Fitness Success Secrets: Secret Techniques From Elite Athletes

New Exercise and Fitness Review

Vital Stats

Name: Abby Huot
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Education: St. Mary’s University of Minnesota (2004)
Occupation: Athlete, writer, fitness model, bikini/figure competitor

Everybody, including celebrity athletes, has secrets. No, I’m not referring to scandalous dirt or shocking rumors about people in the fitness industry! (Let’s leave that to reality TV, shall we?) I’m talking about a hidden cache of secrets which athletes keep hush-hush about how they look the way they do, where their strength comes from, or the secret sauce to their training.

Ever wonder about the close-kept training or eating methods of your favorite athletes and fitness models? Top athletes may hold these tips—which take years of crafting and honing—near and dear to their hearts, but Cellucor’s ripped warriors peel back the curtain a little to let you peek into their methods for top physical and mental performance. (Just promise that you won’t share a single word or a piano may mysteriously fall out of the sky.)

Heed the words of elite athletes Karina Baymiller, Colton Leonard, Jen Jewell, and Craig Capurso. Their secrets can make you stronger.

Karina Baymiller
Her Secret

I secretly enjoy conditioning! If you know anything about me, you know that I love lifting heavy more than anything, but what you don’t know is that I love conditioning work just as much.

I talk a lot of crap about cardio, and it’s true, you wouldn’t catch me dead on an elliptical or doing low-intensity, steady-state. But when it comes to cardio work that gets my heart pumping like crazy, I’m obsessed. Maybe it’s the adrenaline junkie in me, but I can’t get enough of sprints, barbell complexes, jump rope, plyometrics, kettlebell work, and even some short distance (2-3 mile) running.

I do conditioning work 2-3 times per week and give it major credit for helping me stay in shape all year long … Just don’t tell anyone! Winky face.

I secretly enjoy conditioning! I talk a lot of crap about cardio, but when it comes to cardio work that gets my heart pumping like crazy, I’m obsessed.

Colton Leonard
His Secret

My secret? Use heavy weight and high reps to challenge your mental and physical strength, and take your training to the next level. One thing I have always incorporated as part of my strength program is repetition workouts. In strongman, not only do you need to possess the power to perform a lift at maximum intensity, but you often find that you need to do so repeatedly.

7 Strongman Lifts For The Non-strongman

You don’t need to be a strongman competitor to use the lifts! These strongman moves and their variations can help you achieve your goals!

For instance, we don’t just load an Atlas stone; we have to load them either for maximum reps under time, or, at minimum, a five-stone series. You often find deadlift events in strongman, which also require you to perform a maximum number of reps under time. These events led me to start incorporating this type of lifting into my training.

Several times each month, I pick a lift or movement commonly found in competition. After warming up, I complete one all-out set with as many reps as possible. This type of training not only contributes to overall strength, size, and conditioning, but will test your mental fortitude as you approach failure and your body starts to scream for you to stop.

Here’s the real trick: 2-3 times each month, pick a major movement, set the weight at approximately 70-75 percent of your max and, after properly warming up, perform one set of as many repetitions as you safely can in 60-90 seconds. Choose from these exercises to test your guts: deadlift, squat, clean and press, or T-bar row.

Write down your max reps and test yourself again down the road to track your progress. If this set does not leave you crawling away in pain and agony, you weren’t trying hard enough!

Jen Jewell
Her Secret

Of all the fitness tips, diet tricks, and booty-sculpting workouts out there, my ultimate fitness secret is simple: Stop comparing yourself to others! Instead, constantly work on becoming your fittest and healthiest self. I always say that I’m a work in progress, en route to becoming my best self. Having adopted that mindset has been incredibly beneficial to my health, outlook, and self-confidence over the past couple of years.

Sure, at first glance, it’s easier said than done. With the onslaught of bikini-clad or underwear “selfies” that have seemingly taken over fitness social media, the physiques of others are right in your face when you log on to Facebook, Instagram, and so on. (It’s a bikini booty free-for-all on my Facebook newsfeed!) While some of these posts from fit individuals can be inspiring and motivating, these types of updates are not always that simple.

Seeing others’ progress, cellulite-free legs and buns, and solid six-pack abs can begin to take a toll on your own self-esteem. Inevitably, they compel you to constantly compare yourself to others and how your progress or fitness stacks up against theirs.

The moment I stopped comparing myself to others and focused on my own journey was pretty darn liberating. Charting your own progress from day one—whatever level of fitness your day one may be—and using that as your measuring stick can be extremely motivating. We are all in the gym working hard to set new personal records. Why not maintain that mindset when it comes to progress in your physique, as well?

Admire the physiques and hard work of your favorite “fitspos,” but always keep in mind that the reflection in the mirror is your real competition. Be in competition with yourself, striving to become better each and every day. That is the true secret!

Craig Capurso
His Secret

When I’m trying to manipulate water for shoots, I take full advantage of infrared saunas. An infrared sauna is an effective tool for detoxifying the body and an aid for shedding excess subcutaneous water, yet few people utilize it. While traditional saunas help with water loss, the added benefit of infrared light penetrates the body tissue to help excrete toxins and bring out your musculature.

This has been a trick that I’ve used to come dialed into photo shoots and contests for years. It really makes a difference!

Infrared light penetrates the body tissue to help excrete toxins and bring out
your musculature.

The Secret Is Out

Embrace the valuable information that contributes to these athletes’ success and see how it could fit into your own life and goals. Have you got a secret method few people know about? Tell us in the comments below … unless you’d rather keep it secret.

