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Athlete Training and Health Offers Tips to Train Like an Olympian — Even If You’re Not One

Anyone can up their game with tips from Athlete Training and Health experts, who coach athletes we’ll see at the Summer Olympics.

 

HOUSTON, Texas (July 20, 2021) – While elite athletes converge upon Tokyo for the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, all eyes will be on their incredible abilities. Whether you are already training at the highest level — or are simply enjoying cheering Olympians on from the comfort of your couch — we can all learn lessons in upping our own game.

 

Fitness and sports performance experts at Athlete Training and Health (ATH) know what it takes to train at levels that range from everyday health to feats of elite athleticism. ATH clients include Kristie Mewis and Jane Campbell of the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team; English Gardner of the U.S. Women’s Track and Field 4x100m relay team; Kelley Hurley and Courtney Hurley of the U.S. Fencing Team; and Victoria Stambaugh, who competes for Puerto Rico in Taekwondo.

 

Chris Slocum, certified strength and conditioning specialist and regional athletic performance director with ATH, and fellow coaches Blaine Schmidt and Mark Pryer — who have all trained Olympians — offer tips athletes of all abilities can use to achieve goals, whether that’s Olympic glory or losing pandemic pounds:

 

Train Consistently. “Whatever your goal is, doing what it takes to achieve that goal starts with consistency. For an average person, that means showing up to the gym every day and being consistent with your activity and nutrition,” Slocum said. “Do the work.”

Prioritize recovery. While working out and training is an important component of building muscle and losing weight, recovery should be considered an important part of the process, too. “Sleep is one of the most underutilized recovery tools,” Slocum said. “The highest levels of testosterone production — a hormone that helps build muscle — occur during the REM stage of sleep.” Focus on good nutrition, appropriate supplementation and excellent hydration, too.

 

Track progress. “For Olympic athletes and also the general population, we start with an evaluation to get information on where they are in their performance, and then we reevaluate every three months,” Slocum said. Track your progress so your program can be fine-tuned as you go, Slocum advised.

 

Work with specialists in athletic development. Coaches at ATH have master’s degrees in human sports performance-related fields, and are certified strength and conditioning specialists. “Everyone can benefit from the science behind athletic development,” Slocum said.

 

Train your mind like any other muscle. The importance of mindset and focus can’t be underestimated: “It’s easy for people to get distracted,” Slocum said, “but whether you want to lose weight or go to the Olympics, the focus has to be consistent.”

 

Whether it’s losing the pandemic pounds, living in a healthier body, or even reaching the pinnacle of your sport, the certified, experienced sports performance experts at ATH have the expertise and a program tailored just for you. Learn more.

 

 

ABOUT ATHLETE TRAINING AND HEALTH

 

ATH utilizes best practices from human performance research to provide a world-class training environment for athletes and adults of all fitness levels collaborating with hospitals, professional sports teams, universities and school districts to set new standards for health and performance training. ATH invests heavily in the post-graduate education of its performance coaches, who in turn develop evidence-led training programs guaranteed to deliver sustainable results. ATH operates two training centers in the Houston metro area and one in Allen.

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