As the Assistant Editor at Men’s Fitness, mining through the latest research and consulting with experts to find the most effective exercises and routines, the densest food fuel, and smartest recovery techniques is an everyday occurrence. Nearly all fitness editors can tell you which fundamental exercises should be at the core of most workouts and the right ways to target body imbalances, but there’s no denying that it’s nice being told what to do in the gym (and on the pavement)—to take away the guesswork and have someone guide you through a regimen.So, when given the opportunity to train like an Olympic athlete, take part in Nike’s eight-week Limitless Potential program, and kick things off by flying to Michael Johnson Performance in Mckinney, Texas—one of the most elite training facilities in the country—to be assessed by performance specialists who regularly work with NFL prospects and pros, the answer was a no-brainer: Um, yesplease.I was grouped with other health, fitness, and lifestyle editors and influencers in Nike’s Track & Field journey (the other sport programs were basketball and soccer).It wasn’t unfamiliar. I used to be an athlete—a sprinter. So, sure, I wanted to evolve into a better runner: faster, stronger, more efficient. But, even more so than that, like you, I wanted to be a smarter athlete—which is exactly what I became. Here’s what I learned during this training journey that may help you reach your fitness and athletic goals.
2 of 12
instagram.com/britt_smith03
Find Your Limits
At Michael Johnson Performance (named after the renowned Olympic sprinter), we were assessed like top-tier athletes. Our body fat percentages were measured, foot striking patterns analyzed, and mobility and flexibility tested via exercises like an overhead squat and Y-balance test. Plyometric jumps indicated any risk for injury, power capacity, and reaction time; an actual physical therapist poked, prodded, and moved our bodies to screen for any lurking injuries; sprints determined acceleration, speed and imbalances; a treadmill test discovered how much ground we could cover in 45 seconds; and a hellish 3-minute spin session on a stationary bike determined our endurance capacities and ability to recover. Oh, and we wore a heart rate monitor called the Bodyguard to see just how well we recover from intense exercise as we sleep.Fit Tip: Ask if your gym has a trainer who can put you through a similar assessment to test weaknesses and areas you can improve on. And if they don’t have the capability, ask if they can recommend a facility that can.I’ll spare you the specifics, but I was working at a fairly optimal fitness level (10, which is comparable to an athlete). I had 19 percent body fat. My mobility and flexibility were pretty even in both legs, but my right was showing some weakness (knee injury making itself known), and I exhibited glute weakness and hip tightness. But my recovery was a real disaster. During a night of sleep after no exercise, my recovery was 86 percent; but after the first day of testing, my recovery was only 10 percent; my central nervous system readiness was 1 out of 7.So, with our numbers in tow, we flew back to New York and began our respective programs with a team of elite Nike master trainers. I worked with Traci Copeland on strength training, while Julia Lucas served as my running coach. They worked with me one-on-one once a week, each, and cultivated a training program that filled the rest of my week with strength workouts from the Nike+ app, fartlek runs, mobility work, yoga, sprints, tempo runs, long runs, and more. Together, they cultivated a regimen to not only get me in shape, comparable to how personalized a professional athlete or Olympic runner’s plan might be, but they helped me train toward my individual goal, which was to complete my first Olympic-distance triathlon in Chicago at the end of August.
3 of 12
Courtesy of Nike
Expose Your Weaknesses
Since recovery was a blaring weakness of mine, I adopted a slew of techniques and activities during the day to help ease myself into a better state of rejuvenation at night. Here’s how you can, too:Recovery Tip: Before bed, practice belly breathing. Inhale and extend your stomach, gradually filling your diaphragm, then your chest, and lungs before exhaling for a longer count. Stop your pre-bed ritual of scrolling through Instagram and checking last-minute emails. Also, pay better attention to your heart. During a heart-rate monitor workout, Lucas had athletes wear a heart rate monitor to get an idea of our max heart rate. If yours skyrockets at the start of a crawling jog, it can have two explanations: You’re overtraining or only doing high-intensity work. Cut back on intensity and frequency if you’re pushing yourself too hard. If it’s the latter, learn to incorporate low-intensity exercise. It deserves a place in every regimen, otherwise you run your body ragged and don’t give yourself enough time to recover. In turn, every time you start to move, your body expects a grueling HIIT workout and booms your heart rate accordingly. Give more attention to recovery in general: Sleep solves everything.
