forget Friday parties, laziness, Sunday morning hangovers. You must work.
  - It won't be easy. Sometimes you will feel that it is not worth it. At such moments, it is worth pulling yourself together and convincing yourself that the work done was not useless. Going to drink wine again and watching a bad movie with your less healthy friends is something you can do later.
6. Meet the pain. You don't need to love her, but you need to know her threshold, endure, and sometimes even challenge her. Take ice baths, exercise until you sweat until you're close to fainting, run until you feel sick. You should almost be hungry for pain. This will be a daily practice. You will not be able to raise your arms above your head for several days. But everything will pass, and next time it will not be so difficult to get through it.
  - Injuries are a serious topic. We are talking about the lost years of life in the event of an injury. And sometimes, of course, you have to endure a little pain to avoid the greater risk. If you choose one thing, then the main thing stay unharmed... Do not allow injuries from which you will not be able to recover. You need to know what your body can handle and what it cannot. And be careful.
Part 3
Forward for a medal
1. Take part in national championships. For many, participation in the national championship has become a key moment in their further sports career. This experience will prepare you for the Olympics and give you confidence for the next couple of years. And now that all the small competitions are behind, it's time to move on.
  - Of course, not all sports do this. For some Olympic sports, qualifying competitions are envisaged, sometimes even in several stages. But while getting into the national team is not a guarantee of participation in the Olympics, it will be a big plus for you.
2. Qualify and win the qualifiers. This may not always be necessary, but some sports require qualifying events to compete in the Olympic Games. And there you should not only show a good result, but be at your best. You are now officially in the game!
  
  Get used to travel. You can be constantly on the move between competitions, sports camps and training centers. This is not only an expensive but also exhausting pastime in itself. It's difficult to build relationships, and living on suitcases all the time is also an unenviable prospect, but you can see many different places!
  - The US Olympic Training Centers are located in Colorado Springs, Lake Placid and Chula Vista. Apart from this, you will also travel all over the world. Quite often, future Olympians watch their rivals in competition to assess their abilities and find out how things are in sports at the international level. This should be very interesting!
3. Get some rest. It is not joke. Many Olympians reduce the workload closer to the Olympics. But, even when they reduce the load, they naturally train much more than any normal person can imagine. However, you would not want to get injured, burn out ahead of time, or otherwise risk your chances at the upcoming Olympics. Tough trials lie ahead, and right now you deserve a little indulgence.
- You will need a lot of money for training expenses and equipment.
- Family support will help you a lot.
- As stated earlier, decisiveness in sports matters. This is the main quality you need.
- Never give up! Adjust yourself. Perhaps you are capable of more.
- Always do your best.
Warnings
- There is a possibility of mental disorders caused by training failures. There is nothing worse than being denied access to the Olympics after 20 years of training or losing limb performance.
- There is a constant danger of injury, never overload yourself, even if your coach insists on it. You may be at risk of metabolic disorders, sprains and muscle sprains, fractures, brain dysfunctions, and more. Never let someone force you to exceed your limit, unless you are shirking;).

Training after 50 should be the same as you train (or train) at 20. You just need to understand how your strength capabilities and your nutritional needs are changing.

As we get older, strength training starts to feel more like a game for the young. There is a feeling that there are too many risks and not enough rewards. Plus, no one likes to start over from the beginning.

When it comes to risks and rewards, the latter are much more numerous than the former. Building and maintaining muscle mass and strength is one of the best strategies to improve the quality of life at any age. It is no coincidence that research has shown that muscle mass is a more accurate predictor of life expectancy than the popular BMI.

Without undue modesty, I will say that strength training allowed me to be in the best shape in my life at the age of 55. Of course, I had to put up with some things, but there is nothing wrong with that. Fortunately, for the most part, the training of older athletes is identical to that of younger competitors. In fact, the basic principles of the training process remain unchanged. The key differences are in the starting point and the speed of progress.

On the other hand, there are many intangible little things that must be taken into account if you want to do everything right and over time. And to be clear, I will say that you should strive for both the first and the second!

1. Learn to synchronize wants and needs

Many of us older athletes are still in decent or even great shape, at least in the context of our favorite activity. But each of us has an irresistible desire to stand out from the crowd. Actually, in such a situation, I usually use the word "cool". Perhaps your goal is a chic physique, or you want to be very strong, or aim for high ranking positions in a sport. The bottom line is that we want to stand out. And in the business that we have chosen, we want to be great.

Rest assured, the desire to be extraordinary is absolutely normal and can energize you for all this exhausting workout. But training that leads to greatness and glory doesn't always improve long-term health. It turns out that if you want to be at your best and stay healthy, you will have to synchronize these two somewhat conflicting goals.

