The 2008 Olympic Decathalon Gold Medal Champion
Inteview and Training Secrets. ONLY on SuperHumanMag.com!
The "World's Greatest Athlete!"
All Bryan Clay photos by Per Bernal
 Jim Thorpe won gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon at the Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden in 1912. During the medal ceremony for the decathlon, King Olav of Norway declared, “You sir, are the greatest athlete in the world." The king recognized the incredibly diverse skill and fitness requirements necessary to compete in this grueling event. Bryan Clay, Olympic silver medalist and world champion in the decathlon, is the heir-apparent to the crown of the World’s Greatest Athlete.
American athletes have been extremely successful in the decathlon. Following Jim Thorpe’s victory in 1912, Americans won Olympic gold at Paris in 1924 (Harald Osborn), Los Angeles in 1932 (James Bausch), Berlin in 1936 (Glenn Morris), London in 1948 (Bob Mathias), Helsinki in 1952 (Bob Mathias), Melbourne in 1956 (Milt Campbell), Rome in 1960 (Rafer Johnson), Mexico City in 1968 (Bill Toomey), Montreal in 1976 (Bruce Jenner) and Atlanta in 1996 (Dan O’Brien). Bryan Clay is the odds-on favorite to win the Olympic gold medal in the decathlon in Beijing this summer. He won the World Indoor Multi-Event Championships in 2008 and is in the best shape of his life.
No one, however, has a lock on the Olympic gold medal in the decathlon, because too many things can go wrong. In 1992, Dan O’Brien set a world record in the decathlon, but failed to make the United States Olympic team in the event during the Olympic trials because he couldn’t clear his opening height in the pole vault. Fortunately, Dan came back the following Olympics and won the gold medal. Bryan Clay has had his share of heartbreak in the decathlon. In 2006 and 2007, he did not finish the event at the United States Outdoor Championships because of injury and low blood sugar. This year, however, he is on track this year to win the gold. The event is so physically challenging and the competition is so stiff that anything can happen. Brian described the decathlon as “the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
The sprint events— 100-meter, 400-meter and 110-meter hurdles— are among the most grueling in track and field. The discus, shot put, javelin, pole vault and high jump require incredibly precise technique that takes specialists years to develop. During decathlon competitions, injury, bad weather, slick surfaces, poor timing or bad luck often mean the difference between victory and defeat.
The decathlon involves competition in 10 events contested over two days. On the first day, the athletes compete in the 100 meters, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400 meters. On the second day they do the 100-meter thurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500-meter run. The athletes get three attempts in the throws and long jump. Failure to get a legal mark in any of these events essentially means that the athlete is out of the competition. Likewise, the athlete is doomed if he fails to achieve the opening height— in the high jump or pole vault.
The typical strategy in the decathlon is to achieve a good, solid mark on the first attempt followed by maximum effort performances in each event to accumulate more points. At the same time, he must minimize wasted movements and effort to preserve stamina for the events to come. The balance between solid efforts, spectacular performances and economy of effort requires experience and meticulous planning. Bryan Clay is the Bill Gates of the decathlon because of his methodical, scientific approach to the event.
 Bryan Clay has done it all: Olympic silver medalist, world outdoor champion and two-time United States national champion in the decathlon. In March 2008, he added a world indoor championship in the heptathlon to his laurels. He approaches the Beijing Olympics as the favorite to win the gold medal in the decathlon and join the long list of Americans such as Jim Thorpe, Bob Mathias, Rafer Johnson, Bill Toomey, Bruce Jenner and Dan O’Brien, who held the unofficial title of world’s greatest athlete.
Bryan is extremely serious about training and competition and loves to perform in front of a crowd. He is passionate about the decathlon. Even a casual look at videos of Bryan’s performances at the Athens Olympics shows that he approaches the decathlon with the precision and excellence of a brain surgeon.
The decathlon is one of the most grueling events in sports. It involves 10 track-and-field events contested on two consecutive days. Most athletes are exhausted after competing in a single event. Bryan goes all-out in the major events of track and field. One slip-up, miscalculation, or injury and the meet is history and his career is over.