4 of 12
instagram.com/britt_smith03
Perfect Your Form
Half the battle of long-distance runs and sprints is getting your form right. Of course everyone has their natural cadence, and Lucas didn’t try to alter ours, just fine-tune it.Posture Tip: If you tend to tense your shoulders, and find yourself drawing them up to your ears, or keeping your arms up by your chest, actively remind yourself to relax. Keep your arms down by your hips or waist, while maintaining a strong swing, slicing your elbows back and forth through the air like a pendulum; this will keep your shoulders down, too. Also, as you get fatigued, fight the urge to hunch forward. Imagine there’s a string pulling from the base of your spine up through the top of your skull. Your hips should stay straight and parallel, unwavering, as if they’re headlights on a car.SEE ALSO:How to Rock a Half Marathon
5 of 12
instagram.com/britt_smith03
Bulletproof Your Body
To strengthen your core, lower back, glutes, and stabilizing muscles, incorporate bodyweight and resistance moves that promote balance and coordination. Strength training is hugely important to runners because working your body through different planes of motion and stimulating lesser-used fibers can help you avoid overuse injuries. All runners need to train.Fit Tip: A strong core is imperative to running. Simply by engaging your abs, you force the muscles that are supposed to be the main movers to do their job, taking the strain off your joints. This can even relieve knee pain while running. Consider it your power source. Every once in a while, engage it to reset your body. SEE ALSO: 4 Exercises Every Runner Should Do
6 of 12
instagram.com/britt_smith03
Eliminate Weak Spots
Before I began my Nike experience, I participated in a Ragnar Relay (a 200+ mile relay race in which 12 runners complete three legs); my portion was just 12 miles, but I scrambled to get my endurance and legs ready, and rushed my training—effectively going from not running to hitting 10 miles in a couple short weeks. Needless to say, my knees were not ready for the adjustment. I awakened and exacerbated old wear and tear. A trip to my orthopedist and an MRI exposed patella maltracking. Essentially, my knee caps aren’t aligned properly in the socket (think a door misaligned on a hinge; it keeps catching and rubbing when closed), so fluid built up; the constant motion of running was majorly irritating.Fit Tip: To mitigate knee pain, common in runners, focus on unilateral work (airplane pose, med ball catch and throws, jumps for speed across a triangular formation—all on one leg), resistance band moves, and plyometric jumps that strengthen smaller muscles around the knees. For resistance band moves, place a flat band around and above your knees with feet hip-width apart. Draw one knee out, working against the resistance, then slowly bring it back to the start. Complete again with a staggered stance so the working leg is forward and the back serves as an anchor. Make this an integral part of your warmup. As a finisher, have a friend or trainer loop a larger resistance band around your hips and provide resistance as you complete 2-3 reps of high knees first forward, then laterally on both sides.
7 of 12
Courtesy of Nike
Break Your Comfort Zones
If yoga is a practice you’ve never dreamed of attempting, start. For recovery, flexibility, and mindfulness it can be hugely advantageous and enhance your training.Fit Tip: Active recovery is also a useful tool. Walking and light hiking through trails, super-slow jogs, and easy bike rides can keep your body moving without taxing any specific energy system.SEE ALSO:Yoga Poses for Fit Chicks
8 of 12
Courtesy of Nike
Train Intensely, But Intelligently
In the midst of the training program, Nike took us out to Eugene, Oregon (TrackTown USA) for a one-of-a-kind training experience. We trained for three days straight; and the workload was intense, but it was mindful and smart. We did yoga to open up our bodies after the flight and before watching the Olympic trials this July. A bodyweight training session started day 2 the following morning, which was chased (literally) by a sprint workout at Hayward Field right after Olympic hopefuls and champions tore up the track. We did a series of warmup drills—dynamic stretches, butt kicks, karaoke, bounds—to prime our legs, wearing spikes that mirrored the ones Nike runners wore in Rio. And on the third day, our emphasis was recovery: We did an easy shakeout run, stretched, foam rolled, and utilized ice baths.Fit Tip: If you have a grueling workout planned, be strategic about cardio, strength, stretching, and recovery.
