Basketball Star Hailey Van Lith In Workout Gear Does Pull Ups At the Gym

College basketball star Hailey Van Lith has been training hard her whole life to be a champion—even in high school she would work out every day to improve her game, and her discipline has clearly paid off. Van Lith, 22, shared a picture of herself wearing black leggings and a cropped sweater, doing a pull up at the gym. “WAKE UP HAILEY POSTED,” commented her friend Angel Reese. Here’s how Van Lith stays fit, focused, and a force to be reckoned with.

1. Strength Exercises

Hailey Van Lith/Instagram

Van Lith’s strength (as evidenced by those pull ups) is impressive. “A pull-up is a bodyweight exercise that targets your upper body, particularly your muscles in your back, shoulders, and arms,” Lucie Cowan, PhD, master trainer at Third Space and PT tells Women’s Health. “When properly performed, they also engage your abs, including your deep transverse abdominis, a muscle which wraps around your trunk.”

2. Passionate About the Game

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Van Lith is tired of the double standard women face when it comes to showing emotion during their sport. “Serena Williams is a great example because she might hit her tennis racquet on the ground out of frustration,” she told NBC Sports. “People will say ‘oh, you’re not acting like a lady or, or you have a bad attitude.’ But when a man does it, it’s just because they love the game and they’re so passionate… Be surrounded by people who always tell you to continue to be yourself. For me, my parents, my coaches, my teammates have all been there for me saying ‘continue being you’, because that’s what makes us great.”

3. Mental Toughness

Van Lith knew her move from Louisville to LSU would be tough—but she was prepared. “I think it’s unprecedented, and we just gotta put one foot in front of the other, and I think you have to lean into the people that have been here and just accept the challenge,” she told LSU Wire. “I think it’s about mental toughness, true competitiveness, and knowing who you are. My motto for this year has been ‘Take one step every day.’ Sometimes I have bad games, but the next morning I get up and take another step. It’s hard, but that’s why I came here.”

4. Discipline and Commitment

Van Lith is disciplined about putting in the time for her training, as she knows it's integral to her success. “It’s an everyday commitment,” she told The Wenatchee World. “There are days where I don’t want to go to the gym for the third time, but I know I still want to be the greatest to ever play women’s basketball. If I want to achieve that, then I have to push through those days where I don’t always want to do it.”

5. Olympic Dreams

Van Lith is focused on the next big goal. “I’m really focused on the Paris 2024 Olympics,” she told NBC Sports. “I would love to be there and would feel honored to be there but obviously if that doesn’t happen, I’m still young so LA 2028 would be great for 5×5 or 3×3. I’m also focused on the WNBA and the next level, being a top pick in the draft and going to a team and making an impact in whatever role I have to be in.”