Fired Up To Train Like An Olympian
Feb 5th 2018
Or To Simply Train With Olympic Gusto - Team USA gold medalist Lawrence Trice sheds light on training before and after a competition
I’ve come to terms with the fact that it is not my calling in life to be an Olympian on Team USA in ice skating, freestyle skiing, gymnastics, or even basketball.. The dream every person in the world has at one point either does or doesn’t fade. For some the dream comes true, and for the rest of us, we refocus our goals.
However, just because we aren’t all meant to be Olympians, doesn’t mean we can’t hold the same Olympic spirit, exercise regime, or healthy lifestyle. At any age we have the opportunity to participate in competitions with friends, family, even co-workers. Like any Olympian, if we want to succeed, we need to begin rightly with self-discipline and focus.
Team USA Gold Medalist sprinter, Lawrence (Larry) Trice, shed some light on the subject to me earlier this week. When asked, what does it take to train for an Olympic sport? He immediately replied with, “Stay healthy. Without health, you can’t run fast or slow.”
This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this about training, especially for competition. According to American Council on Exercise spokesperson Todd Durkin, maintaining proper diet and hydration is one of the most important steps to building high performance and energy. In an article with Men’s Health he states, “...you must eat properly including eating a breakfast of complex carbohydrates and lean protein, then eat again every 3-4 hours and within 90 minutes of working out. Consume half your body weight in fluid ounces of pure water and if exercising intensely or for long duration, consume a sports-drink to replenish electrolytes.”
Along with diet, high performance competition requires adequate sleep, mental preparedness, daily training, weight lifting, hiring a coach, and proper warm-up and recovery.
Trice described some of his pre- and post-competition training that all you trampoline enthusiasts will find rather interesting. “I’m a little different, and I like to do things nobody else is doing. I saw this [fitness] trampoline and I just imagined all the many things I could do with it. Not only as a sprinter, but as a trainer. I decided to implement the trampoline into my training, which I think is revolutionary. As a trainer in the off season, I get a chance to show people, this is what you need to do, and this is what I do to stay in competitive shape.”
Fitness trampolines bring your heart rate up, relieve pounding on the ground, and help to contract and use fast twitch muscles at a rapid rate. Trice says it helps warm him up before training so he’s ready to go and ready to fire at a fast speed. It’s an essential tool that’s not just for kids.
“I’ve been on trampolines since I was a little kid playing basketball. Even now that I’m older I can still play basketball on a backyard trampoline with friends and not be afraid of hurting myself or my career, and now I use the fitness trampolines to keep my cardio up and keep my fitness level up. It’s what I need to keep me going”
As a kid, sports was a way for Trice to get out of the house and relieve stress from school, parents, and life in general. It got him though tough times and he loved it. With infinite support from his mom who would say to him, “Go for the gusto,” meaning, “give it all you’ve got,” he emphasized that at age 5 or 35, you have to have fun and love what you do.
Regardless of whether your fitness program is simply to maintain a healthy lifestyle, compete in a sporting event, race, or exceed an individual goal, it takes recognition of your strengths combined with self-discipline, dedication, a healthy lifestyle, and most importantly, FUN!
Lawrence Trice is the 2017 Team USA Gold medalist in the 4 × 100m relay and USA National Silver medalist in the 100m. He is a USATF certified trainer and coached at the 2016 Olympic Trials. Lawrence has been running for over 11+ years and he coached at every level of sport from high school through professional (NFL, bobsled, and track). Lawrence trains on a JumpSport fitness trampoline throughout the year. For more information about Lawrence, his training, and coaching, go to his website, Lawrence Trice Jr., or for youth, elitesportsfitacademy.com.
Photo curtousy of
Eric Williams