The Things We Learned from Elite Athletes

The people we work with today have some of the world’s best athletes to thank for the specific exercises and programs they enjoy.  What did we learn from Florence Griffith Joyner, Jeannete Bolden, Wilt Chamberlain, Willie Banks, and John Lloyd?

Florence Griffith Joyner

We learned she could sprint at top speed when tethered in place and it wouldn’t hurt her hamstring.  She came out of the pool after two weeks and ran a personal best time at 300M.

Jeanette Bolden

We learned that the world’s fastest sprinters could stay in competitive shape doing only pool workouts because the arms get strong working against water’s resistance.  She trained strictly in water for a month, then won an Olympic gold medal.

Willie Banks

We learned that a jumper could retain his jumping confidence and technical skill from good form in chest-deep water.  With a stress fracture in his shin, he did his runway jumping technique in chest-deep water while wearing a flotation belt to further reduce impact.  Soon after, he broke the world record in the triple jump.

Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt’s eagerness to train hard every day no matter what led us to try things sooner than traditional wisdom allowed.  We learned that we can start working to retain fitness, strength, and range of motion much sooner in water than on land. Wilt used our pool program for rehab after elbow, knee, and hip surgeries.