Misty May-Treanor, the shorter half of the beach volleyball pair that’s dominated the past two Summer Olympics, is gearing up for her fourth Games, and is aiming for her third gold medal in London. May-Treanor sat down and talked with us about teamwork, training, and being more in tune with her body.
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On teamwork.
I wouldn’t be able to compete or even be able to accomplish what I have without my teammate [Kerri Walsh] beside me. […] We are the Dynamic Duo. (Search: How long have they been together?) Take it or leave it. But it’s fun to be paired up with her. We push each other. We want to make each other better and that’s what you want in a teammate, whether you’re on a sport team or an office environment.
On training separately.
We do have our own training regimen separate off the court, but that’s because we have two different body types. Different things work for me that might not work for Kerri and vice versa. Things that she likes to do may not work necessarily for my body type. But we know each other is going to get the work done. And we’re together every day and communication is key. Especially in a team sport, communication is key both on and off the court.
On gearing up for the Olympics.
An off-season regimen for me would include weights, hill runs, track workouts—less volleyball. Now that we’re in-season it becomes more of the volleyball aspect and getting conditioning done on court but I still incorporate lifting and extra running.
I’ve gone back to Olympic style lifting: cleans, squats, snatches. For us as volleyball players and for me being the shorter one on the court, I tend to get served a lot. So my legs have to be really strong. I’ve got be able to jump just as high at the beginning of the tournament as at the end. So [I do] a lot of lunges, a lot a of glute work. (Free Poster: Sweat, Time, Devotion)
On getting older.
When I was younger, I could go all the time with little rest. Now as I’m getting older, rest and recovery is equally as important as the extra exercise. So for me, I’ve learned to actually kick my feet up and get more bodywork done, take breaks when I need to, rest. I tend to rest more. Less is more these days.
On working through injury.
I don’t know why my Achilles ruptured. Nobody knows why certain injuries happen. I think the number one thing especially for athletes is one is to stay hydrated. Your muscles need hydration. Two is stretching. And I’ve learned over the years that dynamic stretching is better for you than static stretching. You want to use those more after you workout. Flexibility is key. But I think that staying hydrated, listening to your body. When your body is tired it’ll let you know. So just shut it down. It’s okay to shut it down.
Related: How Olympian Consuela Moore came back from injury
