15 Mins With
Record-breaking swimmer Adam Peaty
At the start of lockdown, I had a Jacuzzi Swim Spa set up in my garden.
It’s like a treadmill for swimmers. You’re tethered in place and swim against the current, adjusting the resistance to increase or decrease the challenge. I was out of a pool for 16 weeks, so that set-up was a huge asset.
When I rst returned to the pool it was hard – I’d pretty much forgotten how to swim in one! But as the technique returned I actually came back stronger. I competed again at the Manchester International meet in February and posted some really good times.
I have to believe the Olympics will go ahead.
We have warm-ups after the Olympic trials, including the Europeans, scheduled for May. My focus is on training, but I’m keen to get my life balance right with the new family, too [Peaty became a dad last year].
While the gyms have been shut, I’ve prioritised my wellbeing, nutrition, psychology and resilience.
I’ve also done yoga and a lot of cycling – up to 60k a day.
Us swimmers do like to lift like we’re weightlifters, but we have to pair that with performance in the pool. I’ll do back squats, cleans, hang cleans or chin-ups one session, and on another day it’ll be bench press, reverse lunges and pull-ups.
I don’t want to grow big muscles.
If you can make yourself as strong but as speedy as possible, that’s perfect. It’s why I don’t really go beyond ve reps. We train six days a week, with Sundays o , but to be honest there’s not a lot of recovery time. We actively recover through the week, with good nutrition helping us repair and restore our bodies.
If you’re taking the right supplements and hydrating around the right meals, you can strike that balance.
Pressure is a motivation for me – that’s why I’m so hard on myself.
If I’m .5 or .3 o my target in a session, I’m tearing myself apart,
because that standard is just not good enough.
It’s almost obsessive, and some may consider it unhealthy, but it enables me to get that optimal performance.
Fatherhood has made me a better person.
I hope it’s not a cliché to say, but it has made me want to make others proud.