6 Exercise Machines Olympians Use to Train That You’ve Never Seen Before
To be an Olympic athlete means you’re one of the best in your sport—in your country and in the world. Obviously, getting to that level is no easy feat. Most Olympic athletes have dedicated their lives to their sports, spending hours and hours each week training and improving their strength and specific skills so that they’re ready to compete at the top of their game.
Unsurprisingly, Olympians are doing a lot of the same things you do in the gym—tried-and-true strength moves like squats, deadlifts, and presses are staples for anyone trying to build strength. But these athletes are also training in ways we’ve never seen before.
I recently had a chance to visit the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association’s Center of Excellence in Park City, Utah, where Team USA ski and snowboard athletes train. During my visit, I got an inside look at the gym equipment these all-stars are using to train to compete on the slopes in PyeongChang. Turns out, they use a lot of machines you’ve probably never seen in a commercial gym before (I definitely haven’t).
Here are some of the intense machines ski and snowboard Olympians use to train, and what each one is used for.