- Swedish Olympic skater Nils van der Poel won gold and broke a world record in the 10,000 meters.
- Van der Poel then released the workout guide he followed to achieve his historic performance.
- The guide is philosophical, and includes plenty of cardio workouts instead of stretching and squats.
Sweden's Nils van der Poel became a global star on February 11, when he won Olympic gold in two speed skating events, breaking the world record for the best time in the 10,000-meter race.
After clinching the win in the 5,000-meter race, the 25-year-old speed skater completed the 10,000 meters with an astonishing 6:08.84 time.
Getting to that level was no simple feat. Just hours after making history, van der Poel posted his own 62-page workout guide, which he credits for his record-breaking performance, online.
—NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 6, 2022
In the guide, which van der Poel wrote himself, he reveals that he cut certain activities, including squats and pre-workout stretching, out of his training routine. He says those activities detract from his ultimate goal of improving his speed and endurance as a skater, regarding them as "wastes of time."
"All training sessions are performed at the expense of other, more efficient, training sessions," van der Poel wrote. "I completely cut what I thought were the suboptimal sessions in order to increase the optimal ones."
Van der Poel's new training routine was built entirely of aerobic exercises to build his speed and cardio, which is more in line with the physical demands of being a skater than weightlifting and stretching.
Van der Poel's workout plan is almost all aerobics
In order to maximize his speed and endurance, van der Poel designed his workout routine almost exclusively around aerobic workouts like running, skate practice, and pedaling on a stationary bike.
Van der Poel's weekly workout routine includes:
- 33 hours of cycling divided into five six-or-seven-hour sessions.
- 100 km (62 miles) of running divided over five days
- 15 minutes of single-leg squats per day
Van der Poel cut out traditional squats in favor of an effective variation
Van der Poel wrote that he cut traditional back squats, which he previously did with weights up to 125 kg (275 lbs). While squats are an effective workout that can build full-body strength, professional athletes are learning to remove it from their routine during times of competition.
The NFL's Buffalo Bills cut squats from their in-season training routine to avoid injury and unnecessary stress on the joints, a player previously told Insider.
But van der Poel does use single-leg squats to help keep his hamstrings and glutes strong, while also improving his balance and control, which is more important for speed skating than pure lower-body strength.
"To me speed skating was just a one-legged squat, repeated over and over during maximum heart rate," he wrote.
Skipping stretching before workouts can be protective
While stretching before workouts are often associated with avoiding cramps and strains, it might not be as healthy as it seems.
Stretching before workouts might cause muscles to become more amenable to pulling and reduce their natural "protective neural tension," trainer Luke Worthington previously told Insider's, Rachel Hosie.
"Stretching puts muscles in a weakened position and tones down protective tension," Worthington said. "When we're trying to train it, we need to tone it up."
Van der Poel wrote that he is not necessarily against stretching, and believes if someone feels the need to stretch then they should. However, he doesn't believe devoting large amounts of regular time to getting a stretch in, and it's something he tries to do as little as possible.
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