Olympic Inspired Workouts

As you watch the Olympic Games from the comfort of your couch this summer, you might be inspired to push your own physical limits with a new workout routine. While you will not want to jump right into an Olympic-level training routine, you can add some Olympic inspiration to your workout with the ideas below.

Balance Exercises

Gymnasts, cyclists, and track stars all need to maintain good balance and poise to get the most out of their performances. To gain the balance of an Olympic athlete, you might try out some swing-overs or over-under hurdle exercises. When starting out with these exercises, go at a slow walking pace to be sure that you don’t trip yourself up. For an equipment-free workout, try balancing on one leg as you spell out the alphabet using the foot of your other leg. You’ll be surprised how much strength you build as you keep yourself standing on one leg.

Weight Training

Every Olympic athlete incorporates gym time into his or her routine, because balanced training is essential. If you want to lift like a cyclist, focus on the upper body with bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, and overhead presses, which can help you stabilize on even the leanest road bike. To perfect your archery skills, try out some lat pulls and tricep pull-backs, which support the precise release of the arrow for supreme accuracy. For a gymnast, weight training is highly focused on body weight exercises, particularly those the build the core muscles. Leg lifts and planks are great ways to build gymnastic level strength and endurance.

Running and Cycling

Even the fastest runners had to start somewhere; no one is born ready to run 26 miles straight. If you want to gain the stamina of an Olympic runner or cyclist, the key is training in intervals. Cycle sprints and stair running can allow you to go much further than simply running longer and longer distances on level ground.