If you haven’t had a chance to check out our most recent blog post with USA Water Polo, you may be surprised to learn that we’re a proud sponsor of their program. With both the men’s and women’s national teams making waves on the world’s stage, we thought it was time to dive into how these incredible athletes balance life and training.
To give us an inside look, we tapped a few of USA Water Polo’s finest for a play by play of their daily routines. To check it out, read on below.
On most days members of Team USA are off to an early start. For 2x Olympic Gold Medalist and MA student, Maggie Steffens, this means a 7:15 am bike ride to her local coffee spot before heading to the Stanford campus to lift. When athletes are traveling for matches or training, the wake up call can be even earlier. For 2016 Olympian Luca Cupido this means a 6:30 a.m. weight session followed by a scrimmage or practice in the pool.
Keeping healthy and hydrated throughout the day is essential. So in addition to tons of water, both athletes stress the importance of protein. For Maggie it’s a snack post workout, while for Luca it’s a nutrient dense lunch with soup, cabbage and meat.
Once the athletes have checked lifting and swimming off of their lists, they often turn their attention toward recovery. When traveling or competing Luca says that he and his teammates try to schedule daily naps between workouts. These short periods of rest are especially helpful when they are experiencing jet lag. After a trip to physical therapy, Maggie’s afternoons typically mean school work. When she is not traveling, Maggie utilizes the second half of her day to eat lunch, attend lectures and hit the library.
If Team USA is competing or traveling they will likely have a second workout in the evening before calling it at night. Once they are done, they stretch out, foam roll and get ready to do it all again the next day.