A good way to bring things to a common denominator is to choose the sport or occupation that suits your constitution and individual physique. I have somehow neglected this recommendation in recent years, taking part in weightlifting and powerlifting competitions after 40 and even after 50 years, although both sports are not suitable for a person with a height of 185 cm, weighing 90 kg and relatively poor joint mobility.

So far I have been lucky and have been more or less successful, especially in powerlifting. But I was always open to new opportunities to challenge myself and expand the horizons of the training process. You should be open-minded and open-minded about everything in the same way.

2. The economics of training: think like an accountant

To my clients, I say this: “Every time you grab a barbell, you pay a price. Whether it will be useful or not is another question. "

When it comes to fitness - and it becomes more than obvious with age - you must carefully consider the potential cost and potential benefits when planning your workouts. The price has to be paid not only in the form of time and energy expended, but often also in the form of the risk of injury, time taken away from other life goals, wear and tear of the musculoskeletal system (ODA) in the future.

Ideally, you want to pay a reduced cost rather than a full cost to achieve your goals. Here are just a few examples of how to develop this mindset:

If you have problems with the lower back, there is a discounted leg strength exercise that is "cheaper" than the classic one.
Multi-rep training with a proportional reduction in working weights to build muscle can be more effective than low-rep, high-weight sets. It usually takes less time, and the state of the ODA does not play a decisive role here.
In training, strive to minimize losses; push back exercises for well-developed muscles. Do not rest between sets of 4 minutes if you have time to recover in a 3-minute break. Focus on stretching 1-2 of the tightest muscle groups. I think you get the general idea.
If you need to increase your aerobic endurance, and you weigh 115 kg, this may not be the best choice. Try an exercise bike or ellipsoid.

The bottom line is that the older you are, the greater the importance of a rational training economy. Remember the Pareto principle: where are those 20 percent of investments that can give 80 percent of the profit? Find them and put all your efforts in the right direction. When time and energy are limited, you need to know what things can be discarded without serious consequences.

3. Find and tighten the weakest links

Physical fitness is determined by many adaptive mechanisms and abilities of the body. They all tend to decline with age and / or due to inactivity, but they deteriorate at different rates. For example, it is relatively easy to stay strong in adulthood, but this is not always the case for mobility, endurance, or peak power.

Here's a simple question to help you sharpen your focus on this topic: What could you easily do at 18 that you can't do as playfully today? Run? Jump? Throw or catch the ball? Get up off the floor? Touch your toes? See your toes?

Whichever answer you choose, it indicates a physical ability that has deteriorated markedly over the years.

The various physical indicators that make up the overall picture of fitness are like a woven web. The development of one quality affects the development potential of all others. Physical abilities are like strands of a spider web; you cannot touch one strand without disturbing all the other strands.

4. Eat more protein

As we age, the anabolic effects of exercise and nutrition become less and less potent. Therefore, if you want to stay in the game, you need to do more in order to get less. In particular, the effect of intake on muscle protein synthesis decreases in adulthood. And we don't recycle as efficiently as we did when we were young. These findings suggest that it is worth turning the diet back to carbohydrates and facing protein.

Under 18: 1.2-1.6 grams per 1 kg of body weight
19-40 years: 1.6-2.2 grams per 1 kg of body weight
41-65 years: 2.2-2.6 grams per 1 kg of body weight
Over 65: 2.6-3.0 grams per kg of body weight

It might seem like eating that much protein in a day is not so easy, but sports nutrition makes this task a lot easier.

5. Don't be afraid to be a generalist

Young athletes usually start to engage in several sports at once. They can attend a football, swimming, artistic gymnastics or track and field section. You can think of this as the top, or wider, portion of the hourglass.

Only over the years, when they become teenagers or go out of adolescence, depends on the sport, a specialization begins that helps them to excel in their chosen sports discipline. Think of this stage of an athlete's development as an hourglass neck.

As you enter the era of adulthood, I recommend returning to the broad-based strategy again. Imagine that you are 25 years old and it takes you 20 minutes to run 1.5 kilometers. This is a lousy time by any standard, but the good news for 25-year-olds is that the situation is fairly easy to fix at this age. On the other hand, if you are 55 years old and you run 1.5 km in 20 minutes, improving your performance becomes a real battle. It is very possible that you will never run 1.5 kilometers in a decent amount of time.

To find a solution to a problem, you do not have to bang your head against the wall - it is better to look for what you are able to do. Regardless of the sport discipline you choose, you should strive to improve the full range of fitness characteristics, even if they are not directly related to the sport or activity you love. The good news is that once training becomes a habit, it doesn't take too much effort to just maintain it.

