Forget crunches — elite gymnasts share 2 tips for better core workouts

In addition to drilling techniques, Richard spends an extra hour a day of training so he can perform his best, he told Business Insider in an interview about his partnership with the energy drink brand Celsius, which fuels his workouts.

Richard said the extra time is mostly taken up by yoga, which keeps him flexible and prevents injury, along with physical therapy.

But no single exercise has been key to his success; he swears by a training technique of planning ahead to achieve his goals, Richard told Business Insider in an interview about his partnership with the energy drink brand Celsius.

“I think the biggest thing I’ve learned in my sport is whatever you want to do, the first step is creating a system for it,” Richard said.

A common fitness mistake is going all-in on a goal for a short period of time, which can backfire if you’re not able to keep up with the effort long-term.

Instead, Richard said it pays to build small habits and think about making progress in terms of months instead of days.

“It’s not, Hey, I want to get stronger. Let me work really hard today on strength. That’s not going to solve your problem. When I think I want to get stronger and more flexible, I say, okay, in the next six months, what’s something I can do every single day?” Richard said.