Written by Trackandmemes, May 4, 2021
I started athletics when I was 11 years old. I was enrolled in the social center and one of the projects was to find out what job I wanted to do later on. I said I wanted to become an athlete so we arranged a meeting with the ASVEL club, a club in Villeurbanne, a suburb of Lyon. I met my trainer who coached me until I was 22.
At the beginning I touched a little bit of everything (cross-country, middle-distance, ...) then I specialized from cadet 1 in triple jump. The first year was a year of adaptation then the second year I qualified for the French championship. I was vice-champion of France in N2 in triple jump, so the French championships for seniors. This year, my goal would be to participate in the Elite championship in triple jump.
As far as my career as a physical trainer is concerned, I decided to go to STAPS (Sciences and Techniques of Physical and Sports Activities) because sport is what drives me daily. Then I started to coach the little ones, from the category of the youngest to the youngest. I finally got my degree in STAPS but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do or if I wanted to stay in sports so I continued my studies by starting a master in physical preparation. I also did my internship at the Bron Handball and at the moment I work there as a physical trainer for two teams, one in national 2 and the other in national 3.
As an athlete, how did you experience your previous Ramadans? And how are you living your current Ramadan?
Generally speaking, the first week of Ramadan is the hardest because your body has to adapt, but once that first week is over, you already feel better. Before, there was a period when Ramadan was in the summer and that was the hardest period for me. During this same period there were the French championships. It was a bit difficult to train under the sun, without drinking water, but I managed to adapt and as the years went by, you gain experience, you know what you have to do and what you should not do but also how your body reacts. After, there are also coaches who try to arrange the sessions according to Ramadan, so we will focus more on explosiveness, the training will be more nervous than muscular. But in recent years, Ramadan takes place during the spring, which favors the combination of sport and fasting. What I also do is that I prepare myself physically before entering this month of fasting, so I will fast and train two or three days before to see how my body reacts.
Lorsque tu crées le programme d’entraînement de tes athlètes, l’adaptes-tu en fonction du ramadan ?
Yes. At first I started a program in March without anticipating the fact that there was going to be Ramadan. So two three weeks before Ramadan, I realized that it was going to be complicated for my Muslim daughters to follow it so I modified it. The goal is not for them to be baked during Ramadan. Lack of sleep, nutrients and hydration already play a huge role in muscle fatigue so I didn't want to add too much to it. Most of the people I train want to lose weight, so I mainly give them high intensity cardio. As a result, they lose a lot of water so I decided to combine cardio and strength training. I have them do 20 minutes of cardio and then I end the session with strengthening. This way they can continue their workout and the session is adapted to their current shape.
Fais-tu un programme différent pour tes athlètes musulmans et non musulmans, ou alors tu donnes le même programme modifié à tous tes athlètes ?
I do individual coaching so the program is also designed for each person individually, because people don't react the same way. In any case, I know that they will progress, it's just that we will work differently.
En tant que pratiquante de cette religion, tu as l’impression de mieux comprendre tes athlètes durant cette période ?
Yes, because I have been living it for years. There are days when you're going to feel great without really understanding why, while there are other days when you're not going to feel great, and in those cases it's important to listen to your body; take more recovery, give up some things... It's just a time of year and you just have to adapt. I only train women now so I also think it's easier for them to give themselves up. For my part, this is the first year that I do Ramadan with my new coach and for the moment the sessions are tenable, there are no worries. And even my former coach, he asked me how I was doing, so there was no problem at that level. Afterwards, for the French championships he asked me as a joke: "Can't you stop Ramadan for the French Championships? "but I continued my fasting. It already happened to me once, not to fast during a championship, but I made two records while doing Ramadan so it is totally possible to reconcile the two. It's just up to me to organize myself well.
Adaptes-tu ton programme d’entraînement lorsque tes athlètes féminines sont réglées ?
I've never been in that situation. Afterwards, if the girl is really in trouble, I have to adapt my program. That's for sure.
Que conseillerais-tu aux athlètes qui souhaitent continuer de s’entraîner durant le ramadan sans perdre leur niveau ?
Recovery. This is where it's going to be the most decisive. Hydration, sleep, nutrients, allow us to have energy throughout the day. Afterwards, it all depends on the time of day when the athlete will be doing his session. But in the evening you really need to recharge your protein. Avoid everything that is harmful to the body, and everything that is not useful. You should also try to take a nap during the day, especially when you know that you have a session that will require a lot of energy, such as lactic sessions, speed sessions and weight training sessions. You should try to get at least 6 hours of sleep. In fact, during Ramadan, the night is a bit cut short because we eat around 5:20. By the time we get up it's 4:40 and by the time we finish praying it's already 6am. And the day before there is also a prayer at 10 pm so we sleep around midnight. So we get about 4 or 5 hours of sleep during the night, so it's important to find some time during the day to take a nap. Even 30 minutes is enough. Stretching, massages, cold baths, are also important to reduce muscle tension. It is true that when training in a group it is complicated to choose if you want to train in the morning or in the evening, but if possible, the athlete should do the session when he/she feels the most efficient. Short, intense sessions should be preferred over long, moderate sessions. This would allow you to work efficiently and qualitatively. On the other hand, what I would advise coaches to do is to listen to the athlete because if he passes out at the end of the session it is useless, it is counterproductive. You should also limit muscle loss, continue strengthening and rest.
Et que conseillerais-tu aux athlètes qui voudraient viser plus haut et carrément améliorer leur niveau durant cette période ?
For me, it is not the ideal time to perform. Afterwards, it's true that depending on the calendar, you will sometimes be obliged to go for the performance. And here I am talking mainly about athletes who compete. In this case, you have to adapt your sessions to perform well, and it's possible. I have done it. Maybe because I was at my ideal weight... I lose a lot of weight during Ramadan. You have to look for performance when the competitions start, but if you are not in a period of competitions, the ideal would be simply to try to keep the physical qualities.
Trouves-tu qu’on en parle assez de cette combinaison sport et jeûne ? Ou alors ce serait une réalité encore un peu dans l’ombre ?
We don't talk about it enough. I never got any advice about combining sports and Ramadan. I didn't even know it existed, that it was possible. I rely on my personal experience to adapt. There are a lot of Muslims who play sports. It affects a lot of people in the end. And in reality, the combination is possible. You just have to adapt the sessions. With experience, you get to know your body, know when to do what.
English 
French