1. Ice Bath

Professional gymnasts, swimmers, runners and even football players take ice baths to recover after a competition. You may be wondering, what in the world is an ice bath? An ice bath usually consists of 4-6 trays of ice and bath of cold water. Although this may seem to be one of the more strange pro athlete tips, it actually works. The key to making it work is keeping your body submerged in this ice cold water for 15 minutes. Sound painful, right? But it works because it helps reduce swelling and inflammation so that you can ace your next event.

2. Power of Mental Strength

Most of the pros use meditation as a daily workout for their mind to recover from events and prepare for the next win. For some elites this is through yoga, for others prayer and some even just close their eyes and get in a zone. A vital part of winning is believing and getting in the best mental state. Close your eyes, relax and envision a win at your next competition (even if your next competition is just a card game).

3. Rituals That Work for You

Some pros have a lucky pair of socks, hat or headband; while others have to lay their clothes out a certain way. There are many different rituals that pro athletes follow that get them in the mood for competition day and feeling strong. So if you notice you score well on an event and notice you had cherries the night before, you may become like the pros and adopt that as a new ritual. Find what works and stick with it.

4. Exercise without a Tracker

Pro athletes fuel their workouts and competitions with plenty of passion so they like to do part of their workouts without tracking it. For runners or cyclists, this means heading out for your workout without a watch. This gives time to get in the zone without distance or pace on your mind. As a result, you exercise stronger and get in touch with your passion to fuel your next event. Working out without a GPS tracker or watch is actually very liberating as well!

5. Mid-day Naps

A number of elite athletes take a mid-day snooze to regroup and relax so that they are rejuvenated for their next workout. Since the bulk of professional athletes exercise in the morning and then again at night, it is important to sometimes stop, take a break and regain focus. This mid-day nap is usually just 10-15 minutes and it has plenty of pay off as you regain energy!

6. One Day Splurge

The majority of pro athletes splurge by eating their favorite meal one or two days a week. Some pros are extra bold and they have strange meals the day before a big game! Now that is crazy, but if it works why not.

7. Extreme Night-time Zzzs

Repeated studies have shown professional athletes sleep 9-11 hours a night. Although that much sleep in one night may seem crazy, if you are exercising for 4-6 hours a day, your body needs this time to rebuild muscle fiber and rejuvenate. And after several extreme workouts, you may be wiped! Try this for one week and see how your body performs in your workouts; you may just follow this pro tip when you can.

With all these strange pro athlete tips, which one will you try first? Do you have any tips that you follow that may be considered strange to others? I promise I won’t judge, in fact as an athlete, I may have a few myself to share! ;-)