Gold Medal Fitness

We all wouldn’t mind a six-pack like the one 41-year-old Dara Torres is sporting nowadays. The Olympic swimmer, like many of her athletic counterparts, is in peak condition to participate in this year’s games. But what if you could give some of their best fitness tips a shot? Try adding these moves to your workout plan and you will feel like a gold medal winner in no time.

Condition like a javelin thrower: Breaux Greer has earned eight national titles within his 15-year career. But Greer has also suffered several injuries that have left him in surgery 11 times. The 31-year-old has learned a conditioning technique that he hopes will help him bring home the gold and you can try it too. Set aside 18 minutes and hit your local high school’s stadium steps. Greer takes every step the first time up, then every other step, and, finally, every third step. Once he gets to the top, he jogs down each step slowly, repeating the process for about 18 minutes.

Hone your court skills: Running around on a beach in a bathing suit would be intimidating to most women (and men), but for volleyball Olympian Kerry Walsh it’s an everyday affair. Her commitment is probably one of the prime factors that led Walsh and her teammate Misty May-Treamnor to beach volleyball gold in 2004. Take Walsh’s dedication to the court by perfecting the flat serve. At about an arm’s length away, throw the ball up in front of you, smacking the ball when it is at the uppermost point of your arm swing. Hit the ball with your palm, but stop once you make contact, instead of following the whole way through.

Go ahead and sculpt that six-pack: Tyson Gay is a sprinting champ and he is looking forward to proving it by participating this year in his first Olympics. Gay says a tough core is at the center of his stellar performance. His favorite move involves lying on a bench with a weight plate held on the chest by both hands. Gay lifts about 6 inches off the bench, holds the position and then pushes the weight away from the chest, like a bench press. Lower the weight, but hold the torso contraction. Do 12 presses for one minute and repeat.

Let us know if you try some of these out! But if the gold medal workouts are a little too much too soon, try some of our getting in shape tips! [MSN]