Here's some practical advice on how to make sure your fitness doesn't deteriorate as you age. Find a measurable way to assess your current levels of muscle strength, aerobic endurance, body composition, and ODA mobility. For example, to evaluate these four parameters, you can choose, at 2 kilometers, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and functional motion assessment (FAD).

Then draw a conditional "line in the sand" for each indicator: the level below which you have no right to go down. For me, this is a deadweight from 225 kg, but remember that I am a competitive powerlifter. It could be something completely different for you. For example, lifting your own weight for 5 repetitions, and when the task seems simple, lifting one and a half weight. Then two own weights. You get the principle.

There are no absolutely correct or incorrect methods in this matter. The bottom line is that you need to determine the personal standards of physical development that are important to you, and then work on improving the weakest aspects.

You cannot cheat the system!

The older you get, the more noticeable the role of all sorts of "little things" becomes: the frequency of meals, careful workouts, adequate sleep and the ability to cope with stress. In youth, you can “cheat the system” on many issues, but in adulthood you can no longer afford such a luxury.

So, if you want to be cool at 50, 60, and beyond, you have to pay the price of hard work and strict self-discipline. But the reward is worth it. The only negative point? You can no longer let everything take its course, as you could do when you were 20. It's time to get to work in earnest!

Bryukhankov Alexander is a professional athlete and coach. Member of the Russian national team, five-time champion of Russia, participant of 3 Olympic Games (winner of the best result from Russia at the Olympic Games - 7th place). Since 2015 he has been training athletes in the amateur triathlon. The Marathon magazine decided to contact Alexander and find out how professional triathletes live in Russia.

Who is a professional athlete in Russia?

This is a person who is ready to put all his strength and health for the sake of Olympic gold. I sincerely believe that a true professional has only one dream - the Olympics and its gold. All other athletes who do not set such a goal when entering professional sports, we call "commerce". This means that the main goal of these guys is to make money at the starts, especially those where the composition of the participants is weak.

Is there a difference between our professionals and foreign ones in terms of goals and motivation in sports?

I would not say that there is a difference, because everyone has the same motivation to win. It's just that someone has more talent, someone less (laughs). But there are significant differences in the details. The Russian athlete loses in small things, and as they say, the result is formed from them. This includes a lower level of technical and medical support for our professional activities. And, of course, there are very few sponsors in our sport, there are no large ones, they offer mainly barter relations, money contracts, rather, an exception to the rule, at least I have not heard of such.

What is the difference between the life of a missile defense system and an amateur?

But here there are a lot of differences. And first of all, because a PRO-athlete goes to trainings every day, like to work, 4-6 hours a day, and he devotes his entire professional sports life to this. For a sports lover, it's more of a hobby. Yes, he also trains every or almost every day, but besides that, he has his own main job, and sport is more of an outlet, a way to relieve psychological stress. This is the time where he is left alone with himself, where he can throw out all the negativity that has accumulated during the day, where he meets new and interesting people, maybe even business partners.

Who and how determines the start schedule for the year?

Our launch schedule is a standard scheduled activity. So, at the end of the year, as a rule, in November-December, the athlete sits down with the coach at the negotiating table, and together they discuss which starts it is better to prepare for next year. The decision is influenced by the place, the start time, the expected level of the athlete's training, of course, his physical condition. Moreover, each start is made with a specific purpose, somewhere it is a selection, a set of points, somewhere a fight for the title. Everything is taken into account here: both the wishes of the athlete and the wishes of the coach. We must definitely come to the same denominator. When the calendar is drawn up, it is hardly corrected. Yes, there may be slight deviations, if the athlete and the coach see that something is missing in preparation and it would be necessary to compete or, conversely, to skip the races.

In my work with students, I also sit down to discuss the plan for the year, we determine the main and leading starts, evaluate the possibilities of achieving the set goal, discuss what needs to be done for this.

Describe your typical day.

My typical day depends on which cycle I am in. I will describe, for example, the day of the volume cycle.

I get up early in the morning, at 6.50, because at 8 in the morning I have to be on the side of the pool, and I still have to go 10 km by bike to the pool! The sequence of actions is pretty standard: I got up, ate, put food with me (gels, or bars, or bananas), poured 2 tanks (isotonic and water) and drove off. In the pool, training is 4-5 km, then I change clothes and ride a bike for a long training session - two and a half hours. I come back by lunchtime, after that I must sleep for 2 hours and an evening training session for running about 18 km along the hills. A good stretch is imperative after running. In the evening, dinner, massage, if any, and personal affairs.

What should be the training week before the competition?

