Break your own records: run farther and faster. Jump higher. Lift more. Use the secrets of world-class athletes to improve your own sports performance

Men's Fitness, May, 2004 by Jake Ditkoff

In any given sport, only one can be the best. So what separates the champion from the rest of the pack? Everyone wants the rifle, the glory. And every champion who has ever stood on the podium and felt the medal on his chest can tell you it's like a drug--and they all fiend for it again and again.

So what training regimen gives one man the strength to plow through opponents and come out on top? What makes an athlete sprint faster, jump higher, run farther, or lift more than any man on the planet? We spoke to six record-breaking athletes. They told us what gives them an edge and recommended the sport-specific workout tips that made them the best in their event. But you don't need to be a world-class competitor to benefit from their advice or even compete in their activities--sprinting is used in tennis and soccer, jumping in basketball, etc. Fuse this knowledge with your own sports, and the results could make you the best athlete in your neighborhood.

Run Faster

The world's fastest man, Tim Montgomery, started running as a way to cure insomnia. The only way he could get to sleep was to run to the point of total exhaustion. At 16 he broke the South Carolina 200-meter record; in 2002 he ran the 100 meters in 9.78 seconds, a new world record.

Tim's tips: In addition to strengthening your legs, Montgomery says the secret to running faster lies in the shoulders. "Your shoulders must be as strong as your legs," he explains, "because your arms move at the same tempo as your legs. Weak shoulders will cause sloppy movements, and sloppy movements equal bad form. And bad form means bad times."

THE WORKOUT

To build your shoulders for speed, try explosive step-ups. Grab a heavy dumbbell in each hand and face the side of a bench or a step. Raise your left foot onto the bench and then step up--explosively--using your left leg to propel you onto the bench (bend your right leg at the knee, never letting it rest on the bench). Return to the floor by stepping down with your right leg first. Then repeat with the right leg. That's one rep. Alternate the two exercises back and forth for three sets (each pair is one set), 10-12 reps per exercise set. Rest up to two minutes between sets. Follow these up with Hand step-ups. Get into a push-up position in front of a step, then reach up with your left hand and place it on the step. Now "step up," using your left hand to push your other hand up onto the bench. Lower your right hand back down, followed by your left.

Jump Higher

One of the world's highest jumpers, Dwight Stones set the first of many records when he jumped 7'1 1/2" at the 1971 California State high school track meet, beating the existing interscholastic high school high-jump record. He went on to set 10 world records in the mid-1970s and the U.S. record with a career-high jump of 7'8" in 1984.

Do like Dwight: Lifting and sprint training have their place in most high-jumpers' routines, but Stones swears the key to jumping higher is plyometrics--exercises that use your body weight to train your muscles to use their elasticity more efficiently. "Extremely simple and effective, plyometric drills require no additional equipment and are valuable for learning the proper arm swing and building explosive power," he says.

THE WORKOUT

Alternate sets of heavy squats (a weight you can do at most six reps with, but perform only five) and tuck jumps (jump into the air explosively, pulling your knees into your chest with your hands, landing with both feet on a bench or step as you come down). Finish off each set with one depth jump: Step off the bench onto the floor and immediately explode upward, leaping as high into the air as possible. Perform the exercises as a circuit, doing one after the other with no rest. Do five sets of five reps. Rest for 3-5 minutes between circuits.

Lift More Weight

Brad Gillingham, the son of former Green Bay Packers offensive guard Gale Gillingham, went to his first national powerlifting championship in 1992. He holds the American deadlift record (848 lbs) and the combined squat, bench, and deadlift record (2,303 lbs).

Brad's basics: According to Gillingham, it's all about core strength. "Without proper core strength, you could build your quads or pets all day, and you're still not going to move much weight," he says. "Weight belts should be used as safety devices only, not to cover for weak midsections."

THE WORKOUT

Try the Russian twist, Grab a plate and sit on the floor with knees bent and torso reclined to a 4-5-degree angle. Hold the weight straight out from your chest and, without changing the angle of your arms, rotate your torso from side to side in a twisting motion. Perform 2-3 sets of 6-8 reps with a heavy load.

OFFBEAT RECORDS: Two guys who have carved out obscure world records of their own

TOSS KEGS Six-and-a-half-foot, 300-pound Jesse Marunde is the Washington Strongman Champion and officially the Strongest Man in the West. He holds several Northwest records and fled the Keg Toss World Champion Juha Rasanen with a record 20-foot toss at the Viking Challenge in March 2003.