Bryan is a master technician who approaches the decathlon meticulously. He weight trains from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., visits with his wife and children from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and then trains for his events from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. He spends hours watching videos of great athletes in each of the 10 events and compares them with his own technique. He makes changes and then watches more videos. His strongest events are the 100 meters, long jump, 110-meter hurdles, shot put and discus, but his technique is excellent in all the events.
Bryan is very strong, but only lifts heavy weights for several months per year. During the off-season, he does high-volume functional training, such as the “300 Workout,” kettlebells, medicine balls, and high-repetition cleans-and-snatches. He emphasizes technique, speed and power during the competitive season. He pays close attention to fitness, recovery and injury prevention because he knows that he can’t win unless he scores points in each event.
Life for an American decathlete is no longer paved in riches and cereal boxes. The Olympic decathlon team is chosen six weeks before the Games, which is not enough time to pick up significant endorsements. Also, USA Track and Field restricts athletes from cashing in on their Olympic status before the Olympic Games. Bryan participates for the love of sport. He said, “I am fortunate to make a living doing something I love. I enjoy the fellowship; decathletes are like one big happy family. We are deadly serious during competition, but the best of friends when the competition is over. I view the decathlon as a competition against myself. Nothing my competitors do will make me do good or bad. We are the only event where the entire field does a victory lap at the end of the competition. It is a grueling event and the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
The Average Man Can Learn From Bryan Clay
I have been associated with track and field and the decathlon for most of my life. My grandfather’s uncle was Tom Kiley, the first gold medal winner in the decathlon in 1904. I competed in the discus throw as a college and open athlete and continue to throw the discus to this day in masters competitions. As an exercise physiology professor, I did extensive studies on Olympic decathlon gold medal winner Bruce Jenner before the 1976 games. Currently, I volunteer as the throwing events coach for decathlon athlete at California State University, Chico.
After many years of observing and working with decathlon athletes, I’ve concluded that the average person has much to learn from their training methods and psychological approach to sport and fitness. Many popular training methods, such as CrossFit, kettlebells and the “300” workout are very similar to decathlon training. Each requires whole-body functional fitness and specific movement skills in a variety of events and activities. Basic training approaches of elite decathlon athletes can help you in your own program:
• Stay Healthy. The decathlon, like many popular training methods, requires many types of fitness and specific skills. Pushing too hard before your body is ready will cause injury. Always use good body mechanics. Try to maintain good posture and a neutral spine when you lift, run, throw, jump and sprint. Good technique doesn’t hurt. Also, don’t train intensely before your body is ready. The easiest way to get injured is to train too hard, too fast.
• Get In Shape Gradually. Peak performance in the decathlon takes years. Likewise, give your body a chance to adapt to the rigors of training when attempting to build general fitness. You cannot force your body to increase strength, power, endurance and speed overnight. Take your time and let your body adapt at its own rate.
• Plan Your Program Meticulously. Decathlon athletes cannot train for each event every day. They have structured, scientifically based training programs that build performance in each of the 10 events. The same is true for people trying to develop well-rounded fitness. Structure your program so that some days you emphasize endurance and other days you emphasize strength and power. If you are interested in high-skill sports such as tennis or volleyball, structure your program so that fitness development does not interfere with your capacity to learn sports movements.
All serious track and field athletes keep a training diary— a detailed account of their training program, diet and performances— and so should you. People serious about fitness should keep a training diary, which includes a structured program for the next six to eight weeks, details of your training program and specific goals and objectives. A training diary consists of a spiral-bound notebook that you carry in your gym bag.
• Try To Make Greater Gains With Less Work. Great decathlon athletes have economical training programs. You can develop well-rounded fitness using 1- to 2-hour workouts if your program is structured intelligently.
• Work Out Consistently. Ninety percent of success in life is showing up. That’s certainly true for improving fitness and sports performance. Try not to miss workouts and include planned rest days.
• Develop The Mental Toughness Of A Champion. Elite decathlon athletes are extremely disciplined. They train even when they are sore and tired. Develop the mental toughness to exercise and train, even when you don’t feel like it. A workout that seems impossible today will be easy after several months of training.
|