As they say, you can't train anything a week before the start, but you can always drive yourself up. I'll tell you on the example of my week: I make all my workouts easy, so that the body rested and was ready to work at the start at 100%. The volumes are also small, plus a few very light jobs, for example:

running: 4 x 1000 meters (pace 2.50-3) after 200 meters freely;
swimming: 10 x 100 meters at 1.10 min 1.06 min in 1.45 mode;
bike: 5 for 2 minutes on pulse 145-155 in 2 minutes free.

These are, of course, approximate figures, and they depend on what kind of start you are preparing for. All other workouts are very easy. If you ask why work is needed in the week before the start, I will explain very simply: our body needs to be given a small shake-up before the start so that it does not turn into a "cart" (laughs).

Well, the day before the race, everything is generally done easily, almost in steps.

Tell us how the places for training are chosen?

Places for training ... There are actually a lot of them, it all depends on the price you are willing to pay. As a rule, we train and live in a variety of conditions: not very good, and average, do not relax, in general.

The geography of training of professional athletes around the world directly depends on the season. As a rule, these are Cyprus, Spanish Islands, South Africa, Australia, Thailand. Since it is cold in Russia and winter-spring is not a very favorable time for training (especially for cycling), a place is chosen where you can ride a bike during this period. We are "sitting" in Cyprus, firstly, it is not far away, secondly, a visa is not needed, and thirdly, we already know everything there (routes, infrastructure, food, weather conditions). In the spring it gets warmer and you can go to Europe. For example, this year we chose Spain, a place called Sierra Nevada.

Can you tell us more about this place?

Of course. Sierra Nevada is a small resort town in southern Spain, where the main ski season closes in early April. Therefore, training is not devoid of winter romance and white snow on the horizon.It is not only a resort, but also a place with its own unique atmosphere. Athletes of different skill levels come here: from PRO-athletes to amateurs. All thanks to the middle mountains, an altitude of 2300 meters above sea level. An ideal place to raise your own hemoglobin without medication.

There you can meet not only skiers and snowboarders, but also triathletes, professional cyclists, continental teams and, of course, amateurs: swimmers, athletes, etc.

Everyone is attracted by the unique sports infrastructure. There is an Olympic base here, which is located at an altitude of 2400 m above sea level. The base includes: a 50 m swimming pool, a gym and different halls depending on the type of sport: for wrestling, volleyball, football, basketball. There is a 400 meter stadium on the street which is very good for running. This year we mainly rode a bike and ran there. The highest point that can be reached by bike is 2500 m. Further the roads are covered with snow. But up to 2500 m everything is clean and dry. An interesting feeling - you are driving on an excellent dry road, and along the edges the snowdrifts are taller than you! I must say right away that there is almost no level place: here either up or down. It's safe on the road, the drivers are understanding, they don't honk, but calmly overtake you. Such is the respect for athletes!

Is training in the mountains different from usual?

Of course! It must be remembered that in the mountains, especially at 2200 m, the training is different. It's not even 1000 meters above sea level. Here you feel a strong lack of oxygen. Therefore, in the first week, you need to do everything very calmly, on the pulse no higher than 155 beats, otherwise you can "fall into a hole while descending a mountain" or drive yourself so that then you will have to recover the whole season. So, when you are in the mountains, do not drive a steam locomotive in front (laughs). At first, it is better not to modify it than to rework it.

What about Russia?

We also have a good base in Kislovodsk in Russia, but there is a problem with a bicycle. One road, and that one is not very good. But I can definitely advise runners in Kislovodsk at any time of the year, there is a different climate, and you will see progress even if you spend only 1-2 weeks there.

And in the summer where do the members of the national team train?

For the summer months we go to Europe, as basically all the starts take place there. This is Spain, Czech Republic or France.

In the fall, we are still starting around the world and on the road. Closer to winter, a period of rest, physical and psychological, begins. And then, since January, training camps again - in Yalta, Cyprus and Kislovodsk. These are good places to “pull in” the season, especially in Kislovodsk. They have many sanatoriums and you can get medical treatment by including mud and narzan-based procedures in your schedule.

Can you make good money as a professional athlete?

This is a good question. To make good money, you need to perform very decently at the international level, plus have money sponsors, not barter ones, who offer equipment. As I said, there are very few sponsors in Russia who pay. And if they pay, then a penny, when compared with football players or hockey players. International sponsors are sometimes not interested in you either, as they would rather sponsor their level 80 athlete than you, the world leader. Because local recognition and the opportunity to participate in marketing activities he has more than you.

What are your plans after the end of your professional career?

I often get asked this question. A professional athlete has many options for further implementation. For example, you can go long distance and perform at 70.3 and long distances up to 45 years for sure. And then the athlete's career will continue. In parallel, you can train amateurs. I have been doing this for 2.5 years and am very proud of the results of my students. I train not only in the direction of triathlon, but also swimming, cycling, running as separate disciplines.

