natasha hastings

natasha hastings, sprinter, how athletes train

Five days after finishing fourth in the 400 meters at the <a href=/articles/2016/08/rio-video>Rio</a> Olympics, Natasha Hastings faced the challenge of helping the U.S. women chase gold in the 4x400-meter relay.As the second leg, the 30-year-old Hastingsaided the team to gain an advantageous position as the U.S. women claimed gold for the third consecutive Olympics.To withstand the intense training and heavy <a href=/cathaypacific/#intro>travel schedule</a>, Austin-based Hastings hones in on every aspect of taking care of her body. “I used to say that Rio would be my last Olympics,” said Hastings. “But I feel like I’m coming into <a href=/articles/2016/02/marathoners-age>a different maturity</a>. Even physically, I feel like I’m coming into the best shape of my life. I don’t think I’m done. There is hope to compete in Tokyo.”Next up, her final race of the season, the Memorial Van Damme in Brussels, Belgium, on September 9. Below, a glimpse into her regimen:The Training Regimen:I’m on the track five days a week. Monday, Wednesday and Friday are typically hard days; Tuesday and Thursday are lighter. I <a href=/articles/2014/06/perfect-warmup>warm up</a> for about 45 minutes to an hour. Most of what I do is dynamic. The workout itself is about 20 minutes. On a hard day, I may have four or five 500s and run each under a specific time with three to four minutes of rest between. On a lighter speed work day, I’ll do five 60s. I cool down for 20 to 30 minutes.At the beginning of a <a href=/articles/2014/01/periodization>training cycle</a>, my strength coach creates a circuit with sprints and <a href=/articles/2014/07/trick-yourself-to-be-stronger>Olympic lifts</a>. I lift three to four times a week for up to an hour and a half. I joke that if I look at weights I put on muscle mass. It’s very easy for me to get bulky. I do cardio when I strength train. Sometimes I use the StairMaster for 20 minutes. It’s old-school! After two minutes I’m drenched.The Nutrition Regimen:I have a really hard time eating in the morning. Smoothies are the easiest route for me to get in calories, especially if I have a morning workout. I usually mix frozen bananas or strawberries with a scoop of vanilla or chocolate whey protein, and then sometimes I’ll put in greens, like spinach or kale. I also have an obsession with beets. I’ll juice and add a beet as well.I’m usually ravenous after practice, so I have my heavier meal at lunch. I like chicken, steak and I love fish, especially salmon and sea bass, with greens. For dinner, I’ll have another protein and more greens and also a starch like rice or quinoa. I have a subscription with HelloFresh (a <a href=/articles/2015/07/healthy-food-delivery-services>recipe and ingredient delivery service</a>). It makes my life easier when it comes to planning meals. I’ve been doing it for about four months.And I always have sparkling water, pineapples and eggs in my fridge. I buy a dozen eggs, boil them and snack on them between a workout.The Regeneration Regimen: I’m not a big fan of massage during the season. Sometimes if I get a massage, the next day my legs feel heavy during a workout. It takes a while to flush out the toxins. I like doing active release therapy and <a href=/articles/2014/09/new-rules-of-foam-rolling>foam rolling</a>.I’ll also take an ice bath for no more than 10 minutes after a really tough workout, when I know I’m going to be sore, but I have to be ready to go the next day. During the Rio Olympics, when I had three rounds three days in a row, I took an ice bath after each round.When I travel, long flights automatically mean that once I get to wherever I’m going, I’m swollen. I’m always in Under Armour compression tights, and I’ll put compression socks on top. I also sleep in them the night before a competition, and I’ll even take an ice bath while wearing compression socks. I also use Normatec Recovery Boots. They’re awesome.What’s Next:I have a few more meets. I’ll be in Europe until September 10th, and my final race for the season will be in Brussels. Then I’m looking forward to a vacation! I’m <a href=/cathaypacific/#intro>going to Thailand</a> with 14 friends. I’m going to ride elephants, play with monkeys, jump in the ocean, and just kick back and have a good time.

How athletes train: Natasha Hastings

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