12 Power Moves 4 Top Athletes Swear By

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2016 issue of SELF.

Whether they’re running 19 mph down a track or dunking in a basketball game, athletes are the closest thing we have to real-life superheroes. We asked four of our favorites what unique power has helped them become champions, as well as the moves that keep them powered up. 

Dawn Harper-Nelson

Age: 32
Home base: Los Angeles
Sport: Hurdles

 ”I visualize the first eight steps of a race for hours beforehand, trying to get them just right in my head,” says Dawn Harper-Nelson, who will run the 100-meter hurdles in Rio. That total commitment to precision—plus a smooth stride powered by superstrong glutes and legs—helps her clear hurdles at breakneck pace. And the track star knows firsthand how crucial each micro-moment is for a podium finish: She missed the gold medal in London in 2012 by a mere 0.02 second. Her attention to detail started young. “My mom used to call me inside as it was getting dark, and I’d beg to practice more,” says the self- described perfectionist. “Then I’d come in and hurdle the arm of the couch!”

Her Moves

Improving as a sprinter involves more than running. Harper-Nelson shares her plyometric drills for a speedier stride.

1. High Knees Run in place, bringing knees to chest as high as possible while pumping arms, landing on balls of feet. Keep chest lifted throughout. Continue for 30 seconds. Rest 30 seconds. Repeat twice.

2. A Skip Skip forward with lead knee at waist height, back leg straight. Strike ground with midfoot or forefoot as you swing opposite arm. Continue for 30 seconds. Rest 30 seconds. Repeat twice.

3. Butt Kick Run in place, kicking feet to glutes while pumping arms, landing on balls of feet. Keep chest lifted throughout. Continue for 30 seconds. Rest 30 seconds. Repeat twice.

4. Pause Squat Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes out. Keep chest up and back straight as you squat with knees over ankles until thighs are parallel to floor. Pause 10 seconds. Return to start for 1 rep. Do 3 sets of 10 reps.

Gevvie Stone

Age: 31
Home base: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Sport: Rowing

There’s a beautifully rhythmic cadence to rowing: Lean forward, catch the blade in the water, push through your heels and pull the oar back. “You practice that motion over and over, usually alone,” says Gevvie Stone, who will compete in single sculls in Rio. It helps that the drive to succeed on the water is in the Princeton grad’s DNA: Her parents were Olympic rowers, and boat was her first word as a baby. Still, creating that poetic repetition on the water takes major muscle. She spends up to 90 minutes a day lifting weights. “You have to embrace the hurt,” says Stone, a med school grad accustomed to chasing big dreams: She plans to become an orthopedic surgeon after the Olympics.

Her Moves

Lower-body strength is key for Stone, since her legs generate 70 percent of her power in rowing.

1. Reverse Lunge Stand with feet hip-width apart. Step left leg back into lunge, both knees bent 90 degrees. Push through front heel to return to start. Repeat on opposite side for 1 rep. Do 3 sets of 12 reps.

2. Jumping Lunge Stand with feet hip-width apart. Jump and land in a lunge, right leg forward. Jump again, switching legs. Continue for 30 seconds. Rest 30 seconds. Repeat twice.

3. Suitcase Squat Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, a dumbbell in each hand, palms in. Push hips back and lower into squat. Drive through heels to stand for 1 rep. Do 3 sets of 12 reps.

4. Deadlift Row Stand with feet hip-width apart, a dumbbell in each hand, palms back. Bend at waist, bringing torso parallel to floor. Pull weights to ribs. Lower, then stand for 1 rep. Do 3 sets of 12 reps.

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