We speak to the eight-time British triple jump champion who is still in love with his sport and is targeting a home Commonwealth Games this summer

Double Olympian Nathan Douglas has a wealth of athletics experience gained over two decades in the sport.

The 39-year-old, twice a European silver medallist, directs his own training programme and consults with a group of specialists including former coach Ted King (2001-2009) and Aston Moore, who has guided him since 2009.

A certified peak performance coach and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) practitioner, Douglas has been trained in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and balances his training with delivering resilience and wellbeing programmes to corporates.

“It’s really good for me to have that alongside my sport,” he says of his work with wellbeing consultancy 7 Futures. “It’s always good to have something else in your life rather than just athletics. I say that to a lot of youngsters coming up; when all you do is sport and things don’t go well, you feel like your whole life is falling apart.

“It’s very easy for it to become all-encompassing and to think that by doing something else it will have a negative effect on athletics, but I think it’s the opposite. I think it gives you another outlet and makes you realise you’re more than just your sport.”

An eight-time British national triple jump champion, Douglas – who has his sights set on qualifying for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this summer – continues to defy the odds by remaining competitive and ambitious in a discipline which can be beautiful on execution and brutal on impact. He remains motivated by a combination of factors, not least his enduring love of the sport and the positive influence of family and friends.

“I think it’s very easy to fall out of love with athletics,” he says. “At times it can be quite fickle and a lot of athletes, especially at the top end, become disillusioned with it.

“For me, I’ve just always loved the sport and I remind myself that’s the reason I do it. I think that by being attached to those kinds of goals, internal rather than external, really helps.”

Favourite session

“Anything to do with plyometrics,” he says. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved that. Basically, anything that involves me springing about.”

Least favourite session

“I don’t really have a least favourite part. Years ago, it would have been anything long running-based but, because I write my own programme, I don’t think I need long running, so it isn’t really involved. If I had to pick something – even though I still enjoy it – I’d say heavy squat work. That’s pretty tough.”

Typical training week 

Birmingham-based Douglas turns 40 later this year but his training remains broadly similar to what he was doing during the peak of his competitive career.

“I probably just listen to my body more,” he says. “I started my career with Ted King, an incredible coach and someone I still speak to now and think massively of, and even very early on he taught me that I needed to know what my body was saying to me, to have that kind of awareness.” 

Monday: speed and technical, For example, acceleration-based work, then some light triple jumping or bounding work, so really working on the technical aspects of my event. There are always areas to improve technically. You’re never quite there so there are always things you’re working on. 

Tuesday: weights and plyometrics

Wednesday: rest day – although this can often be a working day, so I have to be careful with my balance. I might get a physical recovery to an extent, but the mental energy I’m expending at work can be quite tough. I also try to get in some meditation or flexibility work (active recovery).

Thursday: similar to Monday, but with the components the opposite way around, so triple jump as the first session so I can get the quality in, then afterwards some sort of running, for example acceleration work, runways, or sled work.

Friday: weights and plyometrics

Saturday: tempo running, so working on technical aspects of running, plyometrics and maybe some conditioning exercises.

Sunday: rest day

Douglas has designed his programme to maximise his technical sessions which always follow rest days. “My philosophy is that you need to be technically efficient,” he says. “Yes, you need to be strong, powerful, fast, etc., but if you’re not technically efficient, what’s the point?”

He complements his training with mindfulness sessions which he uses as a form of meditation to focus his mind on the present.