Bodybuilder Wendy Fortino in Two-Piece Workout Gear Pulls Out "Mental Paintbrush"

Wendy Portino is revealing her mental hack for building muscle – in her workout gear. In a new social media post the bodybuilder shows off her impressive physique in a two-piece exercise set during a session at the gym, revealing her mental hack. "Imagine you are 'painting on' 🎨 your muscles with your mind 🧠… Each repetition is a stroke 🖌️… Control through the release, and control with acceleration through the contraction. Never letting the paintbrush leave the paper. Constant paint strokes throughout the entire set; only allowing the brush to leave once the set is over," she writes in the captioned of the Instagram video. "I believe this focus requires us to be completely 'checked in' to the training session. This is the one time during the day that I free my mind from anything that is bogging it down. That is hard at times, but it must be done. Once my mind is free and focused, I pull out my 'mental paintbrush' and I get to work. Every single repetition is one stroke closer to the body I aim to achieve. With my vision so clear, I plow forward with the tools I have mastered over years of experience." How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits. 

Wendy is a runner. "I get up first thing in the morning for a 45 minute run. I have to run pretty intense to get something out of it," she told Hard Fitness. "In the evening, I do another 30 minutes of cardio on the stepmill. I have to go at such an intense pace to work a sweat!" She also does interval training twice a week. According to the Mayo Clinic, running is great for cardiovascular health, muscle building, and weight loss. "For every mile run, the average person will burn approximately 100 calories," they say. 

"I also practice my gymnastics skills 3-4 times/week," she says. "I train very hard." According to Pinnacle Gymnastics, there are physical and mental benefits of gymnastics. Physical benefits include flexibility, balance, and muscular strength. "These skills improve bone health and delay the development of high blood pressure," they say.

Before a contest, Wendy focuses on nutrition. "I will probably coast in with about 200 grams of carbs (from white/brown rice), 120 grams of protein (from tilapia), and 50 grams of fat (from almond butter)." In general she aims for "significant amounts of carbs and good fats."

Wendy understands the importance of hydration, but doesn't drink a lot before shows. "I didn't drink anything the day of shows. It didn't feel like torture, though. It's not as bad as people think. It was so funny – the other day, someone from the gym asked me if I was a figure competitor, and then proceeded to ask me if I 'like, dehydrate myself all the time and stuff?' I said, 'of course not! I would never be able to train the way that I need to if I were always dehydrated. The body can do just fine on little water for a day or two."

Wendy trains with weights 4-5 days per week and also does split training. "I work chest & shoulders, back, and glutes/hamstrings. These are the areas that Matt wants me to develop. I will rotate between workouts," she says. According to the Mayo Clinic, strength and weight training help reduce body fat, preserve and increase lean muscle mass, and burn calories more efficiently. Strength training may also help you:

• Develop strong bones
• Manage your weight
• Enhance your quality of life
• Manage chronic conditions
• Sharpen your thinking skills