10+1 questions: Interview with Davide Re

Hi Davide! Thank you for taking the time, between training sessions, to answer our 10 + 1 questions. Let's get started right away, without introductions.

Davide, in addition to being an excellent person, is an athlete of the Fiamme Gialle, Italian record holder of the 400 meters flat. He has been using Syform supplements since 2019.

1 - How did you get into athletics and running?

I've been running ever since I started taking my first steps, I've always been a hyperactive kid. The first running race of my career, however, was the “Baby Marathon” on the Imperia cycle path, where I still live. I was about 5 years old, I won.

2 - When did you realize that you would become a sprinter of the national team? Do you remember what your thoughts, concerns and goals were at that time?

I think I guessed it in the first year as a student, at 16. I reached the semifinals at the Under 18 World Championships on 400 meters with ninth overall time (strange to say but also in Doha in 2019 I finished ninth and first excluded from the final). Luckily at that time my thoughts were quite simple, big dreams: the Olympics, and zero worries.

3 - What are the characteristics of an excellent 400ist?

The first of all is the great willpower and desire to work hard, everything else can be built from there. A mix of speed and resistance.

4 - Can you tell us your typical training week on the fly?

It depends on the periods, in the "loading" phase, away from the races we work more on the quantity of working hours, in the "unloading" phase and during the races we look for much more quality and high intensity of the tests. Let's say that the typical winter week includes about 9-10 workouts with at least 3 strength sessions, a couple of running technique on tests from about 50 to 200 meters, at least 3 aerobic work sessions and a couple of general muscle and mobility workouts. and stretching. In the summer, a couple of strength sessions, usually the second with natural load, a couple of quick workouts on tests from about 30 to 150/200 meters, a day a little quieter and a lactic session.

5 - What was it like to experience the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 emergency?

For many people the situation was absolutely tragic, even for an athlete like you, however, with the aim of the Olympics, it was a delicate period. How and with whom did you deal with it? Given the distortion of competitive commitments, will you try to set the record in the 500? Of course I will definitely try! I took advantage of the month of lockdown, which involved all the athletes of the national team, to work on different aspects: strength, technical exercises and aerobics both around the house and on the exercise bike. Seeing the Olympics fade had a certain effect. But fortunately nothing is lost and it has been postponed until next year. There is no time to hang around, the season still includes important meetings such as the Diamond League circuit and the Continental Tour.

6 - What is the best experience of your sporting life? Is it personal?

From a sporting point of view it was definitely the London 2017 World Cup, my first real important event. I felt like a fish out of water but I made it to the semifinals. I was delighted. From a personal point of view I don't know, there are so many, some made with friends, others with family members, still others with Francesca.

7 - Your favorite dish? As a good Italian, are you envied by your international colleagues?

As for the quality of the food, sure! We are truly envied by the whole world! My favorite dish is pasta, seasoned in various ways, as a good Ligurian I would say pesto, the real one, but being here in Rieti I have to say that gricia is really good too ...

8 - How do you interpret nutrition for sports activities instead? During the weeks of training how do you behave and what do you allow yourself?

I have learned to find a balance in what I eat. In this, my nutritionist doctor Luca Mondazzi was really a guide. He taught me to understand the importance of having a varied, healthy diet and a balanced diet in all its macro and micro nutrients. With the possibility of not always being too rigid with oneself, the cheating is allowed every now and then, whether it is ice cream, pizza with friends or a grilled meat, as long as it is an occasional thing within a healthy diet. We say this is the basis, it should be like this for everyone, then for professional sportsmen, integration also plays a fundamental role in my opinion.

9 - When competing, how do you feel in the last 60/80 meters when lactic acid builds up? Do you think buffer systems like beta alanine are effective?

It is difficult to explain, when you leave you know it will be a pain, but you are the first to want to search for it to know that you are going beyond what you thought were your limits. The final straight of the 400 is at the same time the scariest and most adrenaline-pumping thing of my life. Beta alanine and other buffers such as bicarbonate help me not so much to feel the accumulation of lactate in the muscles and blood as in terms of performance: at the same level in terms of fatigue, the drop in speed on the final is greatly decreased.

10 - Classic question;) What is your favorite Syform product and why?

In reality there are at least 2, for two different reasons. First I would say the Diamond Whey proteins because in addition to having all the characteristics that make it a super product for post workout supplementation, they are good and I can drink them even after intense efforts without problems. The second is the omega 3 Efa Blu: in the past the omega 3 capsules occasionally gave me some digestive problems, with these from Syform honestly it has not happened anymore. I recently also tried the Red Mass bars from the Sport category. I was a bit reluctant initially because in general I am not a lover of bars, especially at the end of training I find it hard to eat them. These are definitely tastier, rich in all the macro nutrients and with a high protein concentration, excellent as a post workout or snack.

Last and then we'll let you get back on track. Do you leave us with 3 tips for those who practice or approach this sport and try to improve themselves every day?

1. Always have a fixed goal in mind.
2. Learning to understand your body: never afraid of fatigue, but you also need to understand when to stop and rest.
3. Love what you do.

Davide, you are a great person as well as a great athlete.

We wish you a great good luck and above all ...

May the force be with you!