Mikaela Shiffrin's Training Secrets Will Surprise You

Whether in training or competition, 24-year-old ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin doesn’t practice yoga, meditate or perform visualization techniques. She most values something far simpler to fuel her unprecedented rise to the top of the World Cup standings, something she needs above all else: sleep. “Sleeping is my meditation,” Shiffrin says. “It’s the only time you can recover, physically and emotionally, at the same time.”

It’s understandable that Shiffrin might need some extra rest. Under the watchful eye of her strength and conditioning coach Jeff Lackie, plus the rest of her full team, she trains as hard as any athlete in her sport. On a typical day during her season, like right now, she…