INQUISITR.COM / Sports

Allyson Felix: Olympic Sprinter Shares Tips For Getting In Shape In New Interview

By Sandra Johnson
Published on: 13:58 PST, Jul 14, 2016

On the track, Olympian Allyson Felix propels her lithe and strong body around the oval at speeds the average runner can’t imagine. Due in part to her athleticism and her supreme fitness, Felix is headed to her fourth Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where she’ll be looking to earn her fifth Olympic gold medal.

On her Twitter, Allyson Felix notes that her goal is to fight “against the physical inactivity epidemic.” Perhaps in an effort to do so, Felix recently talked to the Huffington Post and shared several tips to help mere mortals use track workouts to improve overall fitness. While Allyson’s advice isn’t likely to carry you to the Olympic Games, the tips from the 30-year-old track and field superstar could help you achieve a personal record next time you sign up for your local 5K.

First and foremost? Felix told the Huffington Post that it’s important to recognize one thing: Before you run, you have to be able to walk.

That advice alone makes getting into better shape achievable for even the biggest couch potatoes.

Felix told The HuffPo that the realization about walking came after an injury. At the time, Felix had sprained her ankle, and while she wasn’t able to run, she was able to walk — which is exactly what her coach told her to do, she said. Fourteen minutes later, Felix had completed a mile walk around the track.

“I couldn’t even run, but something I could do was walk. Walking is the basis and foundation of the movements of sprinting ? so you start with that.”

In the same Huffington Post article, Felix went on to say that sometimes a little bit of extra walking can help you get into better shape without placing additional demand on your body.

The 200-meter sprinter also mentioned the importance of stretching, noting that stretching is an integral part of training. Felix said she stretches before and after every single workout, sometimes for as long as a half hour at a time.

Which body parts should new runners and walkers focus on? The hamstrings and quadriceps, Felix told the Huffington Post.

“Stretching is key. Before you stress your muscles, you want to make sure that they’re loose and able to endure what you’re about to put them through.”

See all of Felix’s tips for getting in shape on the Huffington Post’s website.

Whatever Felix is doing, whether it’s stretching or walking, it seems to be working. Earlier this month, the California native qualified to represent the United States at her fourth Olympic Games.

Felix first traveled to the Olympics in 2004, where, at just 18-years-old, she earned silver in the 200-meter sprint. Allyson Felix went on to repeat as the silver medalist in the event at the 2008 Olympic Games, before she eventually won gold in the 200-meter sprint at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

At the 2016 U.S. Olympic track and field trials, Felix finished fourth in the 200 and failed to qualify for the U.S. team in the event. Instead, Allyson Felix made the Olympic team in the 400-meter sprint for the first time ever.

What do you think of Olympian Allyson Felix’s tips for getting in shape? Do you think you could apply any of her advice to your life? Why or why not?

[Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images Sport]

Share this article: Allyson Felix: Olympic Sprinter Shares Tips For Getting In Shape In New Interview
Health Fitness
More from Inquisitr