Alexander Ovechkin Quotes

It's a 90 minute game for sure. In fact I used to train for a 190 minute game so that when the whistle blew at the end of the match I could have played another 90 minutes.

I just want to be in the best shape I can be. Not to stand on that start line and say: 'Oh my God, I have this injury and that injury.' I just want to be able to go out and race.

To be a top-class athlete, you have to train hard, you have to eat right, you have to get enough rest. I feel the way golf is going nowadays, you have to treat yourself as an athlete.

You can't play when you're not 100% fit especially at this level.

The big goal is playing in June, so I'd rather be in the best shape I can be in health-wise than be dragging with nagging injuries or not being 100 percent trying to get to the Finals.

Fatigue is one thing. Injuries are another. But if you are just tired because you just practiced - well, I'm not having that.

The only way you can get match fitness is by playing games.

A player needs recovery time, and it isn't possible to recover from one race in an hour.

I just want to go out there and play to my full potential, and play a healthy season, know what I'm saying?

That's my plan in the offseason: to work hard and to try to play as many games as I can and stay healthy.

Being an athlete, my job was to physically perform.

Women's tennis is getting faster and the girls are getting more athletic, so I need to push myself to become a better athlete. I think 2013 showed me, like a few other years how important being healthy is and how I must listen to my body. During this off season I have been a little smarter on how I train and how I treat my body.

Early in my career, I had difficulty breathing during workouts and my performance on the ice suffered. It wasn't until I was diagnosed with EIB and received the proper treatment that I was able to reach my peak performance.

I've found that my athletes run their best races after about 10 weeks of intense training.

Nutrition is also a valuable component that can help athletes both protect themselves and improve performance.

Do I think I can take 20 carries now? Well, I think finally last week and this is week was probably the first time I could probably say, yeah, I could take 20 carries and go do some damage.

When I was playing I felt tired all the time. My recovery period was a lot longer than the other players. They'd be ok after an hour - I'd have to stay in bed till the next session.

Last year was a tough decision for me, to end my season so short. But it was the right decision for me, because right now I feel great. I can go out here and sprint full speed right now, but I'm just going to pace myself for April 5.

During a packed season, maintaining fitness becomes tough because you can't put too much effort into it. You're constantly monitoring workloads.

I don't think you ever feel 100 percent throughout a season. If you ask any player, I don't think they ever feel 100 percent fresh every week.

I do know when my body is ready or when it's going to perform best for me.

From a logistical standpoint, I learned about when to peak, when to push, when to recover throughout the season.

When you are playing regularly, you feel a lot sharper on the pitch.

You don't want to hit your peak until late in the season.

I've always said given a chance, with me being 100 per cent and none of the niggling injuries I always seem to pick up now and then, that I can compete with anyone in the league who is challenging in my position.