I Trained and Ate like an Athlete for a Day

I trained and ate like an athlete for a day, here’s what I learnt!

Tired is an understatement.

I’m sitting here in my lounge room just thinking about the horrendous workouts I was put through. I have always thought of myself to be physically fit however right now I am hurting in places I didn’t know existed. You see I trained and ate like an elite rugby athlete for a day and I am still feeling the effects of it.

First off you may ask yourself Why? Why should you care that I trained like an elite athlete? I can imagine a lot of who my blog reaches, may not consider themselves traditional “elite athletes”, but let me tell you, you definitely train like them. If you are training upwards of 4–5 times a week, you could be training, if not harder, than some of our countries best athletes.

So here it goes, my day training like an elite athlete!

My day started at 5am. It’s always lovely being outdoors when the moon is still up (note the sarcasm). On my way I made sure I had a decent sized breakfast, as I had no idea what was in-store for me! I arrived at the training facility and was immediately told to weigh in and complete a hydration test. Not the most pleasant experience! Now onto the field for an hour and a half of the most intense cardio based session of my life. There was running, running and more running. And let’s not even mention the punishment suicides. Now onto lunch. I understand why rugby players eat so much, because I could have eaten a horse and to be honest, I almost did. There was chicken and chicken and some salad with chicken on it, with a serving of hot chips! Next came an intense 1 hour strength session of low reps and high weight. There were squats, lunges, bench presses, pull ups, bicep curls, pull ups and shoulder presses. I followed all of this with 15 minutes in the ice baths and I was done. And done was an understatement, I slept like a baby for, let’s just say a LONG time.

So you now know what I did but what does this really mean for you? How can you apply my conclusions to your everyday training life? Here are my key findings and how they can apply to you and your daily training routine.

Fuel your body for your training

I never understood, why these guys at so much food, well now I do. If I did not have my breakfast, the numerous snacks throughout the day, my big chicken salad (with a side of hot chips) and my huge dinner, I would not have made it through the day. However, this day was very unlike a normal training day, therefore I would never eat this amount of food regularly. So refuel your body based on the training you complete. Don’t over eat but ensure you are compensating for the nutrients lost. Oh and don’t forget to hydrate!!!

Goal set

Each and everyday these athletes wake up with a goal in mind. Whether it is smashing a PB in their deadlifts or not finishing last in the on field cardio session, goals are essential to their everyday routine. They would not be where they are today without having set goals. So every time you set foot in the gym, set a goal. Aim to finish a workout to RX, don’t stop when you feel fatigue set in, achieve that one pull up you have been working towards for months now. Setting these small goals will assist in you achieving your overall end goal.

Importance of the team environment

I have mentioned previously how much I enjoy training in a team environment, the rush in itself is pure motivation. This team had a “no man left behind policy” and it was truly motivating. So find a friend, or several friends, to push you to your limits. If you’re anything like me your competitive nature will come out.

Expand your horizons

I may have trained with a rugby team, however I only touched a football for maybe a whole 10 minutes. It is important to remember to mix it up, don’t just stick to lifting weights or pure cardio, add in unconventional training every now and then.

Remember you can take on board these key learning in your everyday training routine. If anything, you’ll be motivated to train harder than ever before.

Naomi Wallis

Product Manager

Naomi speaks all things functional movement. She loves it so much, she adopted it into her daily fitness routine. To say sport was ingrained in Naomi is an understatement.

In fact she loved it so much, she went on to study sports science at university and has worked for some of the best NRL teams in the country.

Her world is revolved around sport and she brings this enthusiasm to the table every single day.