The 60
amateur athletes, including six South Africans, currently based at the Powerade
Sports Academy were given valuable lessons on training from Joze Luiz Barbasa (four
times Olympic 800m athlete), Dean Downing, professional cyclist, Ben Titley
(Head Coach Team G.B. Swimming), Any Manley and Matt Bowe, Swimming Silver
Medalists.
Powerade,
the Official Sports Drink of the London 2012 Olympic Games, is giving sports
fans from around the world insight into how to ‘Train Like An Olympian’ at the
Powerade Sport Academy. The opportunity
is part of the Powerade drive to give amateur athletes, who live and breathe
sport every day, an opportunity to improve their own performance.
The
athletes are quickly realizing that training for the Olympics is a 24 hour a day
commitment. “We are up by 6am, active
throughout the day attending lectures and training and get to bed at midnight,”
said Eugene Strauss, a 34 year old accountant from Gauteng.
Day four
included pilates before breakfast, endurance running, sprint running, cycling
and then swimming sessions ending with a look behind the scenes of the
Olympics.
Strauss
is using this opportunity to help him prepare for the 2013 Iron Man. “We got some good advice on breathing
techniques and exercise drills to increase lung capacity,” said Strauss.
As
part of the programme the athletes are required to put their newly acquired
knowledge into practice so all lectures end with a practical session. “Instant gratification came from the cycling
advice we received on pedaling. When I
got onto the bike after our lecture I immediately noticed a difference,” said
Strauss, a competitive cyclist.
It
was then into the swimming pool and the focus was on techniques on how to shave
seconds off times by turning effectively.
The
final day of the programme will be a mini Olympics which will take place on
Friday, 10 August.
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