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The 33-year-old world-class forward Abby Wambach, took the spotlight last night in Harrison, N.J. after scoring her 159th career goal. The 2012 FIFA Women’s World Player of the year scored her fourth goal of the night, breaking Mia Hamm’s (the legend of all legends) record for international career goals by a soccer player. In case anyone was wondering, the men’s soccer record is 109, held by Ali Daie of Iran.
So here is to the men who are >50 goals short….
MAKE ME LIKE WAMBACH!
A. The super star talks nutrition:
“We burn anywhere between 1,000 to 1,500 calories on the field; that’s not taking into account the rest of your day. We generally do have to eat more than the average person to be able to maintain our weight. For us, it’s not about losing weight; it’s always about maintenance and making sure your muscles are supplied with the kind of good nutrients and the proper nutrients. One-hundred percent whole-wheat breads like Arnold and Oroweat breads—I love those kinds because it gives the kind of fuel that puts me out onto the field in my very best form” (Credit: FitBottomedGirls.com)
“As an athlete you want to make sure that you’re getting the right things in your system. When you leave the field after a game, you’re already preparing for the next training session or the next game. There are so many diets out there that say this is good or that’s not good. For an athlete, science doesn’t lie. You need to have carbohydrates for your muscles to work properly. And for me I know that carbohydrates are a huge part of my diet. Having a good diet is part of my job. It’s something that will make me perform better.” (Credit: Fitbie)
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“Directly after any training or game you’ve got to get protein and carbohydrates into your system. We’re built like machines: Once you expend a certain amount of energy, you’ve got to put some stuff back in to maintain your weight, to maintain your health, to maintain your muscle mass, and to allow your muscles to recover.” (Credit: Fitbie)
“When we travel it can be very difficult to keep to a certain regimen. Sometimes there are sacrifices that need to be made. Thankfully we have a strength and conditioning coach who makes up all of our meals when we’re with the team. But the truth is, your diet is habit. If something you once used to indulge in isn’t in your diet anymore, you won’t tend to go toward it. So when you’re overseas, whether it’s French fries or burgers, you have to be confident in the lifestyle choices that you’ve made.” (Credit:Fitbie)
B. According to Fitness Magazine, her favorite leisure sport besides soccer :
“I like to run, watch-free. I also love to mountain bike in our off-season — going downhill gives me an adrenaline rush!”
C. Training like a beast:
“I would say at least three hours a day, whether it’s on the field or in the gym. To some people that seems like a lot, but for me it’s just the way of life. I get one solid day off a week where I don’t do anything. If it is a session where you’re out in the field for a couple of hours, you may want to take it a little easy in the gym where you’re only lifting a little bit. If it’s a little bit lighter on the field, that’s where you go power; that’s where you try and go for some sort of endurance lifting. The muscles that you need to perform on the field sometimes you need to get into the gym to create them, and it’s not easy work by any means. But we all know that in order to be able to do that kind of workload day in and day out, you have to put the right nutrients in your body.” ( Credit: Fit bottomed girls)
“I love to do arm exercises. Whether it’s dumbbell curls or a chest press or whatever, I love to use my arms in that way. It makes me feel good.” (Credit: Fit bottomed girls)
D. Pregame ritual:
“I have tons of them. The one I am going to talk about here is focused solely on my nutrition. I always have a really good, solid sandwich with 100 percent whole-wheat bread before any game. And you know, it’s a thing that I can’t go without now. It’s something that, if by random chance, we don’t have bread on the road or whatever, it feels very different and odd for me to go on the soccer field and play.” (Credit: FitBottomedGirls.com)
