The Olympic swimmer on avocado toast, barbell cleans, and more
Simone Manuel grew up in the water. Living in Sugar Land, Texas, she and her two older brothers often found relief from the heat in the pool. Now a four-time Olympic medalist, Manuel, who specializes in sprint freestyle, has turned this childhood hobby into a career.
The Team USA athlete is coming off a few highs: She just graduated from Stanford University, swam in-season PRs at her last two meets, and recently finished up the Make a Splash tour to raise awareness about water safety. “Teaching kids how to swim at an early age can save lives,” Manuel says.
Now, she’s focused on the upcoming FINA World Championships in South Korea, where she'll compete starting July 21. “I want to continue to train hard and fine-tune certain parts of my race,” the 22-year-old says. That calls for a heavy training schedule that prioritizes swimming and strength, which will hopefully pay off come the 2020 Olympic Trials.
Furthermore caught up with Manuel between competitions to talk barbell cleans (her favorite lift), Tabasco sauce (she likes heat), and her worst sleep habit (it involves social media).
The training regimen:
“I train for 20 hours each week. I do doubles on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays, with one swim practice in the morning and another in the afternoon. I spend a total of three hours in the pool each of those days. On Wednesdays, I do a light swimming routine. Thursdays and Saturdays, I’m in the water for up to two hours each.
I also lift for one hour each on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Every session starts with ankle and quad stretches. Then I’ll do a second warm-up that focuses more on activation, which might include dead squats, hangs on the pull-up bar, or shoulder stability work. For that, I’ll lie on my side and do lateral raises with a weight to prep those muscles.
Once that’s done, I’ll get into my major lifts. I try to hit the shoulders, core, and legs in every strength workout because they’re all really important for swimming. I’m a sprinter, so I mostly do powerlifting to make me more explosive. I really like heavy barbell squats and cleans. To avoid putting on too much muscle, I keep the reps low, completing five or six sets of two reps each. I usually superset those with plyometric work like high jumps or medicine ball throws and slams.
Because I spend so much time in the weight room, I always bring my Nike Romaleos when I travel. They’re light and have a bit of a heel to keep my ankles stable, especially during squats.
My upper-body routine often includes landmine presses (3 sets of 6 reps per arm), bottoms-up kettlebell presses (three sets of five reps), and cable pulls that simulate swimming strokes (three sets of ten reps).
I rest on Sundays. You need a day off after all that.”
The nutrition regimen:
“My typical breakfast is avocado toast with over-medium eggs and a dash of Tabasco. You gotta have that kick.
For lunch and dinner I like to make salads with Romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, kalamata olives, feta cheese, bell peppers, pepperoncinis, and Italian dressing. I really love feta cheese. I also eat chicken and rice or salmon with potatoes. Pesto pasta is definitely a favorite.
I try to have steak once a week because my weight coach, Cory Schlesinger, says the healthy fats, protein, and iron are good for my performance. I’ve been feeling the benefits since I started eating it more regularly. When I’m traveling for competitions, I eat pretty much the same as I do at home. I like to find a nice Italian restaurant wherever I am.
Smoothies are another regular part of my diet. I’ll use whatever’s in my freezer and fridge, usually mango, raspberries, strawberries, Greek yogurt, and orange juice. My favorite pre-swim snacks are Bear Naked granola and Nature Valley bars. I also love Greek yogurt and guacamole or avocado.”
The recovery regimen:
"I’m off on Sundays, so I usually get a massage. It loosens my muscles so I’m prepared for the next week of workouts. I have my own NormaTec machine, which I use about three times a week. My worst habit is checking social media right before I go to bed. I still need to work on my sleep hygiene."
What’s next:
“My goal at the World Championships is to win a few medals both individually and in the relay. By the time I get to the Olympic Trials in June 2020 and hopefully to the Olympics in Tokyo, I want my races to be as perfect as possible.”