Of course, the trend for triathlon and the rise in popularity of healthy lifestyles opens up many opportunities. Every year there are more and more amateurs. You can also start training the younger generation of future professional athletes. I see now a failure in the national team with growing athletes, and it is not yet clear who will replace us, the “oldies”. There are a lot of job offers, but so far I refuse all, because I want to try my hand and qualify for my last Olympics in Tokyo 2020.

Strenuous training is only half of your athletic success. Our heroes argue that proper rest is just as important for the body as stress.

Dmitry Varets
world muay thai champion

My training schedule depends on the training period. If this is preparation for a competition, then 2 workouts a day. Evening takes about 2 hours, morning - 1-2 hours. In my sport, in general, you need to do a lot. If an athlete is at an entry level, wants to prepare and compete, he must train at least 5 times a day.

How long it takes to recover depends directly on the load. For example, my leg muscles take a long time to recover, up to 4 days. Everything else is faster. The longest break in sports, I usually arrange after the competition, and it lasts no more than a week. I just can't get much rest. Four days later, I already feel like moving. After hard training and a tournament, I try not to visit the boxing gym for two or three weeks, but sports are still present in the form of running, swimming pool, gym.

Lying on the couch all day is a great luxury. I haven't had this for a long time. But if there is an opportunity, I think that you need to take advantage of it.

Dream- it is very important. I try to sleep about 8 hours at night, plus an hour in the afternoon. If I haven't got enough sleep, then even the workout I do is short and less intense.

Muay Thai often has to fold the weight... Therefore, I do not use high-calorie, fried, flour products. Before training, I can eat fast carbohydrates (banana, chocolate). After - more protein and some complex carbohydrates. My breakfast is light. It can be cottage cheese, oatmeal, or scrambled eggs, or, like many, sandwiches. Alcohol and sports are incompatible things. I believe that it is necessary to abandon it completely.

Sports nutrition I use it only during preparation for the competition. I take amino acids, vitamins, sometimes protein, I prefer isolate.

At the end of each workout, I devote five minutes hitch: it is just as important as the warm-up. Stretching promotes muscle recovery. After a heavy muscle load, I take a contrast shower. Once a week I go to the bathhouse. It helps relieve muscle soreness.

It now takes longer to recover from injuries compared to eighteen years of age. Most often in Thai boxing, the shins are affected, as you have to work a lot with your feet. In order to prevent this, you need to warm up well, follow the technique of execution, the correct and intelligent setting of work. From an early age, I rolled my shin with a broom, a kitchen rolling pin may also work.

Exercise is not an easy process, but the body gets used to it. And demands to be loaded.

Vadim Sikorsky
tight end of the American football team "Zubry"

Team trainings are held three times a week. Most of this time is spent on the technical preparation of the players and the team as a whole. Any responsible athlete adds personal training to this schedule, the specificity of which depends on the part of the playing season. In the off-season, from November to January inclusive, it is strength endurance. From February to April - high-speed power.

At the heart of an American football player's workload is an explosive short-term burst with long pauses. And all this over a long period of time: the match lasts about three hours.

Common training time- 1.5 hours, in some periods of preparation - up to 2 hours. I feel quite comfortable with six one and a half hour workouts a week, sometimes there can be two multidirectional workouts in one day. Our team has a player who trains 6 times a week for 3 hours. This is with the exception of our team training, and for him this is the norm! True, he is still only 28.

For a beginner who has not attended anything other than physical education lessons, it will be optimal 2 times a week during the period of "retraction training", and for more prepared athletes or in a later period - 3 times a week. Ideally, every other day. For fans - at least everyone, if the body allows.

The trainings take place according to the established schedule, and the games take place in any weather. The athlete must adhere to a certain daily routine and avoid situations where rest should be neglected. If this does happen, you need to listen to your body and, if possible, reduce or modify the load. To replenish strength, you can use natural preparations and extracts from them.

Muscle pain- an indication that the load has been applied correctly; this is not a reason to miss a workout. By the way, from dyspnoea first of all, timely sleep saves, then - light physical activity, which allows the muscles to return elasticity and tone. If possible - physiotherapy: sauna, hydromassage, EMC or pool.

After the game, we do not cancel the training, but radically change the load. For example, instead of the usual work in full equipment, we can arrange light general physical training or active exercises with the ball. Two or three days is enough to fully recover and start full-fledged training on the fourth or fifth day.

Dream- an important part of the recovery process, you cannot neglect sleep time. Personally, I sleep at least six hours, sometimes I can afford more. The timing of falling asleep and waking up is important: for example, falling asleep at 23:00 and waking up at 6:00, you will feel an order of magnitude better than if you sleep from 2:00 to 9:00. Of course, after an evening workout, there is a great desire to wake up later, but this is a matter of habit and daily routine. Accumulated fatigue can be relieved by increasing sleep time on weekends.

