My coach, Liang Chow, had one rule while I was training for the 2008 Olympics: no skiing. I could do anything I wanted outside the gym, he said, except ski.
From Shawn Johnson
When I was younger, my coach, Liang Chow, made all the decisions. I would go to the gym for practice, do exactly what Chow told me to do, go home, come back and start all over again. If Chow told me to do 50 squat jumps, I did 50 squat jumps.
It sounds funny, but the 2008 Olympics were something that just kind of happened, and I was lucky they came at a point when I was uninjured and well prepared. As a gymnast, you can't ask for much more.
My approach to gymnastics in Beijing was heavily based on the amount of difficulty I could do.
Staying healthy and consistent is paramount.
I missed being considered an athlete and having that competitive drive, and missed having something to work for every day. I'd taken two and a half years away from the sport and was out of shape. I wanted to get back to where I was in 2008.
I'm doing four hours of gymnastics training a day, six days a week and then an extra two to three hours in a fitness center as well.
I started taking gymnastic classes when I was 3 years old.
I usually work out 4 hours a day during the week and 5 to 6 hours on Saturday, with Sundays off.
A typical practice consists of practicing every event for about an hour. A lot of people assume I have private coaching, but I work out with 13 other girls at the gym!
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