🏋️‍♂️ Peak Performance: Inside the Training Routines of 10 Elite Athletes

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Welcome back to the Balance the Grind newsletter! In this edition, we're diving deep into the workout routines of some of the world's most exceptional athletes.

See how Travis Kelce has transitioned from heavy weightlifting to a more holistic approach to stay in top shape and prevent injuries, and discover Naomi Osaka’s rigorous schedule that includes tennis, training, and recovery to maintain peak performance during tournaments.

From Patrick Mahomes' meticulous training and recovery balance to Jimmy Butler's early morning drills that prepare him for the game day, this issue gives you a glimpse into how discipline and dedication shape the lives of these athletes.

Also, learn about Carissa Moore's surf-focused training that varies with the waves and how Eliud Kipchoge's disciplined running routine in Kenya helps him remain a marathon legend.

Travis Kelce

Over the years, the Chiefs’ tight end’s approach to training has evolved significantly. He’s shifted from a focus on heavy weightlifting to a more holistic approach that prioritises maintaining health and preventing injuries. This change in philosophy is especially crucial given the physical demands of professional football. 

Travis Kelce places a strong emphasis on pre-hab and rehab exercises, integrating them into his regular workout routine. This proactive approach is about more than just staying fit; it’s about ensuring longevity in a sport known for its intensity. As he put it in an interview with Tonal, “I’m not just doing it when I’m injured…I’m doing it so that I can prevent anything from happening to my body.”

In an interview with Men’s Journal, the Kansas City Chiefs player recounted a typical day in his training life:

Naomi Osaka

In an interview with Japanese newspaper The Mainichi, strength & conditioning coach Yutaka Nakamura, who has been working with the Grand Slam champion since June 2020, described a typical daily training schedule for Naomi Osaka:

After her training sessions, Osaka will usually work with her physiotherapist Natsuko Mogi to help with recovery. In addition to physio, she will also do a lot of stretching and massages, as well as use the Hyperice recovery tool and the Normatec compression boots as part of her recovery routine.

Patrick Mahomes

On a typical training day, Patrick Mahomes is usually up at 6-7am to start his day with a workout or therapy session. After his first workout of the day, he’ll come back home for some recovery work which usually involves a mix of sauna, ice bath, hot tub, stretching and massages.

Whether it’s the lead-up to the Super Bowl or the off-season, the Chiefs quarterback is usually hard at work multiple times a day. In addition to his NFL training with his team, Mahomes also trains with his performance coach Bobby Stroupe.

“During the season, we’re doing about eight to 10 hours of specialized training together [per week], in addition to the workouts and practice he has with the team,” Stroupe told Men’s Journal. “On a week where they’re playing on Sunday, we’re training Monday, Tuesday, and Friday.”

Jimmy Butler

For Jimmy Butler, a typical day starts with a 4:00 a.m. workout (which means a 3.30am wake up call), which sets the tone for an entire day devoted to basketball readiness. Every hour of his day is mapped out, whether it’s planning out the workouts, recovery, drills, or thinking about game strategy. “It’s a rhythm, it’s a routine, and I don’t skip any of it,” he says. “I don’t skip any steps of the process.”

Butler’s workout usually starts out with shooting a ten-pound medicine ball to build wrist strength and moves on to one of his favourite drills: standing on one leg with a resistance band pulling him off-centre as Scott throws him red and blue balls, challenging his balance and mental focus. After attacking his abs with bridges, planks and other core exercises, Butler spends an hour working on about 1,000 jump shots.

Carissa Moore

Like all competitive surfer’s Carissa Moore’s daily training routine is flexible and dependent on how the waves are looking. She usually gets up at around 5.30-6am and the first thing she does is check the surf conditions.

“I’m usually in the water from 7:00 to 9:30,” she explained to Red Bull. “Then I’ll usually meet my online trainer and we’ll do an hour training session at the park. Then I’ll come home and rest, and then, if the waves are good, I’ll head back to the beach for an afternoon session around 3:30 to 5:30.”

Overall, Moore is surfing four to six hours per day. But that’s just in the water. Outside of surfing every day, Moore’s training routine also includes circuit workouts and Pilates sessions.

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Maro Itoje

On a typical training day, the rugby player is up at 6.30am to get ready for training at 7.30am. Maro Itoje’s daily training schedule is usually broken up into three sessions: a gym workout, training on the field, and extra fitness work at the end of the day.

