Javier Zanetti Quotes

After my first day of competition I put on compression socks. They help me recover for the next day.

As much as it hurts to work out after a game, it helps that much more.

To be a top-class athlete, you have to train hard, you have to eat right, you have to get enough rest. I feel the way golf is going nowadays, you have to treat yourself as an athlete.

After working so hard on the court, I find that snacks help me avoid late-afternoon energy lows.

It's probably better for me to play 40 or 45 games and occasionally be rested and therefore still be full of energy at the end of the season.

When you've only got two days between games the recovery process is key.

A player needs recovery time, and it isn't possible to recover from one race in an hour.

I think the biggest thing for all athletes is recovery - being able to bounce back from week to week, practice to practice, to come back in top form.

During the season, one of the most important things to eat is the carbs. Protein's really important, too, but it's the carbs that are important because I have to consistently refuel for the next day.

My body's feeling it a little bit. But one good thing, my back is in good shape, and that's my main concern. I know that my legs are going to take awhile to get back to where I was a few years ago, but as long as my back is solid, I feel that I can play many years.

Nutrition is also a valuable component that can help athletes both protect themselves and improve performance.

When I was competing, I trained between three and six hours a day, seven days a week.

I don't think you ever feel 100 percent throughout a season. If you ask any player, I don't think they ever feel 100 percent fresh every week.

Every action has a consequence. It may be good for strengthening. And I have no doubt that lifting a lot of weights can get you stronger. I just don't know if lifting stronger weights can keep you healthy, or it can keep you doing your job better, especially for a pro athlete.

Coping with injuries is always difficult for athletes because all we want to do is, basically, to have our best performances unhindered.

The usual practice just isn't enough. I want more edge over my opponents. Cross-training is so important. I can improve myself and have a lower impact on my body.

Colorado Springs is a very good place to train ahead of the Olympics. We get to compete with different partners, learn different movements, we also get to improve upon our speed, which is very essential.

The operations were big ones, so I knew it'd take a lot of hard work. It's hard, you know? You're in the gym for hours on end doing strengthening exercises, and that's just so you are able to start running again. You can't even think about getting on the pitch to start with.

Every football player has their own journey and unfortunately my injuries were out of my hands. There wasn't much I could have done about that except rehab to the best of my ability which I did.

I'm training at Phase 1 Sports in Las Vegas, and it's a very high-end training facility for a lot of top-level athletes. I have been able to add a lot of power and the endurance to keep that power going. I've always been powerful, but the muscle conditioning I've been able to add has been a tremendous amount of help.

Every time I sprinted 100 per cent, my hamstring broke. But I knew if I didn't sprint 100 per cent, I could keep on playing, so that's what you do. I was just lucky it was discovered in America and I haven't had one problem since. I feel I can run past people again and that feels nice.

A lot of athletes take legal creatine or protein powders or just different pills and supplements to be able to recover faster. And I don't take anything, I work hard and that's just what it is, I don't take anything.

My idea is that players need to recover first, train later.

As part of their recovery after a match, you want players to stay in the cold water for as long as they can, but naturally, they want to get out. You might have races or games in order to keep them engaged.

I know I can wrestle a lot longer than I can fight.