Louie Vito on Olympic Snowboarding and DWTS

If you haven't already heard of Louie Vito, you soon will. The 21-year-old Ohio native has qualified for his first-ever winter Olympics in Vancouver, where he will compete today in the Men's Halfpipe event (February 17 at 4:05pm ET).

Since the beginning of this season, Vito's emerged as somewhat of a threat to 2006 U.S. Olympic Halfpipe champ, and probably the most recognized name in U.S. snowboarding, Shaun White. Vito finished second to White in the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix at Copper Mountain, Colo., this past December.

Besides mastering tricks like the frontside double-cork 1080 on the slopes, Vito's secondary claim to fame is his ability to tear up the dance floor -- as seen in this past season of ABC's "Dancing With The Stars."

Vito took some time out of his busy training schedule to speak with That's Fit from his home in Utah about his pre-Vancouver workout routine, how DWTS's ballroom skills helped him step out of his comfort zone, and preparing to compete in his first winter Olympics.

TF: First of all -- congrats on qualifying for the Olympic team! What are you feeling right now, pre-competition?

Louie Vito: I'm super-psyched and anxious to compete, but really not sure what to expect. But all of the hard work is done, and the U.S. has one of the strongest snowboarding teams, so it's time to enjoy it. I'll just relax and do the run the way I want -- I can't ask for anything else.

TF: What does a typical day in your exercise routine look like, particularly in these past months leading up to the games?

LV: At the end of this past spring, I decided that I wanted to get in really good shape. We had five qualifiers back-to-back, so I decided to get a trainer named Eric Lands who would keep me strong, since being strong can help prevent injuries, which are especially common with these back-to-back qualifiers. [According to his Web site, Vito's list of past injuries already includes snapping his femur in half, breaking and re-breaking his wrist, and slicing his head open.] I started working out with him and began getting into a sports-specific training system. He also gave me some good routines for the road. I also do an intense hike and run routine. I hike for about two hours straight up 10,000 feet. In my off-time I'll go to the gym, but during the winter I'm boarding the majority of the day -- sometimes two to three hours nonstop.

TF: So, let's get down to what many of our TF readers want to know about -- your dancing skills. What was DWTS Season 9 like for you?

LV: Well, I had to wear uncomfortable clothes and be judged [laughs]. But for me it made snowboarding easier. Because I wear and do what I want to do in my own sport, having this experience made the pressures of snowboarding seem a bit easier. They are polar opposite in terms of sports, though. In snowboarding I feel like I have more freedom to do what I want, while dancing (at least as it was in DWTS) had a right and wrong. But, I would definitely do it again. It takes a lot to go on the show and do what I did, but it was more fun than I initially thought it would be, and it's cool to do something totally out of your comfort zone.

TF: Did you do any special training or practice for the show?

LV: Well, I had already gotten in shape before show started, but besides that, I didn't do any additional training. I was just myself. I've never danced like that before, unlike someone like Donny Osmond who has literally been dancing since before I was born!

TF: Once you were through with DWTS, what was your diet while you were getting ready for the Olympics?

LV: I really just watch what I eat. Like I'll have gummies for dessert, but I'm not eating lots of ice cream or cake. For breakfast I'll have about five eggs, with 70 percent egg white and maybe one or two yolks. Of course, I don't eat a crazy amount of carbs, but at the same time I do have to eat some because it's fuel to burn. Especially when it comes to snowboarding, you need to have cushion in between your joints, so you don't want to be incredibly thin. The nature of snowboarding is that your muscles and joints smash, so you want a bit of this cushioning. Right now, I eat more freely than I did in the summer, especially when I was going to the beach.

For more fitness tips from 2010 Olympians, read about alpine skier and lingerie model Julie Mancuso's favorite gym moves.