For the gym, Itoje lifts three days a week with Monday focused on lower body, Tuesday on upper body and Thursday on total body. The priority is on building functional strength and explosive power so lifts like the trap bar deadlift and concentric squats with low rep ranges are usually the focus.

On the training field, the team runs through their game plan, reviews different plays and practises new moves. Then to finish off their workout, they perform a number of fitness tests for their conditioning levels.

After training is done, Itoje will pick from a range of techniques to help his body recover, including stretching, soft tissue therapy, massage, swimming, cryotherapy and physio. “You can’t get lazy with this stuff, you have to take this as seriously as your training,” he explained. “You’re putting your body under extreme stress all day so you need to give it some TLC to help it recover.”

Adam Peaty

During his typical training routine, Adam Peaty is working six days a week. If he’s not swimming laps in the pools, where he puts in ten two-hour sessions a week, then he’s in the gym working on increasing his strength and explosive power.

The swimmer’s gym routine includes compound staples like barbell back squats, bench presses, pull ups and clap push ups, although he needs to be mindful of building too much muscle through weight training.

“Normally for my competition weight I would be looking at 92-93 kilograms. I need to be lean while still holding on to a lot of muscle,” he told Muscle & Fitness. “The more muscle you have, the bigger you will be, so there’s more drag for swimmers, so the amount of muscle I have needs to be controlled.”

In addition to getting plenty of sleep and enough food in his body, Peaty uses ice baths to soothe his muscles, undergoes acupuncture once a week, as well as cupping therapy — a method that involves placing heated cups on your skin to reduce inflammation.

Eliud Kipchoge

Eliud Kipchoge’s simple daily routine is what enables him to focus on being the best marathon runner in the world. During training camp for an upcoming marathon, the Kenyan runner will depart for the Great Rift Valley Sports Camp in Kaptagat, in the southwestern part of Kenya, about 30 kilometres from his home in Eldoret where he lives with his wife and three children.

On a typical day in training camp, Kipchoge starts his running routine at 5.45am. He trains twice a day, six days a week — Monday to Saturday — and aims to get in between 200 to 218 kilometres each week, although not every day is the same.

“I try not to run 100 percent,” he explained in an interview with Outside magazine. “I perform 80 percent on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday and then at 50 percent Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.”

Twice a week, Kipchoge will also work on his strength and mobility, focusing on improving his glutes, hamstrings, and core muscles using exercises like bridges, planks, and single-leg deadlifts. The focus with these workouts isn’t to get stronger, but rather to prevent injuries.

Kipchoge is also meticulous about documenting his training, logging every session and all the details in a notebook — a practice he began in 2003 and still does to this day. “I document the time, the kilometres, the massage, the exercises, the shoes I’m using, the feeling about those shoes,” he said.

Simone Biles

For a world class gymnast like Simone Biles, her weekly training schedule can be gruelling. “I train seven hours a day, I do have Sundays off,” she explained on The Tonight Show. “So, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday I train twice a day. And then Thursday and Saturday I train once a day.”

As part of her injury prevention routine, Biles also makes sure she does a lot of stretching in between practice sessions. “We have a routine that includes running and then a stretch for every part of our body,” she said. “So we’ll stretch before practice, but especially afterwards, because then you’re tense and you need to stretch those muscles down. It’s very important to keep your body flexible so that you don’t get injured.”

She’ll also work a lot on her recovery and self-care routines. “I do regular athletic massages and ice massages. I also use compression boots and take Epsom-salt baths,” she said. “And I see my athletic doctor every Friday for a check-in.”

Kelly Slater

On a typical day the legendary surfer isn’t much of an early riser. “I like to get my eight hours and I like to stay up late at night,” he told Bon Appétit in 2012. “If I want to get up and surf, maybe I’ll get up at like 7 or 8 and look around for surf.”

When it comes to his training routine, Kelly Slater enjoys a variety of workouts and movement practices. He’s big on Pilates, stretching and yoga, and also does a lot of physiotherapy. For the American surfer, flexibility, leg strength and cardio are the top priorities for his training routine, while bulking up his muscles is not — “building up too much muscle could make me a little stiff,” he told Men’s Health.

As Slater’s gotten older over the decades, he’s put an emphasis on his recovery routines — undergoing different types of massages — shiatsu, Thai, Swedish deep tissue, and BioSync. He also does a lot of work with chiropractors due to having scoliosis.

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