Just last August,Michelle Cartercame home from the Rio Olympics with thegold medalfor shot put.
It wasn’t her first, but she also hopes it won’t be her last.
I definitely believe I have one more in the tank, Carter tells SELF.
Courtesy of Michelle Carter
Shot putting runs in her blood: Her dad, Michael Carter, won silver in the 1984 Olympics.
Michael is now her coach, but he wasnt the one who got her into the sport.
After informing her dad she was ready to go, it was full steam ahead.
Courtesy of Michelle Carter
Most recently, she won Olympic gold in 2016.
After taking a break post-Olympics, she ramped up training starting in December to get ready for 2017.
Her first meet of the new year was in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in early March.
Courtesy of Michelle Carter
Shell compete through the rest of the year, leading up to the World Championships in London in August.
While she tends to stick with vanilla, lime-flavored is also a favorite, with strawberries or blueberries.
After that, shell take a break and eat something.
Courtesy of Michelle Carter
But she keeps it simple and cooks herself.
For dinner, she sticks with a meat and a veggie, and ideally inone pan.
Its the easier way to go, and I cant be too fancy all the time.
Its something that works with a wide variety of things, Carter says.
Even though shes in the weight room almost every day, some days are devoted more to recovery.
Were building that up because I dont want to shock my body, she says.
There are plenty of other exercises to keep her busy during weight-training sessions.
She normally lifts about four times a week.
Carter is a pro athlete and recovers just as hard as she trains.
She gets massages, occasionally takes ice baths, and also doesEpsom salt soaks.
Shes pretty regimented about it.
And extra time is spent on those triceps: I do tricep extensions a lot, Carter says.
Triceps are an important muscle for shot putters.
And this is an abbreviated schedule from what she was doing leading up to the Olympics.
She speaks to the kids, passing along messages of positivity.
It may be hard, but it can be done.
She also is the founder ofYou Throw Girl Sports Confidence Camp, which encourages young female athletes.
In my downtime, I like to sit and watch TV because I feel like Ive missed so much.
I dont get to sit there and watch it, Carter says.
Theyre pretty handy to throw in your bag, Carter says.
Protein is super important for an athlete.
One other favorite of Carters is Perky Jerky.
The competitors she will face at theWorld Championshipare pretty much the same ones she faced in the 2016 Olympics.
She jokes that its pretty much always the same, unless someone retires before then.
So she went home and took some classes, and she’s been on that grind ever since.
Its in the very early stages, but we cant wait to see what she puts out.
