![\"Train](\"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/olympics_april_ross_beach_volleyball_2.jpg\" "\\"Train")
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If you\u2019ve ever seen an Olympic beach volleyball player, it\u2019s probably pretty clear that they work hard at getting fit \u2014\u00a0you just might not realize how hard. For April Ross, silver medalist<\/a> at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and a contender for the gold in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, it\u2019s all about building strength<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI used to hate putting on muscle \u2014 I thought it just made me look bulky. But the stronger I\u2019ve gotten, the more I\u2019ve seen it transfer to the court and to performance,\u201d Ross, age 33, says. \u201cI feel like I\u2019m close to being in the best shape I\u2019ve ever been in. I\u2019m working harder than I\u2019ve ever worked and I\u2019m really excited to see how that pays off.”<\/p>\n RELATED:\u00a0<\/strong>3 HIIT Workouts to Take to the Beach<\/a><\/p>\n Here\u2019s a peek inside Ross\u2019 intense gym schedule \u2014\u00a0plus, a beach workout you can try for yourself.<\/p>\n So what does a typical week of training look like for Ross? The 6\u20191\u201d California native spends plenty of time in the gym \u2014\u00a0and on the court. \u201cWe\u2019re on the sand practicing two-and-half hours a day, six days a week and our coach specifically runs a really high-cardio<\/a> practice, so you\u2019re dead tired afterwards,\u201d she says. But that\u2019s just the morning workout. Afterwards, she\u2019ll drive an hour to make it to her weightlifting session, which lasts another two-and-half hours, four times a week.<\/p>\n RELATED:<\/strong>\u00a0The 15 Most Underrated Exercises, According to Trainers<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI used to subscribe to the higher reps, lower weight type of workout, but now leading up to this Olympics, I\u2019ve been doing less reps with higher weights, and I really like that for explosiveness [it gives me],\u201d Ross says. Some of her favorite strength moves include power cleans<\/a> and single-leg Romanian deadlifts<\/a> with dumbbells. \u201cI feel like I can do those anywhere, if I\u2019m stuck in a hotel or something,\u201d she says. Ross admits there\u2019s also nothing better than good old push-ups<\/a> and lunges<\/a>. \u201cI can\u2019t do lunges \u2014\u00a0no matter how good of shape I\u2019m in \u2014 without my butt getting sore,\u201d Ross says. (We feel your pain.)April Ross: Insider Her Training Routine<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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