How to train, eat and sleep like an Olympic champion

Take Lindsey Vonn. At 33 years of age and with a body that has recovered from serious injury three times, the 2010 Olympic downhill champion is leaving nothing to chance for her fourth Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea in February.

"We've looked at preparation from every angle," Vonn said during an event hosted by her long-time clothing sponsor Under Armour in the Canadian ski resort of Lake Louise late last year.

In order to get the women's World Cup record holder into peak form for what is likely to be her final Olympics, her six-strong team is focusing on fine-tuning her training, food and sleep patterns.

Dry land training

A key part of Vonn's preparation takes place on dry land, away from the slopes. During the summer months, the American rises at the crack of dawn to train for up to six hours a day -- five or six days a week -- in the gym with her full-time, traveling private trainer Alex Bunt.

Food

Although most athletes will be eating at the restaurant in the Olympic Village, Under Armour has hired Australian Dan Churchill as Vonn's personal chef in South Korea."It's really important for Lindsey's body to be used to what she's already having so it can be absorbed," Churchill said in Lake Louise, jokingly adding he's been "sternly told" by Vonn not to cook anything with olives, anchovies or oysters.

Bike fitness

With a grueling ski racing season that runs from November through March, during which racers compete on three different continents, Bunt's program is aimed at getting Vonn to her highest fitness level by the end of October.Through the season "we try and maintain that fitness level," Bunt said, adding he often refers back to his trove of data to see what sessions are needed to work on a specific physiological component.

Source:CNN