(NEXSTAR) - American curlers are adopting high-intensity fitness regimens for the Milano Cortina Olympics as the sport transitions from a leisure activity to a rigorous physical discipline. A new wave of athletes is prioritizing strength and conditioning to meet the modern demands of international competition. This shift follows a successful period for U.S.A. Curling, which includes a bronze medal in 2006 and a gold medal in 2018 won by Team Shuster. To maintain this level of success, current athletes are incorporating daily 6 a.m. gym sessions and sports science into their preparation. Rich Ruohonen, a 54-year-old athlete, is competing in the Milano Cortina Olympics. Ruohonen noted that the physical demands and intensity of the sport have increased significantly compared to previous generations, when curling was viewed as a less strenuous activity. Mike Gulenchyn, the sports science coordinator for U.S.A. Curling, manages the physical preparation for the Olympic teams. Gulenchyn explained that training programs are customized based on an athlete's specific role on the ice. "At the front end, they're going to get a little bit more upper body, lower body strength stuff," Gulenchyn said. "My back end might be a little bit more cardio stuff in the end." Gulenchyn emphasized that the modern game requires competitors to maintain the fitness levels of elite athletes. He compared the physical requirements of the sport to other disciplines. "We're athletes," Gulenchyn said. "When you're curling, you're essentially doing an extended lunge on ice and trying to be precise like a golfer on a green." He added that in mixed doubles, athletes must quickly transition from stone delivery to sweeping for up to 25 seconds. Aidan Oldenburg, a men's frontman, provides evidence of this shift in athletic standards. Oldenburg noted that sweeping has become one of the most critical parts of his game, requiring a rigorous training schedule."Sweeping is like one of the biggest parts of the game for me, and um, me, and like Ben and Luke and Danny and Rich, were all at the gym 6am before work," Oldenburg said. He noted that the team maintains this routine multiple days a week. Taylor Anderson of the women's team similarly conducts early morning training sessions to prepare for Olympic competition. Her regimen includes functional strength training such as bench presses and exercises designed to maintain a high heart rate. Tammates say Korey Dropkin, who competes in mixed curling doubles, represents the physical standard now required to win at the international level. Dropkin put his training to use last week, earning a silver for Team USA. All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by Nexstar. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by Nexstar staff before being published