Diet I have the same as other athletes. The basic principle is to take balanced meals evenly, preferably 6-8 times a day in small portions. Breakfast consists of two meals.

First breakfast- these are fast carbohydrates and proteins (cereals, cottage cheese, toast with cheese or jam).

The second breakfast, after an hour and a half, is more thorough - this is fiber, fruits and fats of natural origin (salad with chicken, beef with celery, banana, apple, citrus fruits). Everything is purely individual, but you need to remember that breakfast should help the body wake up by launching important physiological processes in it.

The basic principle of any athlete is eat more often, more and tastier... For me, there is no such thing as limited calorie intake. I can eat everything, you just need to clearly understand how long it will take before the start of the workout. The number of calories entered can always be compensated for by the duration of the workout or additional load. It is definitely worth refraining from heavy food on the day of training, for 3-4 hours, otherwise breathing becomes disordered, heaviness in the stomach appears.

Without sports supplements there is no way to do it. Any sports nutrition should not be a substitute for your regular meal. It is difficult to assess the effectiveness of supplements, but without them, the overall tone and energy will definitely drop very much. For example, protein is appropriate during off-season training, which takes place in the gym. Amino acids - during the period of the greatest load, energetics - during the period of a saturated rhythm.

In our team, all the players are mature adults with an already formed attitude to alcohol... There are a few who do not use it at all, but this is more likely due to special views on life, and in the majority - people with a moderate attitude to alcohol. For me, sometimes a small dose of alcohol is needed, especially in the autumn-winter period of the year.

I managed to avoid heavy trauma, but in a mild form, it happens regularly. Recovery is standard, depending on the type of injury: from a week to several months. This does not mean at all that I skip workouts, it just is more careful and attentive to the load, where it is necessary - I minimize it or exclude it altogether. For example, a common injury is a bruised shoulder. It is necessary to train and run, but not to catch the ball.

Everyone in our sport is amateurs. In addition to training, we live a full life: we study, we work, we support our family. Even professional athletes cannot afford to lie on the couch.

Ilya Shimanovich
bronze medalist of the European Short Course Championship

I train 10 times a week. Each lesson lasts from 2 to 3 hours, occasionally up to 4. Of course, it is not easy, especially after the weekend. But, when you get involved in a standard rhythm and strictly adhere to a sports regimen, it becomes easier. For beginners who just come to swimming, I think at first 2-3 workouts a week is enough, no more. Over time, you can practice more often - up to five times.

The break that I can afford is a maximum of two days, and preferably one. If I rest more, it seems that I begin to slowly lose shape. Even after the competition, this rule remains in effect. Of course, at first you want to rest, relax, because the preparation process is very long and difficult. But I continue to train in the same mode, except in the first days, with less load.

A prerequisite for normal recovery is nine hours dream... If I have two workouts a day, then I try to sleep for another 1-2 hours in between. But I don't advise you especially to get carried away with food in order to restore the spent resources: why overload the stomach again?

WITH diet everything is pretty simple. Before training, I try not to eat much, because I train on the water. The last meal is about an hour before the start. It must be loose: for example, something carbohydrate, sweet. Immediately after training, I try to drink protein and then eat. Usually it is meat and a side dish so that the body gets proteins and carbohydrates. But my breakfast is most often hearty: porridge, scrambled eggs and tea with a sandwich or bun.

Of course, you shouldn't indulge yourself with junk food and any unhealthy food. Alcohol it is best to exclude completely, it negatively affects muscle growth and strength in any quantity. Perhaps on holiday in honor of the holiday, you can afford a little, but not zealous. For the rest, I do not follow any rules of nutrition and diets.

I drink different supplements: protein, BCAA amino acids, carbohydrate drinks, isotonic. I think that they are necessary for athletes. Their effectiveness is individual for each person. Someone includes in their diet a sufficient amount of proteins and carbohydrates, some do not, so some people need less supplements, others more. I will not advise everyone and everyone of them unconditionally.

When you go in for swimming, the joints are most affected, especially the shoulder joints. You can avoid injury by doing a very good warm-up before each session to warm up your joints.

Salvation from dyspnoea- first of all, good rest and sleep. So that there is no severe pain, I stretch right after heavy loads. Massage helps a lot.

Even if I'm very tired, I still go to training. If it hurts, it means you did a good job yesterday. But there are times when you are overwhelmed and train through anguish. Then you can slightly reduce the load and give the muscles a little rest. After all, if there is no rest, there will be no strength to improve further.

Photo provided by heroes, emmalouiselayla.com.

