The best of the best are defined by a common trait: they work hard and prepare to be great with a dilligence that is more intense then can be believed. Very good is attainable with average effort, but in professional sports like racing very good isn't the best.  It is impressive to be there and competing and winning  every once in a while. But to win again and again against the best takes a fanatical passion for preparation that has an appearance of insanity.

Check out what Kobe Bryant, 5-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers does on game day. Yikes.  The guy will go down as one of the top 5 players in the history of the game.  Why work so hard?  Exactly.

Let's take a look now at Jimmie Johnson. He is a 5-time Sprint Cup Points champion including the last 4 in a row. This is an article from ESPN.com from last February that I have been wanting to talk about.  Please read it for the grip exercises and running routine. We talked before about interval running being one of the most important exercises you can do.

Two of the original workout warriors, Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin

 

If you choose working out or anything else to prepare for racing, choose to prepare very hard and keep these ideas in mind. The attitudes that Jimmie displays are what I see on display from my guys like Kasey Kahne and Joey Saldana.  Racers: It starts with the love. From there you'll look to do what ever it takes. Your greatness is achieved in the mind.

"What I noticed about Jimmie from day one, Jimmie never trained to race -- Jimmie trained to win," Sitaras said. "That was a very clear mindset he had.

"And when we did the training, he pushed past his limits. And he has to go deep down inside and strip the essence of who you are. To get better, you really have to dig deep and find that. Can you really push that far? Are you willing to put in the time and focus to push through?"

 

That begs the question: Why invest all that time, effort and pain when he was already spanking the competition?

Because complacency is a first-class ticket to mediocrity.

"In sports, and especially in NASCAR, you cannot sit still," Johnson said postworkout while attempting to choke down an orange-ish protein mush.

"If you look through the garage area, the majority of the drivers, if not all, are on some type of training program. What I was doing [before] was working for where I wanted to be at that point. But to be the best and to stay on top, I had to find a way to step it up."

 

"I think it gives him confidence that he's doing everything he can outside of the race car," said Johnson's wife, Chandra. "It has made him a machine, so determined. I've never seen anyone so focused. I think he's missed like two workouts in the past year."

 

"At the end of a race, that's when you need to be your strongest," he said. "That's when they're going to pass out the check and the trophy."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just loved the picture so I put it in.

 

 

Filed under: Racing News • Workout Tips

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