by Arielle Taramasco
Nick “Quick Nick” Rogers is an athlete training at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California. He has a bronze medal in the 200m sprint, competed in the Rio Olympics, and is a spokesperson for the nonprofit Never Say Never foundation providing prosthetic limbs for disabled youth.
He also has no feet.
So naturally, I decided to follow him on a day of training, believing that I would definitely have a leg up on the competition in terms of exercise, pun intended.
Rogers was enthusiastic about forwarding me his daily routine, which had me believing that if he loved it, it must mean because it was relatively easy and had some level of fun in it. That is, until I looked at the week ahead of me.
Here’s a typical week of training in Rogers’ life:
MONDAY
AM: 30 min. bike
PM: at 1:00 pm, 1 mile run + 2 two-minute sets
of high knees and fast feet + 1 120m sprint
+ 1 100m sprint +1 80m sprint + 2 60m sprint
circuit strength training + 1 mile run
TUESDAY
AM: 1 mile jog + warm up + stretching + 3 30m
sprints + 2 50m sprints + 3 80m sprints
PM: 3 sets of: 300m + 200m + 150m sprints
WEDNESDAY
30 min. bike + weight training
THURSDAY
AM: 1 mile + warm up drills + 2 sets of
high knees & fast feet + 1 x 120m + 1 x
100m + 1 x 80m + 2 x 60m + 6 x 30m
PM: 1 mile run + 30 minute bike
FRIDAY
AM: 1 mile jog + warm up drills + stretch
3 x 30m + 2 x 50m + 3 x 80m sprints
2 sets of 2 x 200m sprints 4 minute rest
PM: 20 minute bike + circuit strength
training + 10 minute bike
SATURDAY
AM: 3 mile run
SUNDAY
Rest day.
MONDAY'S warm-up drills were my first challenge—the fast feet and repeated accelerations made me tired and hungry, and waiting with no avail for the endorphins that are promised with exercise to kick in. After much deliberation, I decided to stop when my 120m sprint took me over 20 seconds. For comparison, Rogers finished 5th in the 2016 Rio Games with 11.26 seconds.
TUESDAY did not fare much better. While Rogers tackled his training in stride and practically flew through the different sets and resets, my face was red and wet, and I still don’t know if I was leaking sweat or tears. The answer is most likely both.
WEDNESDAY, however, finally felt doable, and there was something incredibly satisfying about finishing a whole day of the same exercises as someone who gets paid to do this.
THURSDAY got me excited, since I finished a round on the track of a mile and a 120m sprint, (or in my case, 120 minute hard jog) and was ready to call it a day until I scrolled down and saw the rest of the exercises ahead of me. I was not pleased, nevertheless, I persisted...for another 20 seconds.
FRIDAY was a marathon for me, which is ironic considering that marathoning and sprinting are two very different sports. However, professional sprinters finish these drills within half a day, and I spent a half a day getting through the warm up drills and finding the motivation to finish the task at hand.
SATURDAY’S 3 mile run was rewarded with a small fruit salad afterwards…in a nice cup of frozen yogurt and candy toppings.
Quick Nick can teach us a lot about discipline and perseverance. Not only is he a
proud member of the exclusive Olympic Team USA, but he also still finds time to share his story and efforts with paraplegic and disabled youth for the Never Say Never foundation. According to their website, the nonprofit aims to “instill a positive and active lifestyle in kids with limb loss, all the while pushing the limits of
adaptive sports.”
With Rogers constantly pushing his own limits and doing more in one day with no legs
than the average person accomplishes in a year, he’s becoming an active role model for anyone looking to be healthy and happy, no matter your circumstances.
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