With the Winter Olympics happening right now in Vancouver, it brings a greater awareness to some of the sports that we do not get to see broadcasted too often and to get to know some of these athletes that are often forgotten during non-Olympic years. Some of the best athletes for Team USA are a pair of skiers, Lindsay Vonn and Bode Miller and short track speed skater, Apolo Ohno. The thing that sets these 3 athletes apart from others is not only their ability to land on the podium after most of their events they compete in, but is how they do cross training in other sports to improve their overall strength and fitness. For example, Apolo Ohno likes to go mountain biking while Bode Miller spends a day of basketball shooting and basketball training as an alternative to cross training.

This article will focus on some of the off snow or ice training that these three Olympians do to make them better than their competition who may only do ski or skate training. It has been proven that athletes that have better overall fitness, will suffer fewer stress induced injuries as well as have more strength and flexibility which benefits them in whatever sport that they are doing.

Lindsay Vonn is the Vancouver Olympics focal point with an huge amount of talent in downhill skiing. Her story became big news when she suffered an injury to her shin only weeks prior to the Olympics and she wasn't sure if she could even compete. So far, she is on track to competing and finished 3 of her 5 events winning medals in two of them. She says she is in better shape this season than any other due to the intense cross training she has put in. She does a great deal of interval training alternating strength exercises with cardio training that works her stamina as well as her strength.

Bode Miller had a lot of pressure to bring home the gold at the last Winter Olympics in Italy and did not come through saying his nonchalant training methods were the reason. Since, then he has challenged himself to be in top physical shape and more ready for this Olympics. He likes adding other activities to his training regimen to keep things new and to constantly challenge his muscles in different methods. He plays full court basketball one day and then does interval sprinting and core exercises the other days. With 3 medals to his name this time around it seems to be benefitting Miller.

This is the 3rd Olympic games for short track skater Apolo Ohno and he has recently been named the most winning skater at the Olympic Games passing Bonnie Blair's record of 5 medals. He is more confident than ever having lost 20 pounds to make a comeback and to improve his fitness. He likes doing outdoor workouts like sprinting up a steep hill wearing a weighted vest or going on a long cycling run to work his leg muscles the way they have to be for skating.