The Workout That Helps Make Rai Benjamin Freakishly Fast

TO RUN FAST, you have to dedicate serious time on track. To run Rai Benjamin-level fast, you also have to dedicate some serious time in the gym.

In the 2src2src Toyko Olympics, the New York native missed the first place finish in the 4srcsrc-meter hurdles by a mere fraction of a second. At the Paris Olympics this past summer, Benjamin earned a second chance at glory.

It was a second chance that he wasn’t going to risk. As he revealed in MH’s Road to the Olympics series, he worked as hard as he could, both on and off the track, to prepare himself for victory. The work paid off: Benjamin cruised past his competitors to claim his first gold with a time of 46:46. He followed it up with a second hardware haul, anchoring the 4x4srcsrc relay team to rise to first place along with teammates Christopher Bailey, Bryce Deadmon, and Vernon Norwood.

Of course, freakish speed like his requires more than just running. He’s had to invest time off the track and in the gym, too, during his off-season and pre-season. He’s in the weight room at least twice a week, working on a mix of power- and strength-building.

“My training goal is to always be better than I was last off-season, and to really kill that pre-season and off-season training, because I think that sets you up very well going into the season,” he says.

Here’s what his weight room routine looks like.

Rai Benjamin’s Olympic Workout

Hang Cleans

3 sets of 5 reps

Power Clean

3 sets of 5 reps

Loaded Step Ups

3 sets of 1src reps each leg

Cable Core Rotation

3 sets of 1src reps each side

I’s, Y’s, T’s

6 reps each position