{"id":48999,"date":"2016-04-15T07:15:31","date_gmt":"2016-04-15T11:15:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=48999"},"modified":"2016-07-14T16:03:31","modified_gmt":"2016-07-14T20:03:31","slug":"sanya-richards-ross-olympics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/sanya-richards-ross-olympics\/","title":{"rendered":"In the Gym With Sanya Richards-Ross"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Sanya
Photo Courtesy of Sanya Richards-Ross<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Imagine making it to the Olympics<\/a> once. Now imagine doing it four times over \u2014 solidifying 16 years of, well, total domination on the track. And yet, four-time Olympic champion Sanya Richards-Ross, 31, puts on no airs about her undeniable talent or success. In the lead-up to what she hopes will be her fourth Olympics in Rio, the formula is simple: Patience, discipline and oh\u20261,000 sit-ups<\/a> a day.<\/p>\n

Before lacing up for Technogym\u2019s<\/a> new all-in-one\u00a0SKILLMILL<\/a>\u00a0machine,\u00a0Richards-Ross sat down with Daily Burn to talk training, toughness and which running workout keeps her in gold medal-shape.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>3 Sprint Workouts That\u2019ll Torch Calories Fast<\/a><\/p>\n

Meet Olympic Sprinter Sanya Richards-Ross <\/strong><\/h3>\n

How does your training now compare to your training for the 2012 Olympic Games in London? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I started running when I was 7, and I\u2019m 31 now. So things have definitely changed for me as I\u2019ve evolved as an athlete. For London, I was just going, going, going hard and really putting in a lot of hours. This year it\u2019s more about tempering my training to be ready when it counts. This season I\u2019ll be competing a little less, but training harder, training smarter, and really ramping up to peak in June and July for our Olympic trials, and then August for the Olympics.<\/p>\n

How does strength training play into your training? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Strength training<\/a> is a huge part of my training regimen. Early on in the season I do a lot of functional training \u2014 preparing my muscles for heavy lifting. Then [in the winter] it\u2019s more about heavy lifting and Olympic lifts: power snatches, power cleans, squats. We do a lot of dynamic stuff in the gym, too \u2014 jumping, bounding for explosion. I do some upper body but mainly focus on my legs and core for the kind of strength and endurance I need to run the 400. So that\u2019s four days a week in the gym in the early season and then that cuts down to three days a week when I get closer to competition.<\/p>\n

When I go to the Games I\u2019m there for two and half weeks before I start competing. I\u2019m not lifting as heavy, but I do have intense workouts that I need to accomplish. It\u2019s more about going back to the functional stuff<\/a> \u2014 light and fast and getting ready to run fast. With Technogym<\/a> there in the Olympic Village I\u2019ll be able to use the SKILLMILL<\/a> to meet two of my needs \u2014 conditioning and power \u2014 so I can be more efficient as opposed to having to go back and forth between the track and gym.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>The 15 Most Underrated Exercises, According to Trainers<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Sanya
Photo Courtesy of Technogym<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By now, we all know you\u2019re ridiculously fast. What\u2019s the one exercise you\u2019re freakishly good at, too? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I do a lot of core<\/a>. I mean, I do about 1,000 sit-ups every day. So that\u2019s something I think I\u2019m really good at! I\u2019m probably one of the few people who, after I get to like 300 or 400, just stop burning and can go all day. I guess most people don\u2019t get to that threshold so they don\u2019t even know if they could do that! [laughs]<\/p>\n

And the one exercise you really hate?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I hate dips and pull-ups \u2014 upper body stuff is not my favorite thing to do. I\u2019ll do it, but it\u2019s definitely not my favorite.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the biggest mistake you see beginner runners make? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Underestimating how tough it is to go for a run, and setting too lofty goals. Going for a 15-minute run is not as easy as it sounds, and that\u2019s OK. Start by setting realistic goals instead. Maybe yes, you go out for 15 minutes of activity, but you run for five, and walk or skip for 10. And then you just continue to ramp it up until you can run for 15 minutes, then 20 minutes, then 30 minutes straight. If you start out easy on yourself, you\u2019ll keep getting better and better.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>How to Start a Running Challenge (And Actually Succeed!)<\/a><\/p>\n

