Anna Meares reveals the gruelling fitness regime which saved her career

IF YOU'VE ever wondered what it takes to make a champion, ask Anna Meares. Not even a broken neck can stop this elite athlete. Find out how she came back from the brink.

Meares, pictured at the London Games, clearly has what it takes to be a champion.

WHEN Anna Meares crashed and broke her neck training for the world cup cycling championships, she had only one thought - making it to the Olympics.

And while her terrible injuries would be enough to stop most people in their tracks for months, the cycling champion was back on the bike just 10 days later.

The 10 times world champion was training when she crashed in the third round of the World Cup circuit in Los Angeles in January 2008, just a mere seven months out from the Beijing Games.

Meares fractured her C2 vertebra in her neck, dislocated her right shoulder and suffered torn ligaments and tendons as well as a hip injury in the crash while going at a speed of between 50-60km an hour.

If you've ever wondered what it takes to make an Olympic champion Meares pretty much sums it up: determination, discipline and a desire to win at all costs.

She was so determined to get to Beijing, she undertook a gruelling rehabilitation regimine, a strict diet and hours of careful training.

Speaking to news.com.au between training sessions for the national and world championships, the multi-award winning medallist said she couldn't have made the comeback and qualified for Beijing without her vital support network: her trainers and loved ones.

Meares trains six days a week. Courtesy: Elizabeth and Michael Young

"There was a lot involved in my comeback," she said.

"It broke me, I was an emotional mess and it was a scary process especially going through that much pain.

"But I had the best support network who made sure I was vigilant with my rehabilitation, and nutrition intake which helped my muscles repair."

It was one of the toughest comebacks you can imagine not helped by losing so much weight after the horrifying crash and overcoming that psychological barrier of associating her bike with pain.

"I lost 6kg in the first month after the accident and while most people would be happy I wasn't as it was all muscle mass," she said.

"As a sprinter it's a detriment on my ability to perform."

Now back in full training mode, 31-year-old Meares trains six days a week, with a combination of workouts, both on and off the track, which would scare even the most hardened gym junkie.

But surely there are days when even she can't face the thought of another gruelling workout?

"It's an addictive lifestyle - the more I do it the more I actually want to," she said.

But her amazing fitness isn't just related to her hard-core fitness regimine - Meares, who now has two gold, silver and bronzes under her belt as well as four Commonwealth gold medals, also credits her incredibly healthy diet as a major factor to her success.

The cycling champion has a gruelling training regimine. Picture: Michael Klein

"As a sprinter I require muscle mass so have a high protein diet," she said.

"I keep carbs to before training sessions and limit them at night."

Her strict diet also involves large hearty breakfasts with energy giving smoothies, smaller lunches and a light dinner with some form of protein before she goes to bed.

And her advice for anyone wanting to get fit and healthy is that it should be a complete lifestyle change and not a fad.

"I have nights and times where I don't feel like cooking, but there are healthy options like smoothies which are so easy," she said.

More importantly a good diet means limiting the alcohol as well.

In fact, the Spectablend ambassador is so strict on this she won't drink alcohol for nine months leading up to a major event like the Olympics.

Meares, pictured at the London Games, clearly has what it takes to be a champion.

It takes discipline and lots of it, but Meares said it never bothered her abstaining since she surrounded herself with like-minded fitness people and had a larger goal ahead - winning.

"Alcohol has a major affect on the body and can cause dehydration putting you at a higher risk of injury," she said.

Meares is currently training for the national championships next month in Adelaide followed by the world championships in February in Columbia.

But she won't be able to put her feet up for long with the Commonwealth Games in July and then there's her big goal - Rio in 2016.

But as much as she loves what she does, Adelaide-based Meares admits her career will have its limit and there will come a day when she'll be ready to give the tough competition away.

"It's hard being a female athlete," she said.

"I want a family one day and to pursue a different lifestyle."

The Olympian and cycling great, pictured in Adelaide's Victoria Square, isn't ready to put her feet up quiet yet.

Still curious about what makes this champion tick? Try her breakfast smoothie on for size.

Ingredients

1 cup of organic pure coconut water

½ cup of organic coconut milk

1 handful of spinach

1 scoop of protein powder

1 tbsp raw cacao powder

1 tbsp of acai powder

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 frozen ripe banana

Method

1. Prepare all ingredients

2. Place ingredients into blender

3. Press Start button and blend from low to high variable speed for 30 seconds

4. Serve and drink