2008 Beijing Olympics - Olympic Physiques

"All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize.... So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing." - 1 Corinthians 9:25-27

If you've been watching the 2008 Beijing Olympics, you've noticed the lean, muscular physiques of many of the athletes. It seems as though many of the athletes are leaner and more muscular now than in previous Olympics.

Certain athletes show up to the Olympics always appearing lean and muscular such as the male gymnasts, short- and middle-distance sprinters, many of the track and field athletes and the lightweight to middleweight weightlifters and wrestlers.

However, many of the athletes that are not normally as lean and muscular have come to this year's Olympics looking like super men and women. Look no further than Michael Phelps or Dara Torres. Michael Phelps has dominated the Olympics winning 8 gold medals while breaking Mark Spitz's record from 1972. The commentators have mentioned several times that he has ripped abs and muscular physique. Dara Torres, at 41, is leaner and more muscular than those competing against her, including some who are 25 years younger!

The one thing Michael Phelps and Dara Torres have in common is that they have included weight training in their routines in the recent past to prepare for this year's Olympics. They have found the benefits of strength training and it shows not only in their performances but also in their muscular and lean physiques.

Something you may find interesting is that Olympic weightlifters typically never perform any traditional cardio (try a few sets of snatches or clean and jerks and you'll find out why), yet, they tend to be muscular, lean and have very strong cardiovascular systems and incredible power. In fact, Olympic weightlifters tend to be more powerful and explosive than sprinters within the first 10 yards (and they have incredible vertical jumping ability).

If you look at the weightlifters in the lightweight through middleweight classes, almost all of them are very lean and muscular (It's just too bad that the super heavyweights are the ones typically featured in primetime). How do they get like that without cardio? Weight training and nutrition.

Gymnasts don't train with weights, however, they train using bodyweight exercises through many different ranges of motion; static, dynamic, eccentric, isometric, etc. This builds muscle and incredible strength. Gymnasts don't perform cardio, but they do perform short sprints (vault) and they stay strong, lean and muscular.

Compare the short-distance sprinters (100-400m), pole vaulters and hurdlers (60-110m) to long-distance athletes (1,500m or more), and you'll quickly see the difference in their physiques. The sprinters, pole vaulters and hurdlers are lean and muscular. The longer-distance athletes may be somewhat lean (especially at Olympic and professional levels), but they are not as lean and nowhere near as muscular as the sprinters, pole vaulters and hurdlers.

Sprinters, pole vaulters and hurdlers also train with weights and don't perform any long-distance cardio. Many of them don't ever sprint more than 200-400m in their training, and usually they sprint much shorter distances depending on their particular sport.

It should be clear to you by now that strength training is the key to building a lean, muscular physique. You don't have to be an Olympic athlete to get the body you want. And you don't have to perform traditional, steady-state or long-distance cardio to lose fat or stay lean. A proper nutritional plan and strength training program will help you build a lean, muscular, healthy physique.

What's holding you back?

Dara Torres Ignores Doubters And Reveals "Secret" to Success!

"So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing." -1 Thessalonians 5:11

Dara Torres, Olympic swimmer and former Gator, continues to confront whispers and questions about performance-enhancing drugs as the reason for her record-breaking performances and sculpted physique.

"It stinks," she said recently at the U.S. training camp on the Stanford campus. "I'm trying to be as open as possible and let everyone know that I'm clean. Unfortunately, once you get past that point, then they start questioning other things."

At the end of the U.S. trials - where Dara won the 50- and 100-meter freestyles - she revealed the "one little secret that I have."

She said she takes an amino acid supplement that is currently available only in Europe. Her coach, Michael Lohberg, introduced Dara to the product that was developed by former swimmer Mark Warnecke, a bronze medalist for Germany at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

The amino acids, which Michael said are pure and have been approved by a drug lab that works with swimming's international governing body FINA, help Dara gain muscle and allow her body to recover quickly after workouts.

"That really helped her quite a bit in not getting big and bulky and recover quicker, and look the way she looks right now," Michael said.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein (often called the building blocks of life). Of the 20 standard amino acids, 8 are called essential amino acids because the human body cannot synthesize them from other compounds at the level needed for normal growth, so they must be obtained from food.

Protein-containing foods include meat (beef, chicken, fish, bison, deer, duck, etc.), dairy products, nuts and protein and amino-acid supplements (protein powders and BCAA supplements).

I believe that Dara is free of performance-enhancing drugs and can attest to the fact that amino acids do help with recovery as well as muscle and strength gains. I eat a diet consisting of high-protein whole foods and also use protein supplements. One particular supplement I use, Surge, is specifically made for post-workout and contains a specific ratio of amino acids to help promote recovery as well as muscle and strength gains.

Amino acids and protein powders are not illegal supplements and they are not harmful to the body. If taken in the correct amounts, they can definitely improve your performance and body composition.

But amino acids, protein powders and other supplements will do nothing for you if you don't already strength train and eat correctly. As I mentioned in a previous blog, that is something Dara has taken very seriously, as she follows a regimented strength training and nutrition lifestyle to achieve the success she has accomplished, even now as a 41-year-old mother and Olympic contender.

God designed the human body in such an amazing way that if you follow his instructions from the Bible, you can find all the "secrets" to a healthy lifestyle. With proper physical training and nutrition, you can improve your body to its true potential, even if you don't contend for an Olympic medal.

Dara Torres Overcomes Age With Exercise!

"God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect."

- Psalm 18:32

At 41, former University of Florida swimmer Dara Torres has qualified for her fifth Olympics - despite taking several years off, giving birth just two years ago and undergoing two surgeries within the past eight months.

Many people are amazed at this feat (or screaming "performance enhancers"), but exercise experts say Dara's success at least partly reflects advances in training - and that many of us could come closer to similar achievements than we think.

Sure, we can't forget about genetics and other advantages such as opportunity, motivation and incentive to train hard. But besides genetics, those advantages are not impossible for anyone to achieve.

It shows us what we can do. It's just that most people won't push themselves to do what Dara has done. Instead, I hear people in their 30s, 40s, 50s (and some in their 20s) who make excuses for the fact that they've gained weight, lost strength or no longer have the athletic physique they once had in high school or college.

Rather than doing something about it, they act and respond in a way that is self-defeating and shows that they don't have the motivation, desire, dedication, discipline or work ethic to make changes (or they suffer from "paralysis by analysis" and spend more time thinking or debating rather than doing).

For athletes at any level, a gradual decline in endurance and speed occurs in the 30s and 40s, roughly half a percent a year, even with continued training. However, strength can be gained and maintained well beyond the 30s, 40s and 50s (look at Jack Lalanne!). Not everyone will make it to the Olympics, but with plenty of hard work, a proper nutritional plan and a few of the traits mentioned previously, a lot of improvement can take place. Healthy people can significantly improve their athletic performance with the kinds of exercises Dara does.

So how does Dara do it? Her training regimen includes a lot of resistance training. This includes free weights, bodyweight exercises, weight machines and other tools to strengthen her entire body in addition to skill specific training (swimming, in this case). Dara's intense resistance training program has helped her achieve the best shape of her life, allowing her to beat competitors half her age.

Resistance training works. The key is to follow a customized training program built for your individual needs while avoiding overtraining and taking time to warm-up and cool down.

So what are you waiting for?


Here's a good article about Dara's recent accomplishments - Click here!