14 Animals That Are Better Athletes Than You

You may think you've got what it takes. You may think you train hard. But there's always someone out there pushing harder, working longer, and digging deeper than you. Can you keep up?

1. Charles was up at 5 a.m. this morning training.

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What were you doing at 5 a.m.? Oh, that's right, you were asleep.

2. Jennifer has been perfecting her drop-in for weeks.

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You gave up when you fell the first few times. Should've kept pushing.

3. Ronald's gymnastics moves put yours to shame.

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Just look at him go. Look at that tumble. He's unstoppable. Pretty sure you can't pull acrobatics like that...yet.

4. Molly has been out in the lineup since sunrise.

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When's the last time you woke up for the dawn patrol?

5. Byron's in the zone when he plays tetherball. Every time.

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You take frequent breaks to check your text messages. Psh. Byron doesn't even have a data plan that includes text messaging. Plus, he calls people. He doesn't text.

6. Pete has literally made thousands of jumpshots.

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You've probably only made hundreds. But that's OK. Keep practicing. By the time you've done thousands, Pete will have gone pro. Time to catch up.

7. Even when Wendy is sitting down she does crunches.

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She uses every opportunity to better herself. Do you?

8. Derek's wondering why it took you so long to show up to water polo practice.

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Where were you? Carb loading? Buddy, the only thing you should be loading right now is equipment so you can train with Derek.

9. This is Dayna. She doesn't stop practicing until she can hold all her poses for 30 seconds each.

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Do you hold yourself to equally high standards? Or do you just give in when you start to feel sore?

10. Frankie and Dottie are the toughest wrestlers on the scene right now.

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They're the ones you always see sweating buckets when you are just showing up to the gym. To them, "second place" is synonymous with "last place."

11. Terry's always been faster than you.

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Sure, he may have a smooth belly that gives him an advantage in skeleton, but how long are you going to keep using that as an excuse?

12. Penelope's speed walking technique is poetry in motion.

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Somehow, she always shows you a thing or two. Isn't it about time you teach her a lesson of your own? Take her to school...if you've got what it takes.

13. Chuck's breaststroke will be studied for years to come.

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How did he obtain such disciplined control over his form? Practice. Sacrifice. Dedication. Kinda makes you want to hit the pool a little earlier tomorrow, right? Well, It should.

14. Nathan's hell week is a walk in the park.

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Why? Because he trained hard all summer. Look at him — he's relaxing because he knows he's got you beat. Better step it up if you want to take on Nathan.

So what do all of these animals have in common? They all represent someone you know...and maybe even despise.

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Your biggest competitor. Your natural-born rival. That's TJ -- the one that's always been one step ahead of you -- working harder. Running faster. Jumping higher. The word "quit" isn't in TJ's vocabulary.

But it's not too late to get the best of TJ this summer. Go to Nike.com/gearup and gear up for greatness. Make TJ work for it.