Greg Rutherford Quotes

I've changed up my training over the years; I don't lift weights as much as I used to, so I'm built for the cardio now.

My coach, Liang Chow, had one rule while I was training for the 2008 Olympics: no skiing. I could do anything I wanted outside the gym, he said, except ski.

I train, for me, very smartly. I don't train heavy, I do a lot of isometrics.

For Buffon, I hear he trains less on the field, and he is more focused on keeping his muscles strong.

In the off-season, I train twice a day, five times a week with my trainer. Then, there's always massages and neuromuscular therapy worked in there as well on different days.

Overall strength work - if you can do it regularly - makes a massive difference on the pitch, especially when you are fatigued. If you are stronger, it helps you deal with that.

I noticed the more muscle I put on, the more cushion and padding I had, the better my performances were getting. I decided I could be this little, stick-thin thing out there and be hurt all the time, or I could show my athleticism, and if it comes with a little bit of weight on the side, it is what it is.

We train six days a week, and each day includes some type of running or strength workout. It's all about getting functionally stronger in the positions that matter for racing, which means balancing the strength between my quads and hamstrings.

I do some yoga, but it's just about managing my back because that step up physically to men's football is big. I know I look big and strong, but it's still hard on my body. But I'm feeling stronger and stronger the more I play.

Hamstring flexibility and hip mobility for me are the two most important factors on the field.

I've been taught by some of the best strength and conditioning coaches in the country, and I've learnt that technique for weight training and cycling is very much more strength and less conditioning.

It's all about training smart.

I'm in the gym three to four days a week, depending on how I'm feeling. With chest, legs and back being the most important parts of any athlete's body, I try to train these on separate days with at least a day off in between.

I spend around two and half hours on the track every day running and another 2 hours in the weight room lifting weights with my strength coach.

I think the two most important parts of any athlete's workouts are his leg workouts and his core training.

I am basically turning football players into sprinters for a while. When we first talked about it, I didn't know how my expertise could be used.

My biggest problem was to get the coaches to understand that I was a runner, and I wanted to prepare myself based upon the calisthenics I did and get myself ready. For example, I used my forearm when I ran the ball, so I didn't want to do pushups because I wanted my forearms to heal.

I think offensive linemen generally took the weight room and the workouts much more seriously, because we saw that it was a vital part of our training. We needed to be big and strong, and our muscles needed to be in good shape to handle the beatings.

I didn't train for powerlifting. I trained as a bodybuilder. I had to train to stress the muscle and not because of what was on the bar. I think my strategy was a good one because I have no aches, pains, or lingering injuries from training today. I feel great.

I think that for my sport, the core is the most important. I mean, really in all sports, but especially in the sport I play, I keep my core right and try and keep that up no matter what I'm doing.

A lot of fighters just go to the gym and spar or wrestle, but they forget about their conditioning. Things like that cause lots of injuries.

I have to improve on my speed endurance, and I am working on it.

To me, it's not all about how much weight you can lift in the weight room. It's how you can manipulate weight in the ring.

What batsmen like me do for fitness is often a bit different to what bowlers like Jimmy Anderson or Stuart Broad do but everyone in the squad has a big focus on core strength. It is really important for batting, bowling and fielding. You need a strong core and spine so your movement isn't restricted out there.

I had virtually a three-month layoff from an injury angle we ran so I didn't wrestle at all. I was worried the most about my cardio and I tried to stay in cardio shape using a Stairmaster and treadmill but there's nothing like being in ring shape.