Bodybuilder Ashlyn Little in Two-Piece Workout Gear is "Hard at Work"

Amanda Lawrence, a powerhouse in the powerlifting world, keeps her followers motivated with intense training updates on Instagram. Recently, she posted videos of herself bench pressing and deadlifting, captioned, “Happy Saturday! We still out here training hard 💪🏼 12 weeks until @sbdsheffield 👀.” With her unwavering commitment, Lawrence demonstrates the grit and preparation required for competitive lifting.

1. She Lifts Weights

Weightlifting is the main way Lawrence stays in shape. ACE Fitness states that lifting weights has a lot of benefits. “Lifting heavy weights elevates levels of anabolic hormones—specifically testosterone, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1)—which are used to repair muscle fibers damaged during exercise. This helps the muscle fibers to become thicker and capable of generating higher levels of force.”

2. She Does Squats

Lawrence is seen doing squats in this Instagram video. Squats are a great exercise to do. Allina Health reports, “The squat is one of the all-around best exercises to do for your lower body. It strengthens and tones muscles in your thighs, butt and calves and improves posture, balance, flexibility and inner core strength. Squatting also improves bone mineral density to keep your bones strong.”

3. She Works With A Coach

Lawrence shared her training secrets with Muscle & Fitness. She says that she works with a coach to help her train correctly. “I was training with straps all the time and with non-calibrated plates, on incorrect bench heights. It made things hard when you actually had to train on standard equipment on game day. I had a lot of changes I wanted to make from the Grand Prix in March of this year to Worlds. I hired a new coach, Joey Flexx, and he changed everything for me. I purchased calibrated plates, got a rack and everything, and started training on the correct equipment. Now, I have a different perspective on what I can improve upon.”

4. She Eats A Lot Of Protein

Shutterstock

Lawrence shared her typical diet with Muscle & Fitness. She says that she eats a lot of protein. “I eat the same things a lot, over and over. That’s just what works for me. I like a high protein diet—at least one gram per pound of body weight—because you need that just to perform and fuel. I go a little bit lower carbs, but make sure I get enough to fuel my performance. I follow a Renaissance Periodization diet, and they have an app you can use to track macronutrients in a plan that’s customized to your goals. It has set food choices that you can pick from. For example, if you need to get 30 grams of protein in and you want to eat specific foods, the app will tell you exactly how much to eat of specific foods to hit the nutritional value of 30 grams, or whatever fits your needs.”

5. She Protects Her Muscles

Lawrence makes sure to protect her muscles from injury. She shared how she does so with Muscle & Fitness. “I know my body’s limits, and I’ll purposefully not go through with a rep if something feels funny. Of course, I always have spotters, but knowing my limits has allowed me to continually push weight faster than others without getting injured. Before a lift, I’ll stretch a lot, use rollers, and do hip circles to loosen up my hips for both squats and deadlifts. I don’t do a ton of post-lift stretching, but I use recovery creams and make sure to eat a healthy diet. When it comes down to it, if you’re going to get injured, you’re going to get injured. There’s no way to prevent it, but just don’t be stupid and know when to stop.”

Yaxeni Oriquen is a world-renowned bodybuilder and fitness competitor, best known for winning Miss International five times and Miss Olympia in 2005. Oriquen frequently shares her fitness routines on Instagram, showcasing her dedication to staying in peak condition. In one of her recent posts, she is seen lifting weights at the gym. “I always trying to keep my 185 lbs with a 12% of body fat!!” she said in another post, revealing her disciplined approach. With a blend of weightlifting, swimming, and targeted workouts, Oriquen continues to inspire her followers with her strength and commitment to fitness. Here’s what keeps her in amazing shape.

1. She Lifts Weights

Oriquen does a lot of weight training to keep herself in shape. In her recent post, she is seen using hand dumbbells. In this video, she is seen doing dual pulley rows. ACE Fitness states that lifting weights has a lot of benefits. “Strength training with heavy weights improves muscle definition. Muscle definition occurs as the result of muscles remaining in a state of semi-contraction and heavy strength training recruits the larger type II muscle fibers responsible for a muscle’s appearance.”

2. She Swims

Oriquen likes to swim to keep herself in shape. She shared a photo of herself wading at the beach on Instagram. Oriquen captioned the post, “I always trying to keep my 185 lbs with a 12 % of body fat!!” The Mayo Clinic states that swimming has a lot of benefits. “Swimming is easy on the joints, and it's very good for both cardiac health and your core strength,” says Dr. Matthew Crowe, a Mayo Clinic orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine expert. “And it also can give you really excellent strength around the shoulders, and hips and knees.”

