She’s the Australian Olympic sprinter that shot to fame in 2016 when she missed out on a place in the 200m final at the Rio Olympics by just 0.01 seconds – running a time that no Aussie woman had been able to achieve in over 15 years. Little surprise, Ella Nelson was quick to become a household name (with a large social media audience to follow).
Despite devastatingly missing out on competing at the recent Commonwealth Games due to injury, Ella is back on the track with her sights set on the Tokyo Games. With preparations in place for the upcoming race season, her current training regime is for the most part inspiring (while also some part terrifying). “At this time of year, we are in a training phase where we are getting ready to race – yet still getting quality work in before we hit the circuit…” she explains.
Below, we take a look at what you can currently expect from a typical week of training for Ella.
Monday
Prep day for the rest of the week. This involves technical runs over wickets (mini hurdles) and rhythm runs for time. We then hit the gym for some light fast weights.
Session example:
4x 40m runs over wickets
2x 40s run, 30s run, 20s run with 2 minutes rest between runs and 4 minutes in between sets.
Gym
Tuesday
SPEED DAY! Usually a pretty big day for us to hit hard (which is why Monday is considered a bit of a prep day). Today is all about QUALITY and moving fast. We finish today off with a heavy gym work-out.
Session example:
4-5x30m block starts
3x3x75m sprints
Wednesday
Our first regen day of the week. This usually consists of 30 minutes of breathing core and mobility, a general prep circuit, curve runs, stability work, rotational medicine ball, and small upper body gym complex. I like to call regen day “disguised work-out”.
Thursday
Technical Thursdays consist of specific elements to our race plan. Examples would be blocks, end bend work, speed bounds, and acceleration work. Light and fast gym follows.
Friday
Our second regen day of the week. Similar to Wednesday – but we may do less stability work, and a different curve run session.
Saturday
Speed endurance work. Lactic, long fast reps, and not a lot of recovery. Saturday’s are both the most challenging, but also the most fun day. We follow this up with a heavy gym day. Mainly focused around free weights.
Sunday
OFF! Sunday is our rest day every week and the day that I go coffee shop exploring.
All images: Ella Nelson
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