9 of 12
Courtesy of Nike
Embrace the Journey
Love the process. Learn to love waking up at ungodly hours to fit in workouts. Love the challenges. Love the failures. Love the pain. Love the growth. When you’re an athlete (or pretend to be one for two months), you begin to have a greater appreciation for your body and everything it can withstand. Sure, there are times when your alarm is set for 4:45 a.m. like our friend The Rock when you question your sanity and why you’re doing what you’re doing. I had this internal dialogue and doubt countless times. But then I’d be mid-stride with my running coach, soaked through our hats, halfway through an interval workout, dodging sleepy dogs and owners in a park, when all of a sudden, everything felt transcendental.Motivation Tip: Learn to get comfortable with discomfort. You’ll feel powerful, stronger than you’ve ever been—moving with a power to endure that’ll shock you during your training program. You’ll reach a superior level of fitness; and you’ll end up exactly where you want to be.
10 of 12
Courtesy of Nike
Test Yourself
At the end of our journey, the track & field group met the MJP performance specialists, Nike master trainers, and basketball and soccer athletes at Chelsea Piers in NYC for the final assessment. We didn’t go through all the tests—just the most telling ones: 10-meter block starts, accelerations, squat jump (for height), counter movement jump (swinging arms back then up to gain momentum for height), broad jump chest pass with medicine ball, and a 45-second sprint to test speed endurance. My improvements in the jumps and speed endurance test were marked; I went from squat jumping 26.8cm to 36.7cm and covering just 241m in 45 seconds to 312m. Essentially, I’m faster now than when I ran competitively. Now, as for that triathlon…
11 of 12
instagram.com/britt_smith03
Make New Goals
I completed the Olympic (International) triathlon in Chicago just this past August. I didn’t drown (yay!) during the .9 mile swim. I flew through the 25-mile bike. And my knees held up during the 6-mile run. Overall, an incredible experience that’s sparked a new-found appreciation for multi-sport races. Coach Lucas mentioned something oddly comforting: I may never be a marathoner or even a half-marathoner because of my body’s biomechanics (my knees). But I can definitely dominate shorter-distance races, obstacle course runs, and triathlons.
12 of 12
Courtesy of Nike
Appreciate How Far You’ve Come
This journey was never about cutting body fat or revealing abs. It was about becoming a smarter athlete, training for growth rather than fine tuning an exterior, and appreciating what a body can endure—but not putting it through unnecessary hardship.
Fit Tip: Don’t allow yourself short cuts. Do the full warmup and cool down drills. Take the extra day to recover if your body is telling you something’s not right. And ignore the voice that keeps telling you to skip the last interval or rep, because (unless you’re pushing yourself too far) that extra bit of effort is what takes you to the next level—what makes the stuff of legends. You’ll learn to appreciate the ultimate piece of machinery: you.
As the Assistant Editor at Men’s Fitness, mining through the latest research and consulting with experts to find the most effective exercises and routines, the densest food fuel, and smartest recovery techniques is an everyday occurrence. Nearly all fitness editors can tell you which fundamental exercises should be at the core of most workouts and the right ways to target body imbalances, but there’s no denying that it’s nice being told what to do in the gym (and on the pavement)—to take away the guesswork and have someone guide you through a regimen.
So, when given the opportunity to train like an Olympic athlete, take part in Nike’s eight-week Limitless Potential program, and kick things off by flying to Michael Johnson Performance in Mckinney, Texas—one of the most elite training facilities in the country—to be assessed by performance specialists who regularly work with NFL prospects and pros, the answer was a no-brainer: Um, yesplease.
I was grouped with other health, fitness, and lifestyle editors and influencers in Nike’s Track & Field journey (the other sport programs were basketball and soccer).
It wasn’t unfamiliar. I used to be an athlete—a sprinter. So, sure, I wanted to evolve into a better runner: faster, stronger, more efficient. But, even more so than that, like you, I wanted to be a smarter athlete—which is exactly what I became. Here’s what I learned during this training journey that may help you reach your fitness and athletic goals.
Find Your Limits
At Michael Johnson Performance (named after the renowned Olympic sprinter), we were assessed like top-tier athletes. Our body fat percentages were measured, foot striking patterns analyzed, and mobility and flexibility tested via exercises like an overhead squat and Y-balance test. Plyometric jumps indicated any risk for injury, power capacity, and reaction time; an actual physical therapist poked, prodded, and moved our bodies to screen for any lurking injuries; sprints determined acceleration, speed and imbalances; a treadmill test discovered how much ground we could cover in 45 seconds; and a hellish 3-minute spin session on a stationary bike determined our endurance capacities and ability to recover. Oh, and we wore a heart rate monitor called the Bodyguard to see just how well we recover from intense exercise as we sleep.
