Introduction
Yohan Blake is a Jamaican sprinter, popularly known as the second-fastest man in the history of 100mm and 200mm dash, and the fourth fastest man of all time.
He holds a personal record of 19.26 seconds in the 200 mm, and 9.75 seconds in 100 mm, which he won as a gold medalist. At the age of 19, he was already recognized as the youngest sprinter (former) that ever accomplished the 10-second barrier for only 196 days.
With his perfect-toned physique, it is no wonder why he’s one of the greatest athletes of his generation and the fastest man alive (next to Bolt). But behind his success was intense training, a strict diet plan, and among all, high-caliber discipline.
If you want to know the secret behind this Fourth FASTEST MAN alive, let’s sprint on and find out how his training and diet plan looks like.
Who is Yohan Blake?
Born on December 26, 1989, in St. James Parish, Cornwall County, Jamaica, Yohan Blake is the son of Shirley Blake and Veda Blake.
He has two other siblings named Arlene Blake-McPherson (Sister) and Daniela Blake (Younger Sister).
Blake played cricket as his first-ever loved sport when he attended his high school at St. Jago High School in Spanish Town.
Initially, he was recognized as a fast bowler of his age. But the moment his Principal saw how fast he could run to the wicket, he then encouraged him to try out sprinting.
In the 2007 CARIFTA Games, he had already broken the fastest time record in the 100mm with 10.11 seconds as the Jamaican junior sprinter. On the same day, he received an award title of Austin Sealy Trophy, recognized as the most outstanding athlete of the year.
Moving forward to 2009, due to testing positive of the stimulant 4-Methyl-2-hexamine, he was unfortunately withdrawn from the World Championship relay race. Despite it not being a banned substance, it is still the same with a banned tuaminoheptane. The panel had decided to give him a three-month ban from the competition together with the other three sprinters.
Blake came back to play in 2011, in which he had won the gold in the 100mm dash of World Championships and excelled in other games (200mm and 4×100 m relay). He had finished the game for only 9.92 seconds, making him the youngest world champion since prominent sprinter Carl Lewis.
Later in 2011, he played once again in Zurich, winning a new personal record of 9.82 seconds in 100 mm, beating Asafa Powell.
As the year passes by, Blake is getting faster and faster in which; he won a new personal best of 9.75 seconds in Jamaica in June 2012. He beat the number one fastest man in the 100mm dash, Usain Bolt.
He participated in the Olympics for the first time in 2012 held at London, in which he finished the second spot of the fastest sprinter, a record of 9.75 seconds in the 100mm, and a record of 19.44 seconds in the 200 mm dash.
Since then, he had been through many competitions, bringing victories to his country and setting a personal best record for himself.
As of the moment, he holds the record for the second-fastest ever in the 100 mm tied together with Tyson Gay at 9.69 seconds. Likewise, holds the record as the second-fastest ever in the 200 mm at 19.26 seconds.
Yohan Blake's Diet Plan
Before finding out Blake’s Diet plan, let us check his vital stats first.
Height: 5 ft 11 in
Weight: 80 kg
Birthday: December 26, 1989
Like other sprinters, Yohan Blake’s diet consists of lots and lots of protein, helping to build, repair, and maintain his muscles, and high-quality carbohydrates to support his energy and body nutrients.
Alongside fried chicken (his guilty pleasure food), Blake loves eating a lot of bananas every day, it is even considered his secret little weapon.
Blake shared that he’s eating very well because he knows the importance of having enough energy while on his training. He told ShortList.com that he always makes sure to eat more than 6,000 calories serving per day. But during track days, he had burned all of that off, which is mainly the reason why he wants to eat many bananas.
Blake shared that his primary fuel to workout is ripe bananas. This fruit has been known as excellent fuel for every athlete as they are easily digestible, plus sugars are also converted to glycogen and quickly stored in the muscles. When it comes to athletics, it is indeed a great food.
The Daily Mirror had quoted what the olympian sprinter said,
“I eat 16 ripe bananas every day. Naturally, I tend to lose potassium, so I have to build it all back. For me, it works, more energy.”
Blake had also explained to the Daily Mirror that bananas are vital to him as the main potassium source to make sure he always had a high-level remain on his body since he tends to lose potassium quickly.
