Matthew McNutt

Yes, most Olympians are born with a certain amount of talent. But rarely do they get to compete at the highest level without putting in years of blood, sweat and tears. Many athletes, coaches and trainers say it takes up to eight years of training before making one’s first Olympic team.

To make it onto the Biggest Loser it takes years and years and years of abusing your body by extensive overeating.  Ok – so maybe the Olympians have us on this one.  But read below and you will see we match them in other areas.

A Full-Time Job

While some Olympic athletes have side careers or day jobs, training to compete in the Olympics is a full-time job in and of itself. Many athletes train three times a day or more, six days a week or more. When they’re not training, they’re often resting and eating in preparation for the next session.

On the Biggest Loser Ranch we easily match the workouts of Olympic athletes.  6 days per week, 4 hours per day minimum is the workload required of each and every contestant.   We have left our jobs and family and when we are not training, we are eating right and recovering in preparation for the next workout.  The only thing that gets in the way is…Filming.

Plan It Out

While the average Joe plans his training schedule out up to a few months in advance, Olympians have to think further ahead. Olympic athletes usually set annual goals and may develop a schedule for the entire four years leading up to the Games.

On the Biggest Loser, contestants and trainers develop workout schedules and routines from the day they step on the ranch until the finale’ which is often 9 months away.  So while we don’t quite match Olympic Athletes we still apply the same principles.

Put Up With Pain

Part of being an athlete is about putting up with pain. That can mean sitting in a whirlpool bath with a temperature of 55 degrees to help the body flush out toxins, getting a deep massage on a particularly inflamed area or training so hard that throwing up feels good.

Pain is a daily part of the lives of all Biggest Loser contestants.  Previous years contestants have worked through torn meniscuses, pulled muscles and our daily companion, painfully sore joints and muscles.  In later seasons on the show there is even a trainer on staff to tape up and massage the contestants – Oh they have things good now days!  And more than a couple of contestants have experienced the unique ‘joy’ of a vomit bath from working out extremely hard.

Constant Feedback

Athletes preparing for the Olympics need constant feedback about how they’re progressing toward their training goals. That can mean having their heart rate, oxygen output and lactate levels monitored, and attending regular meetings with a team of coaches and trainers to discuss performance highs and lows.

On the Biggest Loser Ranch we regularly meet with the shows doctor and our Trainers might as well live on site.  We are constantly moving toward the goal of winning the ultimate prize; A second chance at a healthy life.

Get Your Rest

If you want to train like an Olympian, you’d better be ready to sleep. Athletes tend to need up to 10 hours of sleep each night, as well as a half-hour to 90-minute nap in the afternoon. That’s because the body rebuilds tissue during sleep, allowing muscles to grow.

I often say you have to ERN your weight loss.  E – R – N stands for Exercise, Rest and Nutrition.  These are essentials to success on the Biggest Loser ranch and when you have worked out all day like an Athlete a sound night’s sleep was a welcome reward.

Pump Up The Calories

Olympic athletes need to pile on the calories in order to fuel and recover from their workouts. On a day of particularly intense training, it wouldn’t be unheard of for an athlete to consume up to 5,000 calories. (The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends people eat between 1,600 and 2,800 calories per day.)

Obviously Biggest Loser contestants practiced this principle for years leading up to their appearance on the show.  And we have plenty of calories in storage to sustain our bodies through the days and weeks and months of grueling training.  So we are even better than the Olympians on this point ;-Q

Seeing Through Success

In order to deal with the pressure of competing at the highest level of their sport, many Olympians use visualization techniques. Prior to the race, they picture step by step what they want to do and how they want to carry out the contest. This kind of mental training can help athletes deal with the often overwhelming atmosphere surrounding them.

The equivalent of visualization techniques for me while I was on the Biggest Loser Ranch was a combination of two things; the goal of a smaller Pete and The Biggest Loser Scale.  Regular weigh ins give every contestant an ideal of how they are progressing toward their weight loss goals.  The scale is our raison d’être.  The scale is our nemesis and our best friend.  Our cheerleader and our heckler.  As I said years ago I am sure the scale is visible from the moon and it is the thing that daily drives us to work hard in the gym. 

In conclusion, obviously I would not disrespect Olympic Athletes by saying that I or any Biggest Loser Contestant can match their focus or dedication or intensity.  But, for a short time while I was losing 185 lbs in 9 months I can absolutely say that I worked out as hard as and endured as much pain as any Athlete on the planet.  This memory is imprinted on my mind and drives me even today so that I push myself harder than most of the other people in the gym.  I remember what hard work is and I know what slacking is and what slacking gets me.  The memory of working out like an Olympian keeps me focused on keeping the weight off permanently.  Oh yeah, a resting heart rate in the low 60’s (down from the low 90’s) and a 35″ waist (down from 60″) helps keep me focused as well

GO USA!

Work hard.  Very Hard and Remember,

There’s A Winner Within You

Pete Thomas

WinningMan.com

 Links

http://www.forbes.com/2008/07/08/training-perfect-athlete-olympics08-forbeslife-cx_avd_0708health_slide_2.html?thisSpeed=15000

http://www.forbes.com/2008/07/08/training-perfect-athlete-olympics08-forbeslife-cx_avd_0708health.html