Unique Training Regimens of Olympic Champions

Olympic athletes are the most dedicated people in the world. From nearly the time of their birth, their daily schedule is controlled. They only eat certain foods to ensure their bodies are in peak physical shape. Their days are consumed by training and only doing things that will help their bodies maintain a level of performance. As technology and social media have taken off, more unique training regimens of Olympic athletes have been posted online.

The most famous example is Michael Phelps. During his prime, Phelps would train for six or seven days per week. During that time, he'd swim roughly 80,000 meters. He would also spend three days in the gym, training other parts of his body. One of the most important things Phelps focused on was recovery. If you train that much, your body needs to relax and rest after those long hours. Phelps also had one of the most remarkable diets. He claimed to eat roughly 9,000 calories per day. Given how many calories he burned throughout the day, that number isn't surprising.

Basketball players do their best to stay at the top of their game. No athlete puts in work more than Kobe Bryant. He was known for his killer instinct when he took the floor for Team U.S.A. Bryant would wake up around three in the morning to start his day. He would work out at least three times, ensuring he practiced nearly every move he might need at some point. This helped Bryant win two gold medals. (For more Olympic content, click here to read about the Olympic medal designs over the years.)

To compile this list of unique training regimens of Olympic champions, 24/7 Tempo consulted Olympic-related sources. These include Olympics.com, Owaves.com, and The HIIT Company.

It's no secret Aly Raisman is one of the best gymnasts in history. Throughout her career, Raisman has won six medals in various gymnastics events. Her best discipline was the floor exercise. It's vital for Raisman, and all gymnasts, to be careful when they're training. Tons of wear and tear happens to the bodies of folks who compete in gymnastics. They constantly land on hard surfaces. That's one of the reasons why gymnasts have such short careers compared to other athletes.

Raisman had one of the most intense training regimens while she competed. The average day for Raisman consisted of working out for around six and a half hours. Raisman woke up at seven in the morning to start her day with breakfast and her skincare routine. During the middle of the day, Raisman would relax and eat a healthy lunch. Her day concluded at around 10 at night after a cold tub and recovery. The next day, she'd do it all over again.

No Olympian in history has had more success than Michael Phelps. He's won 23 gold medals in just the Olympics from swimming. In 2008, he set the record by winning eight gold medals in one edition of the games. Phelps was the face of the Olympic games throughout the bulk of his career. While he did have the physical gifts to get to the games, his tireless dedication to working out is how he stayed on top for so long.

Phelps would train his body for six or seven days per week. He would swim roughly 80,000 meters per week during his training to prepare his body. Outside of the pool, Phelps averaged eating 9,000 calories per day to keep up with how hard he was working. While eating 9,000 calories would be destructive to any normal human, Phelps exercised enough to make it all work. Phelps had one of the best workout routines in history. It allowed him to become an icon to swimmers all around the world.

During his career, LeBron James has put himself in a position to be considered the greatest basketball player in history. James hasn't just had success in the NBA, though. He's also represented the United States at international competitions, such as the Olympics. James has won two gold medals at the Olympics during his career. While most athletes only focus on preparing for their shot at gold every four years, James must keep his body in prime physical condition all the time. James undoubtedly has quite the regime since he's been dominating basketball courts for more than 20 years.

In addition to working on his jump shot seemingly every day, James hits the gym to maintain peak physical condition. While it looks like James only hits the weights, he puts tons of his focus on plyometric exercises. This helps him keep his flexibility and puts less strain on his body. For three days per week, James does plyometrics. The other three days he exercises, James hits the weights. The seventh day of the week is designated for rest. Any athlete who wants to maintain their athleticism for a long time needs to also focus on these types of workouts.

Ever since 2016, Simone Biles has been the unquestioned face of gymnastics in the United States. She's had more success than nearly every other gymnast in history. Throughout her Olympic career, Biles has won seven medals, which is more than most gymnasts have to their name. She's kept her body in amazing shape, which is part of the reason why she's competing in her third Olympics in 2024.

Biles doesn't have an easy training routine, though. She works out a minimum of five days per week to keep her body in the best possible shape. Biles trains in gymnastics for a total of six hours per day, which are broken up into three-hour sessions. Chicken, fish, and other healthy proteins are the most popular things to find on Biles' table. Biles also prioritizes recovery, which is another one of the main reasons why she's continuing to compete at such a high level.

The world has been trying to catch up to Usain Bolt for more than a decade. He won a gold medal in every event he competed in during his Olympic career. He's undoubtedly the greatest sprinter in history. Anyone looking to catch Bolt will have to win eight gold medals throughout three different Olympics. Track and field stars typically have one specialty. That makes the fact that Bolt won both the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes even more impressive.

