24 Hours with George Mills: Inside an Olympic Training Camp

For Mills, elite performance isn’t about complexity - it’s about consistency.

According to George, the essentials are:

- Getting the training right
- Having a clear plan
- Fueling properly
- Hydrating consistently
- Trusting the work on race day

“Most important thing: getting the training right, having a good plan, allowing you to get to the race feeling fit, but also fresh.”

He also highlights one of the biggest mental challenges in racing:

“The walls in your mind.”

George is nearing the end of a six-week altitude training camp at nearly 2,000m above sea level.

His mornings are deliberately repetitive and structured.

The Three-Drink Rule

Every morning starts with:

- Coffee
- Electrolytes
- Water

Why?

Because altitude dramatically increases dehydration.

“When you sleep, you dehydrate. And especially at altitude, you dehydrate more than when you’re at sea level.”

He specifically mentions using electrolytes immediately after waking to support hydration before training.

His breakfast barely changes during camp.

Typical breakfast:

- Yogurt
- 2 bananas
- Egg whites
- Coffee
- Electrolytes

He focuses heavily on hitting protein targets naturally through whole foods.

“The recommendation from my nutritionist was to have like one and a half to two grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.”

And perhaps most impressively:

“I’ve had this breakfast every day for six weeks.”

One unusual part of George’s routine is “grounding” - stepping outside barefoot each morning regardless of the weather.

“You can’t stop your good habits just because of bad weather.”

Whether you believe in grounding or not, the bigger takeaway is consistency.

Elite athletes remove friction from their routines.

The key session of the day is a threshold test - a benchmark workout used to assess fitness progression.The session compares current physiological metrics against previous testing data.

The result?
A major improvement in efficiency and fitness. “We got fit.”

His meals are intentionally high-carb and repetitive.

Common foods:
- Rice
- Pasta
- Beef
- Fruit
- Yogurt

George even shares a surprisingly practical hack:

“I eat out the pan because there’s so much food and it keeps it warm.”

Simple. Efficient. Effective.