Day in the Life:

Allyson Felix

Allyson Felix is a six-time Olympic medalist competing for up to three more at the Rio Games. As a member of the U.S. women’s 4×100 meter relay team, Allyson helped set a world record. At the 2012 Olympics, Felix became the first U.S. woman since 1988 to win three Olympic gold medals during the same games in track.

Allyson grew up in Los Angeles, California and played basketball under the nickname “Chicken Legs” during high school. She also excelled at track, becoming Track and Field News’ High School Athlete of the Year in 2003.

She won a professional contract with Adidas straight out of high school, and forewent an opportunity to run track and field while at the University of Southern California. She completed her degree in education, and says if she wasn’t running track she’d be teaching elementary school, like her mother. She carries her passion for teaching kids as a member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, becoming a national spokesperson for staying active and eating healthily.

Allyson’s Day Plan

7AM – Wake Up, Emails, News

8AM – Oatmeal Breakfast

9AM – Therapy, Rehab Exercises

1030AM – Warm-ups, Stretching, Drills

1130AM – Speed and Tempo Training

1PM – Break, Lunch of Salad & Protein

2PM – Gym Time

330PM – Nap

4PM – Break: Read or Listen to Music

6PM – Dinner of Fish or Red Meat

7PM – Spend Time with Family

10PM – Prayer & Sleep

Starting Block

Allyson uses her phone as an alarm and wakes about 7AM. She’ll get to emails first thing, and sips coffee while watching SportsCenter and catching up on the news. She also makes a habit out of visualization:

With my races, I find that if I put together the perfect race in my mind it helps me when it actually gets time to that. It’s part of my morning routine. While I’m drinking a cup of coffee… I’ll sort of do that visualization.

The Work Out

Allyson trains with UCLA’s head coach Bob Kersee, a highly regarded trainer with over thirty Olympic medals under his belt. Bob is married to one of Allyson’s role models and six-time Olympic medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee, whom he also trained and was voted Greatest Female Athlete of All-Time by Sports Illustrated.

According to Allyson, her workouts haven’t changed much over the years. She spends most of her time in the gym lifting free weights, doing plyometrics, and using her own body weight for exercises. Olympic lifts are a favorite go-to exercise for ensuring the explosiveness and power she needs as a sprinter.

8 Hours Minimum

Like many other elite athletes, Allyson takes rest and recovery very seriously. She naps frequently, and according to her brother can sleep “anytime, anywhere”. As she told MindBodyGreen:

I definitely get a lot of sleep. I would say I probably get around eight hours, and I get more sleep while I’m training just because it’s so important for your body to recover. If I can get a nap in I will, it re-energizes me and helps me handle the training load.

Allyson Felix is a six-time USA Olympic Track & Field medalist and World Record Holder. For more inspiration from Allyson, follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and check out her website Allyson Felix.

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