Do athletes need to train everyday?
Let's start with some general specifics — Obadike suggests the average athlete should workout at least three to four days a week. Notice the 'at least' verbiage — these three to four days are the foundation for any athlete, regardless of their sport or specialization.
I've found that athletes training 10-15 hours per week were consistently making good improvements in their progress. Often this looks like 5 days of a 2 hour practice with 2-3 days of additional training: strength training, skill training, endurance, speed, etc.
It is a common practice for high level Olympic weightlifters to train nearly every day of the week, often training more than one time a day to accumulate enough training hours to become masters of the snatch and clean and jerk. The most advanced Olympic weightlifters train anywhere from 6-10 workouts per week.
The American Council on Exercise (ACE) suggests that athletes who engage in high-intensity exercise should schedule a rest day every seven to 10 days. But that's not a hard and fast rule. Some athletes may need more frequent rest days, such as two per week.
Results: The athletes needed 8.3 (0.9) hours of sleep to feel rested, their average sleep duration was 6.7 (0.8) hours, and they had a sleep deficit index of 96.0 (60.6) minutes. Only 3% of athletes obtained enough sleep to satisfy their self-assessed sleep need, and 71% of athletes fell short by an hour or more.
How much sleep do athletes need? Pro athletes typically need more than most—it's recommended that they get 8-10 hours every night. But for the average adult, aim for seven to nine hours of sleep a night to avoid the effects of chronic sleep deprivation.
Usain Bolt spends 90 minutes in the gym every day doing workouts that are geared toward improving his speed and agility while maintaining an athletic body. He concentrates on core-centric exercises to condition his weak core muscles.
And if you exercise regularly, over time you will gain even more fitness benefits. “At 6 to 8 weeks, you can definitely notice some changes,” said Logie, “and in 3 to 4 months you can do a pretty good overhaul to your health and fitness.”
While that off-season break can look different for different athletes, it nearly always involves a few weeks completely off from the sport after their last big race, sometimes doing other light physical activity (surfing, biking, horseback riding), and a lot of catching up on life.
Usually, competitors will specialize, but Phelps branched out and dominated in nearly every single event. In Rio, Beijing, and Athens he crushed the competition for over a decade, and that's no mean feat. He had to train nearly every day, and he had to practice effectively in several different styles.
How many times a week did Usain Bolt train?
Resistance Training
A key feature of Bolt's training was lengthy 90-minute gym sessions three times a week that aimed to increase explosiveness and power. Bolt did a lot of core work throughout his career to compensate for his weak back that he says is a result of scoliosis suffered in childhood.
A typical pro athlete would train around 5-6 hours a day 6 days a week. This might not seem like a lot of hours but the intensity of training is ridiculous. In fact, without sounding pompous, an average fit individual would struggle to make it through one of our warm-ups.

- They Compete at All Times. 1 of 12. ...
- They Eat Healthy. 2 of 12. ...
- They Hydrate. Like Really Hydrate. ...
- They Sleep—A Lot. 4 of 12. ...
- They Recover Daily. 5 of 12. ...
- They Drink Alcohol Minimally. 6 of 12. ...
- They Treat Their Bodies Like Temples. 7 of 12. ...
- They Explore Other Activities. 8 of 12.
Training is an integral part of athletes' lives. It's what allows them to be their best and compete with all that they have. Training can help with endurance, skill development, weight loss goals, injury prevention, and much more. Therefore, athletes should never neglect their training.
Off- Season Training
Training schedule should be at 4x a week at least. During the athelete's off-season is the time to focus on gaining strength, building functional muscle, and bettering their skill sets needed for the sport. The athelete should be putting full effort into their off-season training program!