This is the second article in the series "Notes on Kenya on the Run" from Evgeniya Zhgir, MSMK in marathon, curator of the RunCzech Racing project. Since 2017, Evgeniya has been actively working on her own project Run With Eva, which combines individual and group training in Prague, consulting and group seminars, sightseeing tours of the sights of Prague and jogging camping in Kenya.

As part of the articles "Notes on Kenya on the Run" Evgenia will talk about the lifestyle, habits and subtleties of the training process of the gifted Kenyan runners and the opportunities for cross-country tourism in Kenya. You will learn about Kenya's training facilities, the "white" professional and amateur runners who come to Kenya, and more!

Evgeniya has already written about the “house of champions” - the most famous training place in Kenya. This post will focus on other Kenyan cities and training camps.

If you have heard, read or watched something about Kenyan runners, then I bet it was connected with the small town of Ethan. Indeed, most of the famous athletes come from here, or they moved here in pursuit of the dream of becoming professional athletes, making money and lifting their family, or even the whole village, out of poverty. However, there are other places in Kenya where athletes train in an organized and active way; or the sports managers have organized training camps.

I will tell only about a few, which I have visited myself, and which I know firsthand. Naturally, all training sites are at an altitude, and an altitude below 1800 meters above sea level, according to Kenyan standards, is considered frivolous, and it is useless to train there. Therefore, if you look at the map, then the training area will be located from the capital of Kenya Nairobi and further west, northwest, to Ethen and even a little further. This area can be roughly described as a triangle on the map below.

In the capital itself, athletes, as a rule, do not live or train. People come here only for competitions or other business. I can't say that I love this city, although there is a certain flavor here. But too hectic, constant traffic jams and hot. By the way, the city has two stadiums with a running track: one in the center (Nyayo stadium) and one practically outside the city (Casarani stadium). But already 20-30 km from Nairobi, small towns begin at an altitude of 2000 or more meters. Athletes are based there for productive training.

Ngong

Ngong is a small but thriving city 25 km from Nairobi at an altitude of about 2000 m above sea level. There is an unpaved stadium for work, unpaved roads for crosses, fartleks and long ones. I also tried out the local stadium, and after Ethen, which, I remind you, is at an altitude of about 2400 m, it is much easier to run here. I managed to run 7 times 1000 meters at a pace of 3:50 without much effort, despite the fact that this was the first job in six months, at least, and the company was found in the form of a coach and runner from Denmark.

You can also train in mountain running here, as there is the Ngong Hills and the opportunity to run to an altitude of 2300-2400 m. Local athletes often use this opportunity during the basic training period.

Video with Patrick Macau with Ngong Hils.

Ngong is also convenient because you can easily get to the capital using "matata" - a form of public transport. Most often these are minibuses, which, although not always fast and not always comfortable, will take you to Nairobi and other settlements very cheaply. Which of the greats lives and trains in Ngong? First I want to mention my good friend, ex-world record holder in the marathon, Patrick Macau (personal record in the marathon - 2:03:38, in the half-marathon - 58:52).

Another famous name would like to name the silver medalist of the Olympic Games in Athens at a distance of 5000 m Isabella Ochichi (personal record 5000 m - 14:52, 10 km - 30:27). Among the young and promising, it is worth noting Bedan Karoki, silver medalist of the 2016 World Half Marathon Championship, personal best - 58:42. Last year, Bedan made his marathon debut and successfully finished third with a result of 2:07:41 and not just anywhere, but at the London Marathon, where he will run this year.

Video from Ngong by Patrick Macau about his preparation for Boston in 2015 - Long Run.

Although the town does not shine with beauty, it is perfect for training, it is not uncommon to meet "muzungu", that is, white-skinned people or runners. A youth team from Denmark, for example, comes here regularly during the winter. And local runners always provide support to visitors. In addition to Ngong, of course, there are other training sites around Nairobi, but I was not carried there, so we will move further west and make the next stop at Nakuru.

Nakuru

Nakuru, the fourth largest city in Kenya, is located about 160 km west of Nairobi and about halfway to Iten. Surely, someone will have a question why the road 158 km takes 3 hours by car? Is there no asphalt at all? The answer is: the roads are good and the asphalt is good. However, vigilant road services before and after each settlement dashed off speed bumps. Yes, they tried so hard that in order to pass it without damage to the car, the speed had to be reduced to almost zero.

So Nakuru. Its height above sea level is about 1800 meters. It is impossible to name famous names like that, but not because they do not exist, I just don’t know them. Most likely, the majority left to train in higher places, and the groups are larger and faster. There is a good dirt stadium here, although there are not as many cross roads as in Iten or Ngong. What is notable for Nakuru is its national park. Here you can arrange a safari, look at rhinos, giraffes. They say there are even a few lions here, but few have seen them. In the meantime, a photo for "seed", and we go further.