This nutrient is critical to the body to create proteins, help maintain a healthy nervous system, help control liquid equilibrium, produce more energy, and help muscle contraction.
Besides, potassium is utilized to convert glucose (sugars from diet) into glycogen (sugars that are stored as energy in the muscles). Finally, it helps the lungs eliminate carbon dioxide, which eventually implies you can take more oxygen, and oxygen is indispensable for all types of vigorous exercise.
Each banana contains around 100 Calories, which implies that you are counting the number of calories you intake to guarantee that you don’t acquire fat. It is a simple way to monitor the amount you are eating.
Obviously, on the off chance that you eat 16 bananas per day on top of your regular meals, you will be taking in an extra 1600 Calories. So unless you are preparing and training like Yohan Blake, you will put on weight quickly!
Yohan Blake's Workout Routine
Blake’s number one training session is doing over-distancing training. He always preferred to have maximum endurance. To warm-up his muscles before intense training, he began with using a machine called the HUMAN TECAR.
Then, he did a lot of band work to help him stretch his muscles and strengthen some muscle areas. He also changed his style of lifting in the gym, working more on developing his power, and toning his muscle.
Since he’s already a very powerful athlete, Blake is using the Advanced Blue Power Bands. The list below is his key exercise to warm up his muscle groups before he performs explosive movements to reduce or avoid any injuries.
- Crab Walks. 10-15 Steps Each Side (3 Sets)
- Glute KickBacks. 10-15 Reps Each Leg (3 Sets)
- Knee Turns into Band. 10-15 Each Leg (3 Sets)
- Side-Lying Clams. 10-15 Each Leg (3 Sets)
- Resisted Knee Drives. 10-15 Each Leg (3 Sets)
In the evening, he mostly works with weights. He ensures not to be bulked too much, and his coach focuses on keeping a close eye on his power-to-size ratio.
Blake said, “I am very good at being able to switch off after training. I watch sports – mainly cricket, but also football. I also listen to music and chill out with friends. Thinking about things constantly will not be of any benefit.”
Here is the everyday workout routine of one of the fastest running man, YOHAN BLAKE:
Blake is often referred to as “the Beast” in the gym during his weight training session. This exercise is quite short yet appears to be very effective, as Blake continues to put on an ever-increasing number of plates on the barbell.
He took on 540 lbs for his heaviest set in the one-leg press.
He does his track training sessions at 6 am, early in the morning. Despite the sun’s heat, he consistently does the training and then hits the track around 4 pm. His exercises would usually include:
- Plyometrics
- Drills
- Sled pulls
- Uphill sprints
On top of all these, he does a large portion of his workout in weighted vests, which just looks effortless on him but makes his workouts about 50% more challenging.
His training session additionally includes a few 60m repeats for the track and a heated discussion with his coach about how he will succeed at the Boys and Girls Championships.
If you want to more about Yohan’s Blake workout routine, you can watch here or visit his Yohan Blake TV:
Yohan Blake's Recovery Secret
Despite some rough patches of Yohan Blake’s career, it doesn’t affect all of the accomplishments and impressive records he has in the entire years of being a sprinter athlete.
He has been using a massage to help him enhance his recovery journey and quickly make a comeback to the track. Having massage therapy helps him prevent muscle soreness and injury, reduce muscular muscle tension, and improve blood flow.
He also did some post-training stretching routines or performed some rolling techniques, which offered a similar effect.
Conclusion
Becoming an Olympian and being recognized as one of the fastest-running men in the world, like Yohan Blake, requires strong dedication and discipline into working out. Plus, it also accompanies a strict diet plan.
If you’ll ask, who doesn’t want to be an Olympian? Of course, everyone aspires to be an Olympian athlete. To continue pursuing this dream, don’t forget to remember what the fourth-fastest runner of all time says, “Go With The Opportunity That Comes First.”
Sources:
https://www.motleyhealth.com/athletes/yohan-blakes-banana-diet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yohan_Blake
https://www.shortlist.com/news/sport-confidential-yohan-blake
https://www.runblogrun.com/2014/05/day-in-the-life-of-yohan-blake-by-elena-dyachkova.html
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