What\u2019s your favorite running workout right now?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I do repeat 200s. It\u2019s kind of specific to my event. But I\u2019ll do eight 200s on the track with two minutes of rest in between. I\u2019ll run them at about 30 seconds or less. And for me, that workout has always been an indicator of my fitness. Plus, it\u2019s one of my favorite workouts because it\u2019s not too long. [Afterwards], my body feels really good. I feel like I\u2019m getting really fit. What can I say \u2014 I\u2019m a short sprinter at heart!<\/p>\n

\"Sanya
Photo Courtesy of Sanya Richards-Ross<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Is there a lesson you wish you knew before you started out? <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

For me, running always came very naturally \u2014 and I started winning my competitions at an early age. But the thing for me was really learning to be patient throughout my career. A lot of times when I didn\u2019t have success on the track it was because I was trying to force something, or I was the best 400 meter runner in the world but I wanted to be the best in the 100, 200 \u2014 everything. The one thing I wish I would have known then is that\u2019s it\u2019s going to all come eventually, and to just let it happen. Things kind of work out better that way.<\/p>\n

The 400 meters \u2014 that\u2019s an incredibly tough race. What goes through your head as you\u2019re racing? <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

My coach and I \u2014 our strategy for the race is the 4 Ps: Push, pace, position, pray. Well the last one is really \u201cpoise,\u201d but we always joke and say \u201cpray\u201d because it\u2019s just so tough and grueling at that point. For me, I really try to focus on executing my race. Just like everyone else in the 400, sometimes I struggle in the last 100. That can be my weak point in the race if I go out really hard and then kind of fade. But for me it\u2019s just about trusting the process and giving my best every single time. One of the things that helps me in the last 100 is really focusing on the finish line and not getting distracted by either what I\u2019m feeling or what\u2019s happening around me.<\/p>\n

What do you say to yourself as you\u2019re rounding that last bend?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The mantra I always say to myself during the race is \u201cI refuse to lose, I refuse to lose.\u201d That helps to propel me to the finish line.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>17 Positive Affirmations That\u2019ll Change the Way You Think<\/a><\/p>\n

400 individual vs. 400 relay \u2014 which race are you more excited for? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In the past I\u2019ve always been more excited about the individual race, but this season I feel equally excited for both. When I look over my career, the 4×4 relay has really been a point of great joy and a lot of success for me. If we win that again it will be the 4th<\/sup> consecutive Olympics. If you think about that, that\u2019s 16 years of excellence and I\u2019ve been on all those teams. So that\u2019s a great honor to be a part of that. But if I win the 400, I\u2019d be only the second woman ever to do that. So that\u2019s also a daunting task. Both are exciting but for different reasons.<\/p>\n

This is your fourth Olympic appearance, which is a feat in and of itself. What\u2019s different about your outlook this year? \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

This year I have a different perspective. I feel very grateful and appreciative for all I\u2019ve achieved in my career. So this year I feel like I\u2019m really training from a place of love. Also hope and anticipation. It\u2019s really fueling my training and I think it\u2019s going to help me have my best performance ever\u2026<\/p>\n

As an athlete sometimes you want everything to happen right<\/em> now. But I think for me when I just focus on what I can do today and give my best every single day that has really helped me to perform at my best. So yeah, every Olympics has been different for me but this year just feels right. It just feels great. And I really hope this will be my swan\u2019s song and I\u2019ll be able to leave this sport on a really high note.<\/p>\n

To track Sanya Richards-Ross\u2019s road to Rio, follow her on <\/em>Facebook<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Twitter<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>Instagram<\/em><\/a>. And for updates on all things Team USA, visit <\/em>teamusa.org<\/em><\/a>. The Olympics begin on August 5.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Four-time Olympic champion Sanya Richards-Ross talks strength, sit-ups and staying power as she preps for Rio 2016. Plus, steal her favorite sprint workout, too! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,24,6,14],"tags":[209,288,62,103,181,108,281,341,343,100],"class_list":["post-48999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cardio","category-exercise","category-fitness","category-strength-training","tag-athlete","tag-cardio","tag-interview","tag-motivation","tag-olympics","tag-running","tag-strength-training","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2exercise","tag-workout"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48999"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48999\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}