So you want to look like an Olympic athlete? First
you need to think about what kind of Olympian you want to be. And what
kind of body shape you are now.
By Andrew Hooper (MSN news)
 |
| © Bob Thomas/Getty Images |
You could be petite, like Olga Kaniskina, the Olympic 20 km race walking
champion from Russia, who is 5 ft 2 ins (160 cm) tall and weighs a mere
43 kg (6 st 11 lbs / 95 lbs).
You’re a bit bigger than Olga? Then train to become a weightlifter, like Germany’s Matthias Steiner, whose 183 cm (6 ft) frame weighed 140 kg (22 st / 308 lbs) when he won the 105 kg+ category gold medal at Beijing 2008.
Some athletes are born for their sport, like American swimmer Michael Phelps. His 201 cm (6 ft 7 ins) “wing span”, disproportionate to his 1.93 cm (6ft 4 ins) height, plus his long torso and relatively short legs make him perfect for the pool.
Not all world beaters are so suited to their sport, however. Usain Bolt, at 196 cm (6 ft 5 ins), is slightly taller than Phelps, too tall to be a sprinter, according to conventional wisdom. But that hasn’t stopped him becoming a triple Olympic champion and world record holder.
Whatever your size and shape, to get your Olympian body you’ll need to train like your life depends on it. It doesn’t matter even if you have a day job – many competitors at London 2012 also have careers outside their sport.
Britain’s Olympic kayaking champion Tim Brabants is a fully qualified medical doctor and has to secure sponsorship so that he can take time off to train for major events. Typically, his day consists of 5-6 hours of training, split into three sections.
Starting at 7am, each day he practises on the water for two hours. That’s followed by running or swimming sessions to improve his aerobic fitness; then comes a 90-minute gym session to work on strength, endurance and core muscles. There’s little time to rest – Brabants takes only one day off training each fortnight.
Perhaps you can achieve your Olympian body in a less explosive sport, with less intensive training. Take archery, for example. What do you need apart from good concentration and visual skills? You need specific weight training to help strengthen and improve stability in the arms and shoulders.
British archery team member Naomi Folkard has explained that a high level of aerobic fitness helps maintain a low heart-rate during competition. That means regular 8-km runs and plenty of gym work. “If I compete against somebody who doesn't do aerobic fitness work, I know I have the advantage,” she says.
Age should (almost) be no barrier between you and your Olympian body. The incredible Jeannie Longo, who won road cycling gold for France at the 1996 Atlanta Games, came 24th in the Beijing event – at the age of 49.
For women, even a baby bump needn’t be a handicap. Norwegian distance runner Ingrid Kristiansen, fourth in the 1984 marathon in Los Angeles, famously ran competitively during the first five months of her pregnancy without knowing she was expecting a child.
Not sure of your ideal weight? Sailor Ben Ainslie put on 15 kg when he switched from competing in Laser at Sydney 2000 to the Finn class in Athens four years later. The result? Gold both times, which shows that heavier doesn’t necessarily mean slower.
Ainslie has achieved two Olympian bodies. You can definitely manage one.
You’re a bit bigger than Olga? Then train to become a weightlifter, like Germany’s Matthias Steiner, whose 183 cm (6 ft) frame weighed 140 kg (22 st / 308 lbs) when he won the 105 kg+ category gold medal at Beijing 2008.
Some athletes are born for their sport, like American swimmer Michael Phelps. His 201 cm (6 ft 7 ins) “wing span”, disproportionate to his 1.93 cm (6ft 4 ins) height, plus his long torso and relatively short legs make him perfect for the pool.
Not all world beaters are so suited to their sport, however. Usain Bolt, at 196 cm (6 ft 5 ins), is slightly taller than Phelps, too tall to be a sprinter, according to conventional wisdom. But that hasn’t stopped him becoming a triple Olympic champion and world record holder.
Whatever your size and shape, to get your Olympian body you’ll need to train like your life depends on it. It doesn’t matter even if you have a day job – many competitors at London 2012 also have careers outside their sport.
Britain’s Olympic kayaking champion Tim Brabants is a fully qualified medical doctor and has to secure sponsorship so that he can take time off to train for major events. Typically, his day consists of 5-6 hours of training, split into three sections.
Starting at 7am, each day he practises on the water for two hours. That’s followed by running or swimming sessions to improve his aerobic fitness; then comes a 90-minute gym session to work on strength, endurance and core muscles. There’s little time to rest – Brabants takes only one day off training each fortnight.
Perhaps you can achieve your Olympian body in a less explosive sport, with less intensive training. Take archery, for example. What do you need apart from good concentration and visual skills? You need specific weight training to help strengthen and improve stability in the arms and shoulders.
British archery team member Naomi Folkard has explained that a high level of aerobic fitness helps maintain a low heart-rate during competition. That means regular 8-km runs and plenty of gym work. “If I compete against somebody who doesn't do aerobic fitness work, I know I have the advantage,” she says.
Age should (almost) be no barrier between you and your Olympian body. The incredible Jeannie Longo, who won road cycling gold for France at the 1996 Atlanta Games, came 24th in the Beijing event – at the age of 49.
For women, even a baby bump needn’t be a handicap. Norwegian distance runner Ingrid Kristiansen, fourth in the 1984 marathon in Los Angeles, famously ran competitively during the first five months of her pregnancy without knowing she was expecting a child.
Not sure of your ideal weight? Sailor Ben Ainslie put on 15 kg when he switched from competing in Laser at Sydney 2000 to the Finn class in Athens four years later. The result? Gold both times, which shows that heavier doesn’t necessarily mean slower.
Ainslie has achieved two Olympian bodies. You can definitely manage one.
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