Bolt needed to do even more to make sure his body was ready for both events. He trained for six days a week, 11 months out of the year during his career. When Bolt is in the gym, he focuses on core exercises. He also works on conditioning and explosiveness. Like Phelps, Bolt was born with an ideal body for his events. It took him working out four hours per day and avoiding any type of fast food to push him to the heights he reached. Bolt, like many athletes here, took time to ensure he properly recovered.

Most Olympians can only dream of taking part in two or three games. The 2024 Olympics in Paris will be the sixth time Diana Taurasi will suit up and represent the red, white, and blue. She's sustained a level of dominance that few athletes ever have. Taurasi is aiming to win her sixth gold medal for women's basketball. The reason she's still competing at such a high level has tons to do with her training routine.

These days, Taurasi does her best to focus on plyometrics and recovery, as many athletes who are older do. She spends 20 minutes doing kettlebell exercises to keep her balance where it is. She does tons of agility workouts to stay in front of the people she's defending. Taurasi likes to make sure yoga is incorporated into her workouts, whether it be with or without weights attached. Since Taurasi has lasted six Olympic games, she's clearly doing something right with yoga and kettlebell exercises.

The swimming world has officially been taken over by Katie Ledecky. She has seven gold medals and 10 in total. Ledecky specializes in the freestyle swim stroke. Like Phelps, Ledecky spends the bulk of her time in the pool, perfecting her stroke and breathing pattern. Ledecky also follows a strict diet that consists of only the healthiest foods that will propel her to the medal stand.

Ledecky had a minimum of 10 pool workouts per week while training for the 2024 games in Paris. During these workouts, the talented athlete focuses on her balance and kicking. Swimmers use their legs to push themselves forward. The reason this works well for Ledecky is because it doesn't feel like work to her. She's constantly talked about how much she loves spending time in the pool and how it truly feels like she's playing around.

One athlete who knew a thing or two about putting their body through the wringer was Kobe Bryant. During his time representing the United States at the Olympics, Bryant won two gold medals. Fans were excited when Bryant finally took the court in 2008, as that was the first time he was at the Olympics. By that point, Bryant had won nearly everything in his career, except for the highly coveted gold medal.

While preparing for the Olympics, Bryant would be awake at roughly three in the morning. Other players tell stories about getting to the gym at five in the morning (which still shows incredible dedication) and Bryant would already be in a full sweat. He worked out two to three more times per day. He often talked about how each workout set him apart from the competition and that he never was in a situation in a game that he hadn't practiced. That's why he was always so clutch — from the hours of training he put in.

Imagine worrying about starting your senior year of high school, while also preparing to represent the United States in the Olympics. That's exactly what Missy Franklin went through in 2012 when she dominated the competition in London. Franklin was best known for her skills in the backstroke event. During the 2012 games, Franklin took home four gold medals and one bronze.

As a swimmer, Franklin spent the bulk of her day in the pool. While she was in school, she trained eight times per week. During the summer months when she wasn't studying, that number went up to nine times per week. Franklin worked out for an average of two hours per session and also found herself in the weight room two or three times per week. The most impressive part about Franklin was having the grades to get into Cal Berkley for college.

The most popular sport around the world is soccer. Leagues throughout Europe and South America boast the best talent in the world. For years, Neymar was considered one of the top players around. In 2016, he led Brazil to Olympic gold while the games were held in Rio. While Neymar was blessed with talent, it took years of hard work and conditioning to get to the top of the sport he loves.

While training Neymar puts tons of emphasis on conditioning. He does tons of HIIT exercises, which help him maintain his cardio levels. Neymar also does tons of balance and plyometric work. If there's one thing tons of the athletes who have dominated for a long time, it's that they prioritize balance and flexibility. Neymar also puts rest and recovery high on his list while training. He sleeps at least eight hours per night, ensuring his body is ready to go the next day.

During the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, the Canadian women's national soccer team brought the country home a gold medal. The team was led by Jessie Fleming, one of the most dominant players in the world. Like Neymar, Fleming takes tons of pride in her conditioning and training routine. While she wasn't the captain of the squad in 2021, she prepared and did enough to earn the title of captain in 2024.

While training Fleming also focuses on HIIT workouts. Soccer is full of going from a light jog to intense sprints. Fleming does tons of workouts like box jumping, running, and jog-to-sprint exercises. She also takes tons of pride in her core exercises. Soccer players have strong cores because of the constant changing of direction. Like Neymar, Fleming also allows herself to sleep and recover for eight hours per night.

Another gymnast to dedicate her life to the sport is Gabby Douglas. During her Olympic career, Douglas took home three gold medals. While Douglas has roughly the same routine as every other gymnast on this list, she also emphasizes visualization of her routines. Tons of the top athletes in the world talk about how important visualizing is. Douglas sees what her routine is going to look like before she does it. That way, when she steps onto the floor, she's more than ready.

Although she didn't qualify for the Olympics in 2024 because of an injury, Douglas still aims to be back in the games in 2028. For an athlete who suffers an injury, the best thing they can do is visualize while rehabbing. It keeps their brain ready to compete.