Olympic Swimmer Dara Torres’ Workout Routine & Tips

Dara Torres knows a thing or two about forging her own path. The swimmer had already retired (twice!), become a mom, and won 9 Olympic medals when she decided to make her famous comeback for the 2008 Olympics. At 41, Torres would become the oldest ever female swimmer to compete at the Olympics and went on to win a silver medal in the 50-meter freestyle (missing out on the gold by 1/100th of a second, per Team USA) — plus two more silvers in relays.

When she exited the Olympic pool for the last time, she uttered the words that have become her catchphrase: Don’t put an age limit on your dreams.

It’s a sentiment Torres is still passionate about today. “It doesn’t matter how old you are,” she tells SheKnows at a strength training event to promote BOOST nutritional drinks. Torres remembered facing her own doubts and fears before making her 2008 comeback, to the point that she got full-body X-rays “to make sure my body was OK” before fully committing to the comeback — “which is silly!” Torres says now. “I don’t even know if the doctor even pushed the camera button.”

But the self-doubt was part of the process. “You do question yourself sometimes,” Torres says. “And you can question yourself — that’s fine, that’s normal. But then put those behind you and set a goal.”

The doubts were coming from the outside, too. Torres recalls asking Mike Bloomberg to sponsor her before the 2008 Olympics, and getting a trademark sarcastic response from the businessman: “Aren’t you too old?” Torres took it for the humor it was, but she also used that kind of negativity as motivation. “It’s very good to take negativities and turn it into a positive,” she says. “You can turn around and use it as fire and fuel.”

Now 57, Torres is using her platform to continue inspiring women to live the lives they want, no matter what society says they should or shouldn’t do. Her BOOST partnership is a part of that, with Torres helping to develop a series of strength-building classes — BOOST Camp — to help the 50+ community to prioritize strength. It’s an important goal; per the National Institute on Aging, strength training helps with maintaining muscle mass and bone density as our bodies age and change.

For Torres, keeping the strength classes accessible was a big factor. “I can teach women who might be intimidated to go to a gym or a class how to do exercises that you can do at home,” she said. The exercises can be intensified with a band or a weight, but “you can also use nothing,” Torres says, “and you’re still going to get a great workout.” Nutrition is also important for the former Olympian — she says she eats eggs before her morning workout and sips on BOOST afterwards.

And while Torres may not be stepping up to the starting blocks as often these days, her personal workout routine is still a big part of her life. She does solidcore (a Pilates-style, core-centric workout), TRX classes, spinning, boxing, and extra strength training on the side. The variety is the point. “If you keep doing the same thing over and over and over again, you’re not working the muscles anymore,” she explains. “You get used to it.”

Torres’ daughter, Tessa Grace, has even started to join her workouts — and, more importantly enjoy them. The first time they went to boxing together, Torres remembers, “Tessa was literally kicking and screaming.” But by the end of the workout, Tessa was asking when the next class was. As a health-focused mom, Torres says showing her daughter how to take care of her body, rather than telling her, has proven effective. “Exercise is important, not only for your body, but for your brain,” she explained. “And [Tessa] is starting to just understand that now.”

Of course, it’s all about balance, too. Torres says she and Tessa are planning to watch the 2024 Olympics while eating ice cream on the couch as Tessa recovers from a planned tonsillectomy. Then, Tessa will head to college at Penn State in the fall, an experience Torres is “super excited” for her daughter to embrace.

“It’s all so important,” Torres says. “I’ve been a single mom and been there for her, [and now] she needs to go off on her own and experience things… She knows I’m very close by if she ever needs anything, but I want her to go and experience life and be with friends, meet new people.”

Of course, those big life transitions aren’t always easy, but Torres is a big proponent of planning ahead — something she says got her through her transition into retirement. “For me, personally, I always made sure I just went and worked out,” Torres remembers. “Because whatever stress I had inside of me, I was able to get it out.”

Before you go, check out our favorite yoga videos to amp up your home workout: