The size and scale of the Olympics has exploded since the first games were held over 2,700 years ago.
This year, athletes will compete in 26 sports over a gruelling two-and-a-half weeks in summer.
But, just because your favourite athletes are on the TV doesn't mean you can't get out and join them – even if you're not going to be competing for Olympic glory.
Every event offers its own unique challenges and health benefits. Most importantly, they are all great fun and won't seem like hard work at all.
Here are three easy activities you can do outside the Olympic Park.
It builds lung capacity, endurance and strength. As a non-impact activity, swimming makes a good alternative to high-impact exercise like running and team sports – it's kinder to the joints, making it a good choice of exercise for those with achy knees and ankles.
If you're a non-swimmer, it's never too late to learn. But it's worth taking a few lessons to ensure you develop a good and efficient technique.
Even if you're reasonably proficient, a few tips from an expert can see your swimming speed increase dramatically.
There's also synchronised swimming and the biggest test of swimming endurance, the 10km open water swim.
It's a non-impact activity, which means it places no stress on the joints of the knee, ankle or back.
This can make it a good option for people who are restricted from other forms of exercise because of problems in these areas.
Most of us have a bike at the back of our garden shed or can borrow one from a friend.
But if you don't have a bicycle, or even if you've never ridden a bike before, it doesn't mean you can't get involved. Most gyms have stationary cycles that are an excellent starting point for those new to exercise.
Road cycling and mountain biking are the most common for fitness activities and are ideal for beginners – all you need is your bike and a helmet.
There are hundreds of miles of dedicated cycling routes throughout the country, ranging from wide tarmac paths to challenging off-road sections.
Check out Sustrans to search for routes in your area.
Power and strength are vital in the bars, pommel horse and vault.
Core strength is also developed to hold the body in various balances and positions.
Female gymnasts, such as Beth Tweddle, have been successful for many years, meaning gymnastics has been always been popular with women.
The more recent successes of Louis Smith and Reiss Beckford have raised the profile of men's gymnastics, and a lot of males are now taking up the sport.
You'll have access to expert coaching and the right equipment. Progress may be slow to start with, but once you've mastered a trick or two it will be immensely rewarding.
To find a club near you, visit British Gymnastics.
Skipping ropes are inexpensive, easy to store and require a minimal amount of learning.
You can strengthen and tone your whole body using just your bodyweight.
There are lots of different exercises to try so you'll never get bored of working out.
Since the straps are free to move in any direction, each exercise really challenges the core and the small stabiliser muscles around the joints, helping you achieve greater results.
You can jump on to it or from it to develop power, and it can be used to sit or lay on to perform weights exercises.
Training with the BOSU twice a week will help develop the attributes needed for many events but particularly the team sports, such as football or volleyball, where whole body conditioning is essential.
Dumbbells are the best choice for a home gym because they take up minimal space and can be easily adjusted for various different exercises.
You can perform scores of different moves to strengthen and tone the whole body.
All products are available from Physical Company.
This year, athletes will compete in 26 sports over a gruelling two-and-a-half weeks in summer.
But, just because your favourite athletes are on the TV doesn't mean you can't get out and join them – even if you're not going to be competing for Olympic glory.
Every event offers its own unique challenges and health benefits. Most importantly, they are all great fun and won't seem like hard work at all.
Here are three easy activities you can do outside the Olympic Park.
Swimming
| If you're a non-swimmer, it's never too late to learn. |
Benefits
Swimming exercises all the major muscle groups of the body as well as the heart and lungs, making it a great activity for overall fitness.It builds lung capacity, endurance and strength. As a non-impact activity, swimming makes a good alternative to high-impact exercise like running and team sports – it's kinder to the joints, making it a good choice of exercise for those with achy knees and ankles.
If you're a non-swimmer, it's never too late to learn. But it's worth taking a few lessons to ensure you develop a good and efficient technique.
Even if you're reasonably proficient, a few tips from an expert can see your swimming speed increase dramatically.
