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In 2012 he was starting to become more interested in going out and socializing – it was seeing his old friend, Craig Benson, made the semi-finals in London 2012, and he knew that he could better him if he really tried! Peaty continued to chip away at his own world record (it then stood at 57.10), steadily working his way towards his goal of swimming a :56 from a flat start. Sign up below to receive our newest workout routines, recipes, news stories, and offers from our partners. For the “practice swimmer”—the athlete who crushes it in practice but always stinks it up in competition—this is a particularly painful struggle. Whereas being nervous is a reactive position to be in, getting a little fighty helps you to take control of your performance. He took the time to take us through his mental and physical approaches to training, and share some tips for those that want to improve on their own swimming speed. “When I’m training, it’s game time, but as soon as I finish a race I completely switch off.”. Get MotleyHealth by Email - Subscribe in a reader - Follow Us On Facebook. Current photo via Mike Lewis/Ola Vista Photography. Today’s swimmers all train in a very similar fashion, so you can learn as much from reading about Phelps’ training routines as we can learn today from Peaty. Yoga Retreats – The Best Yoga Destinations. “On dry land, you have the ground to offer stability and provide leverage for movement,” says Marshall. It’s all about adapting to your environment and being resilient, and that’s important for us [swimmers] because one day we might not feel so good, but we still need to get the training in, you’ve got to stay ahead of the game and for me, the mental aspect of sport is very important. Thank you for signing up. For me, going to the Olympics is always about being a better version of myself, and with a baby on the way that will give me a lot of motivation as well! Your email address will not be published. Not only do you have the 2021 Olympic Games to look forward to, but you’re welcoming your first child next year. Here are some of breaststroke ace Adam Peaty's tips on how to be world-class between your ears so that you can dominate the pool, too. There’s plenty the rest of us can learn from Adam Peaty’s pool-rattling ascent to the top of the podium. Peaty discovered this lesson as a teenager who was dealing with pre-race nerves. Sometimes after a session like that you cannot physically move but you have to go and do a gym session too. The size and shape of your muscles must be something you need to be aware of. (The world record is now 56.88 though. He experiences bad swim practices like the rest of us. Peaty will not be the next Phelps (who now has 19 Olympic Golds), but he can certainly beat him in his specialist stroke! Michael Phelps was a middle-distance swimmer whereas I’m a sprinter. Required fields are marked *. He’s also the author of the recently published mental training workbook for competitive swimmers, Conquer the Pool: The Swimmer’s Ultimate Guide to a High Performance Mindset. I fast before 12 p.m. This means starting at sunrise each morning (well, before sunrise in the winter!) “The PROTEIN20 is a good option for me: less sugar, fewer carbs and high protein so I’m maintaining my lean muscle mass. If you’re not doing that and you’re not going all the way down you’re shortening your movement. Dumbbell rows help you isolate the lats, but adding weight to a pull-up will really make a noticeable difference to performance. Now, with UK swimming pools back open for elite athletes, Peaty is laser-focused on 2021. Any journey worth taking includes resistance. Adam Peaty. QUIZ: Can you name which country these beers are from? I know what I need to do this season, the Olympics were postponed but it didn’t really affect me too much, you get on with it. He holds the World Record in the 50m and 100m Long Course Meter Breaststroke and is the 2016 Olympic Champion in the 100m Breaststroke. Men's Health participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Here you will find articles and advice on getting fit, weight training, diet and nutrition, all of which can aid weight loss. Then when I’m in a hard, hard training block like in a training camp, I would probably increase that to around 4,500 calories. He accomplished the feat in 2019 with a new World Record of 56.88. Follow these tips to keep your gains while avoiding further pain. This means being in bed by 9pm to make sure that he gets the sleep he needs to be fully recovered after training each day. He is known for his speed and power in the sprint breaststroke races and is an athletic icon in the United Kingdom and for swimmers all over the world. Take a look into how he manages to make a splash at every event he swims: Peaty’s success owes as much to a consistent and structured training plan than it does performance in the pool. Swimming training requires a combination of pool training and dry training. My ideal weight changes from year to year, because of lockdown I was probably a few kilograms over but it’s important to have that buffer zone, just in case you get ill or pick up an injury or something like that, so you can recover better. As well as becoming the first male British swimmer to win the gold medal in the 100m breaststroke for 24 years at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Peaty has set 11 swimming world records. You need to find the balance. Hitting the pool is a tranquil way to boost fitness and sink stress – at least, it is for ordinary men. Photographs: Tom Watkins/Science in Sport. Did lockdown have an impact on your bodyweight? “I enjoy this as it’s fast and pretty much replicates what I do on a pull-out [the underwater phase at the start and after each turn]. We’ve found that one of the reasons they don’t carry on with swimming is due to a lack of direction and stimulus during their swimming experience. By his own admission, Peaty is intensely competitive – fiercely, even. Of looking at a disappointing performance or a loss and thinking, How can I make this the best thing to happen to me? Definitely. Here’s a three-step plan swimmers can start with today. Look behind-the-scenes at how Adam Peaty's training changes as he prepares for races, including going vegetarian and stripping body fat. from Coventry University. With fasting, it’s not just about the performance, or the leanness, but there are even more health benefits because there have been all kinds of studies that show a decreased risk of cancer and I think that intermittent fasting is a natural way for the human body to perform, because it’s only a recent thing where every household is overly stocked with high calorie foods, or you can go through a drive-thru, but it wouldn’t have been like that 100 years ago. One of the ways that swimmers can help redirect that nervous energy into something that will yield a better performance is to take on a fighter’s mindset. Could the slightest change in body composition have an impact on your speed? “You have to be very composed when you’re swimming, but I use that composure in an angry way.”. So short reps, with a higher weight to avoid hypertrophy. At just 25 years old, English swimmer Adam Peaty has already been deemed a “swimming icon.” The Uttoxeter-born athlete represented Great Britain at the 2016 Olympic Games and grabbed the world’s attention by breaking his own 100-meter breaststroke record to claim gold in Rio. "On dry land, you have the ground to offer stability…In the water, all of this comes from your core", Hitting the pool is a tranquil way to boost fitness and sink stress – at least, it is for ordinary men. “In the water, all of this comes from your core – it powers every stroke.”. Turning to anger in the moments before you are on the block helps you take control of the situation. By the end of the week you are practically in your coffin. Copyright © 2007-2020 MotleyHealth®. Subscribe to our newsletter and receive our latest updates! Then he broke the 57-second mark. “He recovers incredibly quickly and he adapts incredibly quickly,” says Marshall. This content is imported from YouTube. MetCon training. “Again, this improves my upper-body strength, but this time connecting the muscles on the front of my torso with my back muscles, which also plays an important part in catching the water. But for those who stay at the top, it’s an ability to stay hungry and stay motivated to keep pushing that continues to separate them from the pack. However, it almost did not happen. Get on your tiptoes to extend fully, or even do a little jump, and use two medicine balls [one in each hand] if you can.”. Ultimately, you can try all the visualization stuff, work on your self-talk endlessly, and try all the tricks of the trade to develop mental toughness, but if it’s not matched up with the preparation in the pool it’s going to be hard to put your best performance forth. 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Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Here are some of his tips on how to be world-class between your ears so that you can dominate the pool, too.