Fit Tip: Ask if your gym has a trainer who can put you through a similar assessment to test weaknesses and areas you can improve on. And if they don’t have the capability, ask if they can recommend a facility that can.
I’ll spare you the specifics, but I was working at a fairly optimal fitness level (10, which is comparable to an athlete). I had 19 percent body fat. My mobility and flexibility were pretty even in both legs, but my right was showing some weakness (knee injury making itself known), and I exhibited glute weakness and hip tightness. But my recovery was a real disaster. During a night of sleep after no exercise, my recovery was 86 percent; but after the first day of testing, my recovery was only 10 percent; my central nervous system readiness was 1 out of 7.
So, with our numbers in tow, we flew back to New York and began our respective programs with a team of elite Nike master trainers. I worked with Traci Copeland on strength training, while Julia Lucas served as my running coach. They worked with me one-on-one once a week, each, and cultivated a training program that filled the rest of my week with strength workouts from the Nike+ app, fartlek runs, mobility work, yoga, sprints, tempo runs, long runs, and more. Together, they cultivated a regimen to not only get me in shape, comparable to how personalized a professional athlete or Olympic runner’s plan might be, but they helped me train toward my individual goal, which was to complete my first Olympic-distance triathlon in Chicago at the end of August.
Expose Your Weaknesses
Since recovery was a blaring weakness of mine, I adopted a slew of techniques and activities during the day to help ease myself into a better state of rejuvenation at night. Here’s how you can, too:
Recovery Tip: Before bed, practice belly breathing. Inhale and extend your stomach, gradually filling your diaphragm, then your chest, and lungs before exhaling for a longer count. Stop your pre-bed ritual of scrolling through Instagram and checking last-minute emails. Also, pay better attention to your heart. During a heart-rate monitor workout, Lucas had athletes wear a heart rate monitor to get an idea of our max heart rate. If yours skyrockets at the start of a crawling jog, it can have two explanations: You’re overtraining or only doing high-intensity work. Cut back on intensity and frequency if you’re pushing yourself too hard. If it’s the latter, learn to incorporate low-intensity exercise. It deserves a place in every regimen, otherwise you run your body ragged and don’t give yourself enough time to recover. In turn, every time you start to move, your body expects a grueling HIIT workout and booms your heart rate accordingly. Give more attention to recovery in general: Sleep solves everything.
Perfect Your Form
Half the battle of long-distance runs and sprints is getting your form right. Of course everyone has their natural cadence, and Lucas didn’t try to alter ours, just fine-tune it.
Posture Tip: If you tend to tense your shoulders, and find yourself drawing them up to your ears, or keeping your arms up by your chest, actively remind yourself to relax. Keep your arms down by your hips or waist, while maintaining a strong swing, slicing your elbows back and forth through the air like a pendulum; this will keep your shoulders down, too. Also, as you get fatigued, fight the urge to hunch forward. Imagine there’s a string pulling from the base of your spine up through the top of your skull. Your hips should stay straight and parallel, unwavering, as if they’re headlights on a car.
To strengthen your core, lower back, glutes, and stabilizing muscles, incorporate bodyweight and resistance moves that promote balance and coordination. Strength training is hugely important to runners because working your body through different planes of motion and stimulating lesser-used fibers can help you avoid overuse injuries. All runners need to train.
Fit Tip: A strong core is imperative to running. Simply by engaging your abs, you force the muscles that are supposed to be the main movers to do their job, taking the strain off your joints. This can even relieve knee pain while running. Consider it your power source. Every once in a while, engage it to reset your body.
Before I began my Nike experience, I participated in a Ragnar Relay (a 200+ mile relay race in which 12 runners complete three legs); my portion was just 12 miles, but I scrambled to get my endurance and legs ready, and rushed my training—effectively going from not running to hitting 10 miles in a couple short weeks. Needless to say, my knees were not ready for the adjustment. I awakened and exacerbated old wear and tear. A trip to my orthopedist and an MRI exposed patella maltracking. Essentially, my knee caps aren’t aligned properly in the socket (think a door misaligned on a hinge; it keeps catching and rubbing when closed), so fluid built up; the constant motion of running was majorly irritating.
