Recreation

Dominique Dawes has three Olympic medals, one of the best nicknames in sports ("Awesome Dawesome") and the ability to sit in a split for hours on end. So what doesn't the legendary gymnast have? Weights.

You might not be planning to flip anytime soon, but there's a lesson in this for all of us: Body parts can be even more effective than barbells for building strength. These are principles you can incorporate into what you do, too.

Dawes's personal workouts often start with her favorite form of cardio, skipping rope.

"I don't think people jump enough," she says. Perhaps it's no surprise that a woman who spent her childhood leaping off springboards continues to carry a torch for jumping. But Dawes thinks folks who keep their feet on the ground are missing out on an activity that's portable, cheap and a guaranteed calorie scorcher. Once she segues into strength, she adds jumps to squats and lunges, too. Always landing with perfect form, of course.

She still does triceps dips (sitting with her hands holding the edge of a chair, she shifts her tush forward into the air and then lowers down with her arms), mountain climbers (in push-up position, she picks up one knee and brings it toward her head, then switches) and tricky pistol squats (lowering herself down on one leg, then sitting on her butt, rolling back and standing up on the one leg again).

And she'll never stop doing back bridges, except instead of kicking her leg into the air for a back walkover, it's part of her yoga practice.