The top 3 exercises and habits of our Swiss Olympic athletes

Have you ever wondered how young top athletes prepare for the Olympic Games? Today we reveal the top 3 exercises and habits of our Swiss Olympic athletes in the gym. And where do they do that? In our ACTIV FITNESS studios, of course!

3) Dimitri’s reverse bench press

I’m sure you’ve all tried your hand at the bench press. You should at least know this exercise, which is considered by many to be the number one chest exercise. But Dimitri, the great Swiss canoeing hopeful, is not a fan of 0815: he reverses the exercise and turns it into a bench pull. What may sound strange at first is not that unusual. Bench pulls are actually a normal rowing exercise that trains the back muscles and the rear shoulder. You lie on a high bench and pull a barbell towards your chest. Alternatively, you can hit these muscles on the rowing machine, for example. Ask our trainers in the studio how to do the exercise correctly to get a back as strong as Dimitri’s 🛶 💪.

2) Petra’s grip strength

While some of us struggle to maneuver the 20 kg disc onto the barbell with both hands, Petra Klingler, one of the great figures in international climbing, does it with her left hand – literally. Climbing requires enormous grip strength, which she trains by “pinching” a 20 kg disc with just one hand ✊. Even holding a 20 kg dumbbell in your hand for a while can be really hard, but doing this with a disc? Hats off! To get strong forearms and enormous grip strength like Petra, you can start with a little less weight. By the way: grip strength not only has a positive effect on climbing, it is also very important in the gym for exercises such as deadlifts, pull-ups, shrugs and many more.

1) Timothés Mood-Playlists

The example of sprinter Timothé makes it clear how important variety is in order to achieve sporting goals. The rising star in Swiss athletics relies on various playlists that he plays depending on the intensity of his workout 🎧. For a quieter workout, he chooses the “Chill Vibes” playlist and when he really wants to get down to business and train his explosive sprint performance with strength training, he switches to the Hardcore Workout Music Mix. The choice of music can be important when exercising to prevent you from panting your heart out during the warm-up or taking “lying down” too literally during the push-ups 😉.

Now you know the exercises and habits of our athletes. To find out more about Dimitri, Petra and Timothé and their journey to the Summer Olympics in Paris 2024, click here ⭕🏋️. And for all friends of astrology: Watch out! Because in the next FitFact we will continue our zodiac sign series 💫⭐.