Better Sleep Case Study: Declan Brooks, Olympic Freestyle BMX Bronze Medallist

Declan Brooks has been competing at the highest level of BMX since 2018. But it was at Tokyo 2020 when the 26-year-old burst into the public consciousness by jumping, flipping and tricking his way to an Olympic bronze medal. Now, just 2 years out from Paris 2024 and with a second Olympics firmly in his sights, Declan is more committed than ever to his sport.

Ahead of a busy 12 months competing in events around the world, Mammoth caught up with Declan as he placed an order for his new kingsize Mammoth mattress. We wanted to find out more about what it takes to become an elite-level BMX freestyler and why sleep is a critical part of his daily training routine.

Like most kids, Declan Brooks sporting career started with kicking a football around from a young age. But it was when he was nine years old that he tried his first tricks on a BMX bike. He says,

“It started out with me just messing around with a few mates. At that age I didn’t think riding my bike would become a career path; it was just about learning new skills.

“I only started to take things more seriously around the age that my friends were going off to college and university. It’s very hard to get a professional contract when you start out so I was working a full-time job as a plasterer, as well as training in the evenings.

“It was tough during that period, but that’s the only way I could fund going to the big events with the better prize money that would provide the platform for a professional contract in the future. Once I finally got sponsors in place and UK sport began to fund us for the Olympic programme, it enabled me to go professional and dramatically improve the quality of my training – both in the gym and on the bike.”

The Olympic experience

Declan knows that few people ever get to enjoy the experience of being an Olympian . . . let alone being an Olympic medallist. And he says that competing during the Covid Pandemic made the Tokyo Games all the more surreal.

“Looking back now, it was a bit of a whirlwind really. We were obviously quite confined to the Athlete’s Village and it maybe wasn’t your typical Olympic experience. That maybe makes me more motivated to get back to another Games – this time with big crowds and my family able to travel there.

“But it was definitely a great Olympics for us as a BMX team. We managed to come back with four medals from four events, so we couldn’t have asked for much more. I think that’s probably why the sport has blown up in the UK over the last couple of years.

Back in training

After claiming his medal in Tokyo, Declan says he took some time away from the bike to give himself the opportunity to enjoy the achievement. That time away has served to freshen him up and give him the drive to get back in the saddle and go again:

“As soon as I got back riding I was fully committed to working towards 2024. I’m always trying to get better and find ways to improve – and, to be honest, I really enjoy being in a routine.”

With less than two years to go until the Paris Games, the hard work now begins for Declan to make it back to the Olympics. His previous success will count for nothing and the slate has been wiped clean. Instead, he will be required to compete in a number of UCI qualifying events over the next 18 months to accumulate enough points to secure a place in Team GB for the trip across the Channel.

He says,

“I’m heading into quite an intensive period now where I need to be competing at the highest level. And it won’t really be until a couple of months before the Olympics begin that the final team will be announced.”

To make the grade, Declan will need to keep his training dialled in and work hard to stay fit. Over the course of a typical week, Declan says that he’ll pack in 5 or 6 sessions on the bike at the skatepark. These sessions can last up to three or four hours at a time. 

“You don’t really want to be going for any longer than that, to be honest,” he says, “because fatigue can set in and it’s not a good idea to be tired when you’re trying tricks 15 feet up in the air!”

He’s also in the gym four or five days a week, working on his strength and conditioning. “I do quite a lot of HIIT training,” Declan explains. “It’s generally about getting the heart going and preparing my bodies for the bursts of effort that replicate a freestyle routine on the bike.”

He continues,

“I always make sure I work on the whole body, too. A lot of people think that it’s just leg training for riding a bike but for freestyle BMX you need to have a strong core and upper body to throw the bike where you need to.”

With such an intensive training regime, Declan explains that making time for recovery and rest is critical over the course of a training block.

“That relaxation time is as important as the gym work, I think. My body and my mind need some time to switch off so that I can recover and come back sharp for the next session. I like to go for a gentle round of golf on my day off so that I keep moving a little bit and don’t stiffen up.

“I also try to get a massage once a week and use tools like compression trousers to try to optimise recovery. As a sport we get used to taking a few crashes so it’s important to keep on top of any niggles that might impact on training.

“Sleep is also critical for recovery – which is why I was first interested in getting a Mammoth mattress. I’m naturally a very good sleeper and don’t have too many issues with dropping off or getting the rest I need. But I also know that it’s important to make the most of those hours spent asleep.

“I’ve actually just started using a Whoop strap to track the quality of my sleep and get a bit more data on that. It will be interesting to see how sleeping on my new Mammoth will improve that.”

Final thoughts

Like any athlete, Declan knows that rest and recovery is invaluable to reaching peak performance. But if there was anyone worth losing sleep over (dead or alive), we asked him who’d be worth staying up for a late night chat with…

“I’d have to say Dave Mirra. He’s a legend of BMX who won everything there was to win un the sport. Unfortunately died back in 2016 but he’s regarded by many as BMX’s equivalent of LeBron James or Michael Jordan. I’d love to pick his brain.”

You can follow Declan on Instagram @declanbrooks.