SPORTS PERFORMANCE
At that moment Hockey ’ s loss was Athletics gain .
You would be wrong for thinking it is harsh for me to refer to Louise as a ‘ control freak ’. For her it is possibly the biggest compliment she could receive , probably the most accurate way of describing her and definitely the single most important reason why she won a gold medal in Delhi in 2010 .
Out of the 7 events Louise achieved a lifetime personal best performance in 4 of them which is about as perfect an example as you will see of an athlete ‘ peaking ’ at the right time . “ I took control of everything ” said Hazel , who was left with very few options after her coach took another job in London . “ I couldn ’ t afford to move to London so decided to learn how to plan my own training - I was completely self-taught ”. With the help of a few people Louise worked backwards from the date of the 2010 Commonwealth Games and planned exactly where her performance levels needed to be on numerous specific dates .
“ The year before that event was when I took control of my own training and taught myself how to programme and periodise everything . To this day not a lot of people know this about me , but the preparation and periodisation of elite athletes is my forte . It probably helps that I ’ m an absolute mad woman when it comes to orgnisation ” she joked ... but in a way that left me knowing that she was deadly serious .
“ I had the ability , the confidence and the foresight to take my training into my own hands and to understand it . For the first time ever I knew exactly where I was going and it was extremely empowering . I would encourage more athletes to educate themselves and find out
‘ why ’ they are doing what they are doing .
This is something that Louise has maintained during her personal training career and encourages all clients to ask the question , why ?
“ This is something we don ’ t do enough of in the fitness industry . We take it for granted that clients will accept our training methods which prevents us from ever really being challenged , which then hinders our development . With the general public you don ’ t need quite as much attention to detail , but with a performance athlete when a tenth of a second can make the difference between going to the Olympic Games or not , that ’ s when you really have to scrutinise over your training methodologies ”.
Complacency was not an option for Louise as an athlete , and it isn ’ t an option for her now .
On the evening of Friday 8th October 2010 , years after having chosen Athletics over team sports so that she could be in control of her own destiny , having utilised her multi-sport background to transfer seamlessly into being an international Heptathlon competitor and after having spent 12-months of controlling every minute detail of her training programme Louise Hazel was in third place after day one of the Commonwealth Games competition , with just three events to go .
I wanted to know what her expectations were for the following day , but before I even finished my question she excitedly interrupted me and said “ I was winning it . I was always winning it ”. She went on to tell me how she vividly remembered being on the physio bed in January 2010 getting treatment from Osteopath Poora Sohal , “ I told him I was going to win the Commonwealths . He said ‘ Ok Lou Lou , it ’ s nice that you have such a positive mental attitude ’ and laughed . I grabbed his arm and said ‘ No Poora , I AM going to win the Commonwealth Games ’, I just knew it was my destiny . There was no doubt about it in my mind , every single
106 MUSCLE & FITNESS / APRIL 2018
S P O RT S
PERFORMANCE
At that moment Hockey’s loss was
Athletics gain.
You would be wrong for thinking it
is harsh for me to refer to Louise as a
‘control freak’. For her it is possibly the
biggest compliment she could receive,
probably the most accurate way of
describing her and definitely the single
most important reason why she won
a gold medal in Delhi in 2010.
Out of the 7 events Louise achieved
a lifetime personal best performance
in 4 of them which is about as perfect
an example as you will see of an
athlete ‘peaking’ at the right time.
“I took control of everything” said
Hazel, who was left with very few
options after her coach took another
job in London. “I couldn’t afford to
move to London so decided to learn
how to plan my own training -
I was completely self-taught”.
With the help of a few people Louise
worked backwards from the date of
106
MUSCLE & FITNESS / APRIL 2018
the 2010 Commonwealth Games
and planned exactly where her
performance levels needed
to be on numerous specific dates.
“The year before that event was
when I took control of my own
training and taught myself how to
programme and periodise every [�˂��\�^H��H�و[�Hۛ�\�X��]YK�]H�\\�][ۈ[��\�[�\�][ۈو[]H]]\�\�^B��ܝK�]�ؘX�H[�]x�&[H[��X���]HXY��X[��[�]��Y\�ܙۚ\�][۸�'H�H���Y����][��H�^H]Y�YHۛ��[��]�B��\�XYH�\�[�\˂��'HYHX�[]KH�ۙ�Y[��B�[�H�ܙ\�Y��Z�H^B��Z[�[��[��^H�ۈ[��[�[�\��[�]��܈H�\��[YB�]�\�Hۙ]�^X�H�\�HH�\���[�[�]�\�^�[Y[H[\��\�[�˂�H��[[���\�Y�H[ܙH]]\�YX�]H[\�[�\�[��[��]��&�x�&H^H\�H�[���]^B�\�H�[�˂�\�\���Y][��]�Z\�H\XZ[�Z[�Y\�[��\�\��ۘ[��Z[�[���\�Y\�[�[���\�Y�\�[��Y[���\��H]Y\�[ۋ�O¸�'\�\���Y][���H۸�&][��Y�و[�H�]�\��[�\��K���HZ�H]�܈ܘ[�Y]�Y[���[�X��\�\��Z[�[��Y]���X���]�[��\����H]�\��X[H�Z[��[[��Y�X�[�[�\���\��]�[�Y[���]H�[�\�[X�X[�H۸�&]�YY]Z]H\�]X�][�[ۂ��]Z[�]�]H\��ܛX[��B�]]H�[�H[�وH�X�ۙ�[��XZ�HHY��\�[��H�]�Y[���[��H�[\X��[Y\�܈��]8�&\��[��[�H�X[H]�H��ܝ][�\�Hݙ\�[�\���Z[�[��Y]����Y\��'K����\X�[��H�\���[��[ۂ��܈�Z\�H\�[�]]K[�]\۸�&]�[��[ۈ�܈\���˂�ۈH]�[�[��و��Y^H���ؙ\��LYX\��Y�\�]�[����[�]]X��ݙ\�X[H�ܝ��]�H��[�H[����و\���ۈ\�[�K]�[��][\�Y\��][K\�ܝ�X��ܛ�[���[�ٙ\���X[[\��H[���Z[��[�[�\��][ۘ[�\]ۈ��\]]܈[�Y�\��]�[���[�L�[[�و���[�]�\�HZ[�]H]Z[و\��Z[�[���ܘ[[YH�Z\�H^�[�\�[�\��X�HY�\�^HۙHوB���[[�X[�[Y\���\]][ۋ��]�\��YH]�[����˂�H�[�Y�ۛ���]\��^X�][ۜ��\�H�܈H����[�^K�]�Y�ܙHH]�[��[�\�Y^B�]Y\�[ۈ�H^�]YH[�\��\YYB�[��ZY8�'H�\��[��[��]�H�\[�^\��[��[��]8�'K��H�[�ۈ�[�YH���H�]�YH�[Y[X�\�Y�Z[�ۈH\�[��Y[��[�X\�H�L��][���X]Y[����H��[�]��ܘH��[8�'H�[HH�\���[���[�H��[[�X[ˈH�ZY��&���H�K]8�&\��X�H][�H]�B��X�H��]]�HY[�[]]Yx�&H[��]Y�Y�HܘX��Y\�\�H[��ZY��&���ܘKHSH��[����[�B���[[�X[�[Y\��&KH�\�ۙ]�]��\�^H\�[�K�\�H�\����X��X��]][�^HZ[�]�\�H�[��