What the Olympians do
Olympians will compete for medals in four strokes: butterfly, breaststroke, freestyle and backstroke, and over distances ranging from 50m to 1,500m.There's also synchronised swimming and the biggest test of swimming endurance, the 10km open water swim.
More info
Check out Active Places to find your nearest pool, or visit swimming.org to locate your nearest club.Cycling
| Most of us have a bike at the back of our garden shed or can borrow one from a friend. |
Benefits
Cycling is excellent for improving fitness and toning up the lower body.It's a non-impact activity, which means it places no stress on the joints of the knee, ankle or back.
This can make it a good option for people who are restricted from other forms of exercise because of problems in these areas.
Most of us have a bike at the back of our garden shed or can borrow one from a friend.
But if you don't have a bicycle, or even if you've never ridden a bike before, it doesn't mean you can't get involved. Most gyms have stationary cycles that are an excellent starting point for those new to exercise.
What the Olympians do
There are four different Olympic cycling disciplines: BMX, road, track and mountain biking – each offering a slightly different technical challenge.Road cycling and mountain biking are the most common for fitness activities and are ideal for beginners – all you need is your bike and a helmet.
More info
Your nearest cycle path is probably closer than you think.There are hundreds of miles of dedicated cycling routes throughout the country, ranging from wide tarmac paths to challenging off-road sections.
Check out Sustrans to search for routes in your area.
Gymnastics
| Core strength is also developed to hold the body in various balances and positions. |
Benefits
This is a test of all-round fitness, as each of the different disciplines requires its own set of fitness attributes. In order to perform the jumps and somersaults in the correct manner, gymnasts need to be flexible.Power and strength are vital in the bars, pommel horse and vault.
Core strength is also developed to hold the body in various balances and positions.
What the Olympians do
Men compete in disciplines – such as the floor, pommel horse, rings, vault, bars and trampoline – while women compete on the vault, uneven bars, balance beam, floor, and trampoline, as well as rhythmic gymnastics (a combination of gymnastics and dance).Female gymnasts, such as Beth Tweddle, have been successful for many years, meaning gymnastics has been always been popular with women.
The more recent successes of Louis Smith and Reiss Beckford have raised the profile of men's gymnastics, and a lot of males are now taking up the sport.
More info
If you're keen to give gymnastics a try, a club is the best starting point.You'll have access to expert coaching and the right equipment. Progress may be slow to start with, but once you've mastered a trick or two it will be immensely rewarding.
To find a club near you, visit British Gymnastics.
Best kit for stay-at-home Olympians
| Skipping ropes are inexpensive. |
Skipping rope
Every athlete could benefit from including a little skipping in their training programme.Skipping ropes are inexpensive, easy to store and require a minimal amount of learning.
- Try 30 to 60 seconds of skipping alternated with marching on the spot.
- Repeat this 10 to 15 times for a great cardiovascular workout.
- Once you're comfortable with the basic technique, try to master a few tricks to increase the challenge.
| There are lots of different exercises to try so you'll never get bored of working out. |
Human Trainer
This simple piece of fitness kit isn't that far removed from some of the apparatus you'll find in a proper gym.You can strengthen and tone your whole body using just your bodyweight.
There are lots of different exercises to try so you'll never get bored of working out.
Since the straps are free to move in any direction, each exercise really challenges the core and the small stabiliser muscles around the joints, helping you achieve greater results.
| Training with the BOSU twice a week will help develop the attributes needed for many events. |
BOSU
The BOSU is highly versatile – it can be used as a balance trainer to develop body awareness and stability.You can jump on to it or from it to develop power, and it can be used to sit or lay on to perform weights exercises.
Training with the BOSU twice a week will help develop the attributes needed for many events but particularly the team sports, such as football or volleyball, where whole body conditioning is essential.
| You can perform scores of different moves to strengthen and tone the whole body. |
Adjustable dumbbells
Every athlete will do some form of strength training to help in their event.Dumbbells are the best choice for a home gym because they take up minimal space and can be easily adjusted for various different exercises.
You can perform scores of different moves to strengthen and tone the whole body.
All products are available from Physical Company.
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