Holly Bradshaw is an elite Olympic pole vaulter who claimed a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics and the 2018 European Championships. She’s gearing up for the upcoming Padova Pole Vaulting Convention, where her appearance is highly anticipated. Padova’s official Instagram shared a video of Bradshaw competing, captioned, “Ready for Holly Bradshaw? The Britain’s first pole vault Olympic Medallist is coming to Padova!” Here’s how Bradshaw stays in peak condition and maintains her wellness.
Bradshaw shared her wellness secrets with Get Sweat Go. She says that she is working on having more balance in her life. “One project I’m currently working on is getting the right training and lifestyle balance. Being an elite pole vaulter doesn’t take up every hour of the day, there is a lot of downtime and I am useless at being bored so I am currently helping conduct some research with two other researchers surrounding ‘post Olympic blues’, which is keeping me busy.”
Bradshaw shared her training routine with Get Sweat Go. She says that she does a lot of different things. “My training is very varied and I train five times a week for around 3-5 hours each session. My training schedule consists of pole vault once a week, weights sessions 2/3 times a week, gymnastics, explosive jumping and throwing, various running sessions including short acceleration sessions (30m), medium speed runs (50m) and then speed endurance running sessions (90-120m). I also do yoga and stretching work most days.”
Bradshaw shared how she evaluates her training sessions with Get Sweat Go. “I like to evaluate my sessions both objectively and subjectively. I sometimes compare any numbers I have from previous sessions and check how far I am away from them. However, I feel evaluating subjectively is important too. Some days just aren’t PB days – or even close – however, it could be really good session for other reasons. I think using both methods is vital for an athlete. I am an optimistic person and finding the positives in any situation is my strength and something I value a lot.”
Bradshaw tells Get Sweat Go that she likes to plan things out. She says that she has a journal for this. “It’s so important to have a plan and then note everything I do down. Training components, training numbers, PBs, notes on how I felt etc! It’s awesome to reflect back on what you did, how you felt – I think having a training diary is something simple but gives you structure and confidence when you look back and see how awesome you were.”
Bradshaw shared her biggest piece of advice with HFE. “Make sure you stay committed and focused. That’s one of the things that I do, make sure I’m focused because I’m a really determined person and I have clear goals to focus on. You need to make sure you’re always having fun, I think athletes can be way too serious. Obviously you need to work hard in training sessions, like I always do, but I feel like there always needs to be an element of fun.”