A study published prior to the 2012 London Olympic Games suggested that the athletes competing spent an average of 10,000 hours preparing for their respective events.
That's a lot of blood, sweat and tears shed... all in an effort to reach the podium.
For many of us, there is a certain appeal to training like an Olympian. We admire their sacrifice - and their commitment to excellence.
These athletes compete every day. They are aware of every conceivable variable related to their body's performance. They manage their sleep, their diets and the exercises they perform on a daily basis.
But mimicking their routines does a disservice to our own modest fitness goals. Their eliteness is simply unattainable. Worrying about these microscopic details causes us to miss the big picture.
We instead should focus on getting our nutrition and exercise in check first, and ignore GOLD MEDAL FITNESS.
Chalk Talk #5: Gold Medal Fitness - Exercise at Your Own Fitness Level