10 Things You Didn’t Know About Kurt Angle
5. The Secret To His Success
Perhaps the greatest contributor to Angle’s widespread success
has been the absolute brutality of his training regime. In an appearance on the
Steve Austin Show, Angle shed some light on his routine, describing what he
refers to as “exhaust training”.
The basic idea was the he’d work until he was exhausted, and then that’s when the real training began. If he was able to perform on an empty tank, he’d surely be unstoppable at 100%.
Training consisted of 10-hour days, which began with a six-mile morning run, followed by 40 hill sprints and then 30 minutes of jumping rope. With tiredness beginning to set in, that’s when he’d start on the actual wrestling -technique, conditioning and such - for three hours after lunch.
Then finally, the evening session, which he described as the hardest, consisted of heavy weights and plyometric training. Oh, and there were no days off other than one half-day per month. What a treat.
Angle suggests that he wasn’t necessarily the best technician, nor the biggest, fastest, strongest or smartest, but he could ensure he was the fittest. If he could outlast his opponent, he’d be in with a chance of winning.
I think it’s safe to say the plan worked.