Train like an Olympian

"What do you mean train like an Olympian, I'm just an average person looking to get in shape, why would I want to do that?" This is the response I got this weekend while talking to a friend about how the training we do at Active Escapes is different from other training facilities in the area. For a moment she thought I was crazy, but after a few minutes of explination it started to make sense.

First of all, when most people think of getting in shape it means cardio, strength and some stretching. But for an olympic athlete, it's not about those three "outdated" components of fitness. It's about becoming the best human being you can become first, and then about fine tuning the skills necessary for their particular event. What I was explaining to her is that one of the things we train people to have is the same basic vocabulary of movement that any high level athlete must possess. Things like - strong powerful hips, healthy stable shoulders, the ability to brace themselves against load, the ability to create, absorb, and redirect force, the ability to be tight and stable followed by the ability to be as loose as a whip. These are all basic traits of great athletes, and these are skills that can be, and must be learned, if one wishes to truly reach their potential.

Second, the actual exercise programs we use are the same as not only olympic athletes, but also players from all professional sports. All top athletes these days are doing kettlebells, and they are doing all the same drills - swings and get ups.

Finally, some of the drills we do are actual olympic lifts - squats, cleans, clean & jerk, snatches. The biggest difference between what we do and what they do is we use kettlebells and they use bars. The cool thing about it is that due to the shape of the kettlebell it is much kinder to the body than a bar and much more ergonomically friendly in general. So all the benefits without the injuries!

So what I was telling her is that we teach clients to have an Olympians movement vocabulary, using the same basic exercises (swings and get ups), and ocassionally some actual olympic lifts. These skills are not and should not be exclusive to the best of the best since as humans we all own the same basic bodies and therefore need the same basic stuff.

So get those hips and shoulders strong, do some swings and get ups, and occasionally throw in some hig rep snatches and before long you too will impress your "average" friends. Go ahead, TRAIN LIKE AN OLYMPIAN!!!!

-Cabell