How Wakeboarder Dallas Friday Got That Body

— -- Dallas Friday was a stellar gymnast at a young age, but "every athlete has to have a passion for what they do," and for Friday, that was wakeboarding. She quit gymnastics when she was 12 and discovered wakeboarding through some not-so-gentle encouragement from her older brothers.

"When I first got out there it was like, 'Oh, you got up. OK, we're going to leave you in the middle of the lake with the alligators unless you try a backflip.' And I'm like 'What? No! Don't leave me out here!' And then of course I'd end up trying a backflip," Friday fondly remembers of her brothers Robin, 30, and Chad, 29. "I think that really pushed me to visualize this path that can I be really good at wakeboarding and that anything is possible if I'm willing to take that extra step outside of my comfort zone."

Visualization is a big part of the game for 28-year-old Friday, who has four X Games titles to her name. She talked about that practice and more in an interview for the 2015 Body Issue.

See It, Be It

Friday puts a lot of importance on taking time for mental preparation before she leaves for a contest. "I feel like if I don't have that time, I feel like I'm potentially already losing."

She visualizes everything about the competition: the moves in her contest pass and what they'll be like, to where she sees herself on the podium.

Endurance Training

Friday considers cardio and endurance her biggest hurdles. "I've trained my whole life to just go out there and do two passes and give it my all - that's definitely what I'm built to do. What it comes down to is, could I do it again? A few minutes later? Yeah, but not as good." Here are two ways she works to improve her endurance: