Olivia Allison’s Olympic training schedule

Age 18
Weight 53kg
Height 1.68m

2008 Olympic record

14th induet technical routine

Target for 2012

“I’m hoping for top six, but I often think to myself: of we can get that far, then we could go further and get a medal.”

I swim with my partner Jenna Randall [pictured below left, with Olivia]. Swimming as a duet is more difficult than the team routines, as you have to do a lot more to impress the judges. The hardest part of training is when we run through our routines with weights attached to our waists, ankles or wrists. It is very tough.

Synchronised swimming is an aesthetic sport. My favourite training costume at the moment is a red one with white and black stars on it. In competition, I wear lipstick and dark eye-shadow and my hair is scraped back in a bun with gelatin to accentuate our facial features so the judges can see our expressions.

My typical week

Monday

7-8am: Warm-up. I run on the spot to get warm, do 30 sit-ups and other core muscle work and use resistance bands to get my arm and leg muscles working. I also practise stretching and the splits.

8-9.30am: 5,000m of speed training in the pool. This involves both power and endurance sets using a combination of strokes, and we do monthly timed swims of 400m.

9.30am-12.30pm: Routine training in the pool.

2.30-3pm: Land drills (a walk-through of the routines on land).

3-5pm: Routine training in the pool.

Tuesday

7-9am: Strength training and conditioning. We have set individual programmes designed to target weaknesses, enhance strengths and avoid injury tendencies. The muscles being worked are related to pool work.

9am-1pm: Routine training in the pool.

Wednesday

As Monday.

Thursday

As Tuesday.

Friday

7-8am: Land warm-up.

8-9.30am: Speed training in the pool.

9.30am-1pm: Routine training in the pool.

Saturday

8am: 30-minute land warm-up and stretching followed by a cardio workout in the gym.

9.30am: Strength training and conditioning.

11am-12noon: Stretching, flexibility training such as over splitting (where the legs split over 180 degrees for extra flexibility), gymnastics.

Sunday

Day off. I don’t have a lot of spare time, but when I’m not training I lifeguard to earn some extra money or I see my boyfriend. My training hours will gradually increase as I get closer to competitions.

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