Fit Tip: To mitigate knee pain, common in runners, focus on unilateral work (airplane pose, med ball catch and throws, jumps for speed across a triangular formation—all on one leg), resistance band moves, and plyometric jumps that strengthen smaller muscles around the knees. For resistance band moves, place a flat band around and above your knees with feet hip-width apart. Draw one knee out, working against the resistance, then slowly bring it back to the start. Complete again with a staggered stance so the working leg is forward and the back serves as an anchor. Make this an integral part of your warmup. As a finisher, have a friend or trainer loop a larger resistance band around your hips and provide resistance as you complete 2-3 reps of high knees first forward, then laterally on both sides.
Break Your Comfort Zones
If yoga is a practice you’ve never dreamed of attempting, start. For recovery, flexibility, and mindfulness it can be hugely advantageous and enhance your training.
Fit Tip: Active recovery is also a useful tool. Walking and light hiking through trails, super-slow jogs, and easy bike rides can keep your body moving without taxing any specific energy system.
In the midst of the training program, Nike took us out to Eugene, Oregon (TrackTown USA) for a one-of-a-kind training experience. We trained for three days straight; and the workload was intense, but it was mindful and smart. We did yoga to open up our bodies after the flight and before watching the Olympic trials this July. A bodyweight training session started day 2 the following morning, which was chased (literally) by a sprint workout at Hayward Field right after Olympic hopefuls and champions tore up the track. We did a series of warmup drills—dynamic stretches, butt kicks, karaoke, bounds—to prime our legs, wearing spikes that mirrored the ones Nike runners wore in Rio. And on the third day, our emphasis was recovery: We did an easy shakeout run, stretched, foam rolled, and utilized ice baths.
Fit Tip: If you have a grueling workout planned, be strategic about cardio, strength, stretching, and recovery.
Embrace the Journey
Love the process. Learn to love waking up at ungodly hours to fit in workouts. Love the challenges. Love the failures. Love the pain. Love the growth. When you’re an athlete (or pretend to be one for two months), you begin to have a greater appreciation for your body and everything it can withstand. Sure, there are times when your alarm is set for 4:45 a.m. like our friend The Rock when you question your sanity and why you’re doing what you’re doing. I had this internal dialogue and doubt countless times. But then I’d be mid-stride with my running coach, soaked through our hats, halfway through an interval workout, dodging sleepy dogs and owners in a park, when all of a sudden, everything felt transcendental.
Motivation Tip: Learn to get comfortable with discomfort. You’ll feel powerful, stronger than you’ve ever been—moving with a power to endure that’ll shock you during your training program. You’ll reach a superior level of fitness; and you’ll end up exactly where you want to be.
Test Yourself
At the end of our journey, the track & field group met the MJP performance specialists, Nike master trainers, and basketball and soccer athletes at Chelsea Piers in NYC for the final assessment. We didn’t go through all the tests—just the most telling ones: 10-meter block starts, accelerations, squat jump (for height), counter movement jump (swinging arms back then up to gain momentum for height), broad jump chest pass with medicine ball, and a 45-second sprint to test speed endurance. My improvements in the jumps and speed endurance test were marked; I went from squat jumping 26.8cm to 36.7cm and covering just 241m in 45 seconds to 312m. Essentially, I’m faster now than when I ran competitively. Now, as for that triathlon…
Make New Goals
I completed the Olympic (International) triathlon in Chicago just this past August. I didn’t drown (yay!) during the .9 mile swim. I flew through the 25-mile bike. And my knees held up during the 6-mile run. Overall, an incredible experience that’s sparked a new-found appreciation for multi-sport races. Coach Lucas mentioned something oddly comforting: I may never be a marathoner or even a half-marathoner because of my body’s biomechanics (my knees). But I can definitely dominate shorter-distance races, obstacle course runs, and triathlons.
Appreciate How Far You've Come
This journey was never about cutting body fat or revealing abs. It was about becoming a smarter athlete, training for growth rather than fine tuning an exterior, and appreciating what a body can endure—but not putting it through unnecessary hardship.
Fit Tip: Don’t allow yourself short cuts. Do the full warmup and cool down drills. Take the extra day to recover if your body is telling you something’s not right. And ignore the voice that keeps telling you to skip the last interval or rep, because (unless you’re pushing yourself too far) that extra bit of effort is what takes you to the next level—what makes the stuff of legends. You’ll learn to appreciate the ultimate piece of machinery: you.
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