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About The Author

Abby has experienced a variety of events that led her to embrace an underdog role. She hopes to offer a different perspective on health and fitness.

Bodybuilding.com Articles

Fitness Success Secrets: Secret Techniques From Elite Athletes

Maximum Fitness: 6 Secret Weapons Of The Super Fit

New Exercise and Fitness Review

Do you often look at people who have great bodies—bodies that you’d kill to have—and wonder what their secret is? Do you wonder how some people can achieve great fitness success while others struggle? It’s more than just genetics and intense training. It may boil down to small, consistent habits.

True, cover models usually have great training routines, stick to their diet plan no matter what, and are highly motivated. But their success comes from more than that. Incredibly fit people tend to have weapons most of us aren’t aware of. These secret weapons aren’t built in laboratories, and they don’t come from complex science. They’re tiny habits and strategies that anyone has the capacity to utilize.

Want to learn the secret weapons of the insanely fit and add them to your own fitness arsenal? Read on!

Secret Weapon 1:

Our world is one of instant gratification. People tend to want things right away, and this phenomenon extends to fitness. If people don’t see results after a week in the gym, they often fall off the wagon. Eating a bag of chips is instantly gratifying, whereas the results you’d get from months of hard work and clean eating are far more difficult to forecast.

Super-fit individuals can delay their gratification. They recognize the fact that the choices they make today—forgoing that slice of pizza or hitting the gym instead of the nearest bar—will reap future rewards that are far more meaningful than quick pleasures.

As a result, super-fit people don’t necessarily feel deprived when they diet. They’re able to look past short-term sacrifice and focus on long-term gains. If you can control your mind and view healthy choices in a positive light, you’ll be able to eat clean and train mean with purpose and passion.

If you can focus on the long-term benefits of smart choices, you’ll be able to easily commit to fit decisions.

Secret Weapon 2:

Super-fit people don’t compare themselves to others, because the minute they do, they put their focus on something they can’t control. Instead of constantly worrying about what everyone else is doing, elite athletes put their focus on something they can control: their own effort and performance. This internal focus leads to a more positive, goal-oriented mindset, which usually leads to greater achievements.

Super-fit people don’t compare themselves to others, because the minute they do, they put their focus on something they can’t control.

If you constantly dwell on the fact that you aren’t as good as someone else, your mindset becomes instantly negative. If you’re stuck in a negative frame of mind, it’s almost impossible to give your best effort to your training or diet.

The only comparison you should be making is to where you were yesterday. If you’re further ahead today, you are moving in the right direction.

Secret Weapon 3:

Tricia Ashley, a MuscleTech athlete, says that her success comes from her ability to stay positive when things get rough: “Without a positive attitude throughout adversity, I could not have reached the success that I have!”

Life is always going to present you with hard times, but how you deal with those hard times will determine your success. Many people give up or lose their tenacity when the going gets tough. If you view your adversity through a positive lens, you’re far more likely to grow and come out ahead.

“Without a positive attitude throughout adversity, I could not have reached the success that I have!”

Instead of dwelling on the negative, think about all the progress you’ve made so far, the good things that have happened in your life, and look forward to what you will achieve in the future.

A rosy outlook—or at least one that will push you to drive harder—will work in your favor. Should you reach a roadblock again, you’ll know precisely how to move around it.

Secret Weapon 4:

Many people believe the fitness elite have highly advanced training secrets and spend a lot of time researching new training techniques.

More often than not, the real secret isn’t some advanced lifting regimen, it is prioritizing rest.

“Fatigue blunts physical adaptations. Adaptation takes energy as well, and if all your energy is used up for performance, your recovery will suffer and no energy will be left for improving the cells, tissue, and systems of the body,” explains Marc Megna, former NFL football player and performance coach.

You have to train hard, eat whole foods, and prioritize sleep to grow.

Going hard in the gym is an absolute must, but if you aren’t giving your body time to rebuild and recover, you’ll just grow weaker over time.

You have to train hard, eat whole foods, and prioritize sleep to grow.

Secret Weapon 5:

Tricia Ashley suffers from Hashimoto’s disease, which has caused hypothyroidism. Instead of quitting, Tricia took the time to learn about her body. She feels that having patience and learning what’s best for her body has been crucial to her success. Through experimentation, she’s learned that her body responds best to a diet that’s entirely gluten free.

Pay attention to how your body feels after you eat various foods. Like Tricia, you may be able to pinpoint what makes you feel best and what can best help you see results. You can also approach this strategy by eliminating foods from your current diet one by one.

This is called an “elimination diet” and may help you pinpoint specific foods that drag down your wellbeing.

Secret Weapon 6:

You have a world of information at your fingertips. Use it.

Marc Megna explains that one of the biggest contributing factors to his success is a never-ending thirst for knowledge.

Marc is never satisfied with the information he already has, and he knows that there’s always something new to learn. “I think it’s this information-seeking trait that has helped me continue to get better and better,” says Marc.

You have a world of information at your fingertips. Use it. Learn about your goal, what it takes to achieve it, the best programs to help you get there, and how to beat problems you may have along the way.

Follow in the footsteps of people who have accomplished your goal and ask them for best practices.

Your mind is your greatest asset.

Putting It All Together

How many of these traits do you use? Can you apply some of these to your life today? Success isn’t always about having the best workout or diet. Usually, success comes from your attitude, your approach, and your commitment to building your best self.

Let us know which other traits work as part of your own healthy lifestyle!

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About The Author

I’ve been working in the field of exercise science for the last 8 years. I’ve written a number of online and print articles.

Bodybuilding.com Articles

Maximum Fitness: 6 Secret Weapons Of The Super Fit