Rio Olympics 2016: A day in the life of Max Whitlock

It’s hard to believe that it has been early 4 years already since the spectacular that was the London Olympics in 2012.  I know it makes me sounds old but really where does the time go!

This year sports fans are being thoroughly spoiled with the Euro 2016 football finals taking place in France late this month and then the Rio Olympics kicking off in just a couple of months time on August 5th.  Only time will tell if Team GB manage to match their impressive medal haul from London although unfortunately this time around there will be no home advantage.

Ahead of the Olympics kicking off, DFS have been working with some of Team GB’s rising stars to provide a little insight into life away from the athletics stage and to share why home, family and relaxation is so key in the run-up to the big event.

The gymnast Max Whitlock started in the sport aged just 7 and now 16 years further on as he prepares to head to Rio, he loves nothing more than entering a room with the knowledge that he can do more than most of the other people in it.  He already has a gold medal from the 2015 World Gymnastic Championships.

Central to gymnastics is routine.  It sums up everything about the sport says Max and it is something which he loves as he spends 35 hours a week in training split across 6 days on all six gymnastic apparatus. This, of course, can be stressful on the body and in the build-up to competitions it can get incredibly intense.

Rest and recovery time is a massive part of the sport and having some time out at home relaxing is really important to set you up for the next days training and to meet the new challenges ahead.  Just like gym or football training the body needs that time to repair itself and grow, kicking back on the sofa with some easy to watch TV is a great way to do this!

Family to play a huge part in Max’s life.  They have of course been there all the way throughout his career and he says there is no way that he would be in the position that he is now without their support.

Good luck to Max and the rest of Team GB in Rio this summer, let’s hope they bring home plenty of gold!

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