Every four years, the summer Olympics captivates us with national pride, intense competition and stories of athletic successes. We watch Olympic athletes push themselves to their limits, break records and strive to be the best in their sport. Although not everyone can be an Olympic athlete, everyone can train like they are. Get energized by your favorite event, and push your own limits with these Olympic-inspired workouts.
Track and Field
Adapted from Crunch
Long jump: Stand with your feet parallel to each other and bend your hips and knees. Using your arms for momentum, jump as far forward as you can. Jump again as soon as you land and repeat a total of 5 times.
400 Meter Dash: Go for your fastest 400m time on a treadmill or nearby track. Sprint the first and last 100m and go a little easier for the middle 200m.
Swimming
Adapted from Livestrong Olympic Swimming and Endurance Swimming
Sprint Set: Warm up with a 300 meter swim at an easy pace. Then try 16 fifty-meter sprints for a total of 800m sprinting. On these, swim as fast as you can for 50m and rest for 10 seconds in between. Cool down after with another 300m swim at an easy pace.
Long distance: Start with a 300 meter warm up at an easy pace. Next, try a ladder set to build endurance for long distance swimming. Swim 100m and rest 10-15 seconds. Then swim 200m and rest. Keep repeating adding 100m up to 500m. Once you reach 500m, start subtracting 100m for each set until you get back down to 100m again.
Gymnastics
Adapted from Livestrong Gymnastics At Home and Upper Body Workouts
Floor: Warm up with some simple aerobics. Try simple floor exercises, such as handstands, forward rolls, round-offs and cartwheels. Always make sure you stay safe and have a spotter nearby, even though these moves are pretty basic.
Bars: Use uneven bars, or the monkey bars at a park, for chin-ups and pull-ups to build your upper body strength. For a chin-up, stand shoulder-width apart and grasp the bar so that the backs of your hands face you. Start with your arms loose and pull yourself up until your chin is above the bar, then slowly lower yourself back down.