Kericho

This small town is 100 km west of Nakuru at an altitude of about 2000 m above sea level. It is located slightly away from the main (more precisely, the shortest) road leading to Iten. Kericho is a very beautiful place, famous for its tea plantations, which seem to be endless.

But here they will look at the "white" person, rather, as exotic. There is a pretty decent camping site for Kenyan athletes, including several well-known names. For example, Nobert Keegen is the silver medalist of the marathon in Amsterdam last year (LR 2:05:13), the steeplechaser Beatrice Chepkoech (LR 8: 59.84). If you watched the World Cup in London, then, for sure, you remember the incident in the women's steeplechase, where in the final the leading Kenyan woman forgot to turn to the barrier on a water obstacle and thereby deprived herself of a medal. So, this is the same girl from Kericho.

In Kericho there is one clay and one grass stadium, it is a pleasure to do high-speed work there. Running cross-country along the tea plantations is also incredibly enjoyable. The only inconvenience is that the ground is somewhat rocky, so you will not accelerate much.

Kapngetuni

Before talking about Eldoret, where many famous athletes also live, I would like to dwell on several other training places that are nearby. So, since we are traveling purposefully moving from Nairobi towards Iten, we will continue our journey from Kericho to a small place that is even difficult to find on the map - Kapngetuni. Pronunciation is also not so easy. This small village is located at an altitude of about 2600 m above sea level. There are very beautiful landscapes and almost complete absence of civilization.

What is interesting here? And the fact that 2 outstanding marathoners originate from here: world record holder Denis Kimeto (LR 2:02:57) and eminent marathon runner Joffrey Mutai (LR 2:03:02). Mutai showed his best result in Boston and at that time this time was faster than the world record, but the record was not assigned, because the track in Boston does not meet the IAAF conditions (the distance between the start and the finish is more than 50% and the finish is 140 meters below the start). Surely, in a few years we will hear many more names of outstanding athletes who were born and train in this field.

Captagat and Capsabet

I would like to mention 2 more training places near Eldoret: Kaptagat (about 20 km) and Kapsabet (about 40 km). Both are very popular with runners and have large training groups.

Kaptagat is located, approximately like Kapngetuni, at an altitude of 2600 m. There are also sports camps organized by managers, for example, Global Sport Communication, where Eliud Kipchoge trains periodically. By the way, many Kenyan athletes come here as for a training camp for a couple of weeks, as it is higher here than in the same Eldoret.

Kapsabet is located on the other side of Eldoret, its height is about 2000 m above sea level. There are also quite large running communities and campsites of some sports managers. Unfortunately, Capsabet is known for his doping scandals, the most high-profile of which were Rita Jeptu, who was supposed to win the Jack Pot from the Marathon Majors in 2014, and Jemima Samgong, the winner of the Olympic Games in Rio.

Eldoret

And finally, about Eldoreth. If we take the net distance from Nairobi to Eldoret along the shortest road, then this is just over 300 km. It takes about 5 hours by car, about 6 hours by matatu, and only 50 minutes by plane. Yes, Eldoret has its own airport, small but quite good.

Eldoret is a fairly large city by local standards: it is difficult to say what the population is at the moment, but clearly more than 300,000 inhabitants. The city continues to develop rapidly. The height here is about 2100 m above sea level, there are many training groups and famous athletes. For example, Asbel Kiprop, a three-time world champion and Olympic 1500m champion, lives and trains here, as did last year's Valencia marathon winner Sammy Kitvara (LR 2:04:28). And many others, including my good friend Wilson Chebet (three-time winner of the Amsterdam Marathon, LR 2:05:27).

Despite the fact that Eldoret is actively developing, there are some good hotels and restaurants here, I don't really like this city. Too hectic, a lot of people and constant traffic jams. And in the rainy season from April to October it is rather dirty here, since the city is located in a lowland, and even training is difficult. Sometimes athletes are forced to travel to Iten 35 km from here or somewhere else. And in the dry season, from November to March, it is hot and dusty.

What else I would like to say in conclusion: traveling in Kenya is not particularly difficult if you are fluent in English, since English is the second state language in Kenya. You can get around by taxi: it is faster, more comfortable, but quite expensive if you cannot share the costs with someone else.

Traveling on a matata is not so comfortable, but in general, not much worse than on a Russian minibus, but it is as budgetary as possible. One has only to be careful, watch out for your pockets and belongings and move around only during daylight hours. As with any poor country, theft rate in Kenya is quite high. But, in order not to scare you, I will say that I, a fragile-looking girl, several times traveled to Kenya alone without problems, and she is always careful, even in Europe.