Training Tips We're Stealing From Olympic Running Goddess Allyson Felix

A lot of great things happened to me at Nike's Innovation Summit this year: I tried on a pair of shoes straight out of Back to the Future, I did push-ups alongside Kevin Hart, and I saw an early preview of the uniforms for the upcoming Summer Olympics. And while all of this was pretty unbelievable, none topped the time I spent chatting with Allyson Felix. A quick rundown: Allyson is a force on the running track, has four Olympic golds, and has run 200 meters in 21 seconds. She also has a shoe collection that makes her a bonafide sneakerhead. In short, Allyson is astounding.

With the Olympics less than six months away, Allyson's life right now is training, training, and more training, but that doesn't mean it isn't any fun. "I'm excited for the Summer and everything that's to come," she told us. But in the meantime her current life is all about putting together the "pieces of the puzzle" to help her achieve gold again. Part of that puzzle? Five-hour training sessions, five to six days a week; three hours on the track and two hours in the gym. Crazy, right?

Let's face it, none of us are anywhere near the athletic prowess of Allyson — and that's OK! It doesn't mean we can't learn some important lessons from her. By focusing on bodyweight and plyometric exercises, Allyson keeps her joints and muscles strong and more resistant to injury. For Allyson, this translates to a lot of box jumps, jump squats, bunny hops, and, of course, deadlifts. All of this helps her become an even faster and more agile runner while helping create powerful lower-body and core strength.

If you're looking to up your running game, or just want to be a better athlete than we already know you are, start incorporating our plyometric workout into your routine two times a week. We promise, you'll end up with the kind of results that will make any workout you do that much better.