Katie Ledecky Swims Faster in Practice Than We All Do in Meets
If you’re a swimmer, you’ve likely heard of Katie Ledecky, one of the fastest swimmers in the world. What you may not know is that she consistently swims faster in practice than she ever does in a meet.
That’s right, Ledecky is faster during practice than during meets.
It’s not just her pace that is faster. She also swims farther during practice than she does during a meet. All of this points to the fact that she practices with a different mindset than many swimmers practice with.
So what makes her practice so much better than her competitions?
Here are a few things that have either been said about Katie Ledecky or that she has said herself in interviews and on social media that may be helpful if you’re not practicing as well as you could be.
Don’t just practice your sport.
For other swimmers, practicing means improving technical skills.
For Ledecky, practicing means challenging her body and mind.
Practicing with the feeling of a meet in mind + challenging yourself + taking it seriously = improved fitness and skill.
The Takeaway
World-class athletes are known for their intense training regimens and relentless pursuit of their goals. This helps them reach levels of performance and fitness that seem almost impossible to ordinary people. What makes this all the more impressive is that they generally aren’t taking steroids or other performance enhancing drugs. They’re just training in an all-out, focused manner.
If you look at the segments based on field events, you can see a direct correlation between the amount of training and time these athletes spend working on their specific events and the results they deliver in their events. When you look at the swimmers and the time they spend in the pool, the same holds true.
Katie Ledecky is a perfect example of this type of athlete. She has a training regimen that consists of cardio three times per day, a steady diet of pasta, and every day after practice, she spends an hour and fifteen minutes in the weight room. She’s been doing this for as long as she can remember. When she sets her mind to something and has the desire to achieve it, nothing stands in her way.
Elite athletes don’t spend more time in the gym than the average Joe. They just pursue their goals with an intensity that helps them reach a higher level of fitness.