3. She Does Pulldowns

Oriquen likes to do pulldowns to keep herself in shape. She shared this video on Instagram of herself doing them at the gym. Piedmont states that pulldowns have a lot of benefits. “The lat pulldown is a fantastic exercise for strengthening the latissimus dorsi muscle, the broadest muscle in your back. This muscle promotes good posture and spinal stability. Form is crucial when performing a lat pulldown to prevent injury and reap the best results.”

4. She Does Ab Workouts

Oriquen has amazing abs. She shared this video of herself doing lying crunches with a weight. Oriquen captioned the post, “If you want to be a Bodybuilder, you have to do it.. I do it !!!” Core workouts are very important. The Mayo Clinic states, “Your core is the central part of your body. It includes your pelvis, lower back, hips and stomach. The stomach muscles sometimes are called abs. Core exercises train the muscles in your core to work in harmony. This leads to better balance and steadiness, also called stability.”

5. She Does Bicep Workouts

Oriquen has amazing biceps. Naturally, she makes sure to do a lot of workouts that target those muscles. She shared this post on Instagram of herself doing double and single arm bicep curls. For the single curls, she is seen using hand weights, while she uses a barbel for the doubles. Oriquen captioned the post, “Biceps circuit routine! Exploit your biceps with 4 set 15 reps, not rest between exercises until you do the last exercise . Let me know if you need any advance about it . Come to Ryptgym and get special consultation with me .”

Tiana Flex is a powerhouse in the bodybuilding world, known for her impressive performances in IFBB competitions. Recently, she gave her Instagram followers a glimpse of her daily grind at the gym, where she wore sleek black workout clothes and soaked in the positive vibes. "Love the sun in our gym, @flexfitnessgympta, this time of the day. Positive energy," she captioned the post. Tiana's approach to fitness is all about pushing limits and staying disciplined, with a focus on strength training, leg day, and back workouts. Whether it's Romanian deadlifts or showing love to her furry friends, Flex is dedicated to maintaining a healthy, balanced lifestyle, both mentally and physically.

1. She Works Her Legs

Flex doesn’t skip leg day. She shared her approach to her lower body workouts in the caption of this Instagram post. “So Mondays are my #quadday or my compound workout day. Leg day 1. When I train legs I like going as heavy as I can go controlled for about 15 reps. I like more volume on leg days rather than heavy low reps work. So legs go. It's Monday. A new week. No excuses.”

2. She Works Her Back

Another body part that Flex makes sure to train is her back. She shares a lot of back workouts on her Instagram page. In this video, Flex is seen lifting a weight while leaning over a bench. She captioned the video, “#backday One of my favorites.” Flex also posted this photo of herself showing off her incredible back muscles in the mirror. She captioned that post, “Not #backday, but who cares. Whatever you are training today, give it your all.”

3. She Does RDLs

Flex likes to do RDLs to stay in shape. She shared this video on Instagram of herself doing them. Flex captioned the post, “One of my favourites for hammies and glutes.” Doing RDLs can be very beneficial. ACE Fitness states, “The Romanian deadlift (RDL) is a traditional barbell lift used to develop the strength of the posterior chain muscles, including the erector spinae, gluteus maximus, hamstrings and adductors. When done correctly, the RDL is an effective exercise that helps strengthen both the core and the lower body with one move. Unlike the traditional barbell deadlift and other quad-dominant exercises such as leg presses, which place significant loads on the anterior portion of the knees, the RDL focuses most of the physical work on the muscles responsible for extending the hip and the knee from the posterior.”

4. She Strength Trains

As you can see from her Instagram post, Flex does a lot of strength training exercises to keep herself in shape. ACE Fitness states that using weights has a lot of benefits. “Using heavy weights increases intramuscular coordination, the number of type II motor units and the amount of muscle fibers engaged within a specific muscle. Have you ever felt your muscles shaking while lifting heavy weights? This is because you are recruiting and activating the larger type II muscle fibers, which are only stimulated to work when a muscle is challenged with heavy resistance or working to fatigue.”

5. She Has Pets

Flex is an animal lover, and owns a dog and a cat. She shared this video of the two of them cuddling on Instagram. The Mental Health Foundation states that having animals has a lot of benefits. “Caring for a pet can help our mental health in many ways, including: Increasing your physical activity. Dog owners are likely to take their pets for a walk or run every day. This can be a fun way to fit exercise into your routine. Providing companionship. Pets can give you a sense of security and someone to share the day with. Caring for them can help you feel wanted and needed.”