Denise Herber is prepping her body for competition. In a new social media post the German powerlifter flaunts her strong and fit figure in two-piece workout gear while getting ready for bodybuilding. “Prep for the bodybuilding stage • Cut for two months and show off on stage • Combine powerlifting and bodybuilding,” she wrote in the Instagram caption. How does the athlete keep herself prepped for competition? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits.
1. Cutting Calories
How does Denise get cut? “It‘s time to cut body weight! Started on monday with 81.3kg. Currently I only reduce my calorie intake, next monday the final water cut starts🧂💦 But WHY am I doing this? It’s simple: I wanna compete -75kg class, it’s all for the DOTS points!” she captioned a post.
2. Training Smart
Denise advocates training smarter not harder. “You won‘t win a medal 🥇 at your next meet for having the most hardest sessions in your prep… I mean it doesn‘t count if you are going through a 6 times/week training shedule with an „all in or nothing“ mentality. And nobody cares, too. What counts is the day X. I personally have 2 of 4 sessions/week where I definitely focus at 110%. The other two sessions are just general training ones without stressing myself to hit some certain numbers. I just train. For ME it works very well. Finding a balance between intensity & regeneration is the most difficult part,” she revealed in a post. “Here is one example from last week: instead of doing heavy ssb squats 48 hours after heavy deadlifts and 48 hours before heavy squats, I did some light weight quad tempo work! Slow eccentric + paused + slow concentric. End of the story: two days after I was 110% focused again.”
3. Balance
According to Denise, her success is due to a balanced approach. Some days she eats in a “calorie surplus” with all the “bad foods” and the other days “in a deficit to balance everything,” she wrote in a post. “For ME it works. It’s much better than dealing with a daily restricted macro/calorie specification. I hold my body weight on average and thats all I want.”
4. Cold Plunge
Denise recently tried cold plunging. “Cold plunge with 55F/12C but damn I bet it was way colder! We both are definitely only made for hot stuff,” she captioned a post. “A trend that is exaggerated by many. Getting colder, getting longer. The danger that something can happen here is already great. Bottom line: If you’re not the cold type, that’s perfectly okay. For a healthy athlete this is absolutely not a must. We make the most of this tool with alternating baths between warms and cold, especially to To push the circulation.”
5. Workout Buddy
Denise is married to physical therapist Nico Herber, who is also her workout buddy. Having a workout buddy is a great tool to stay accountable.
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Lauren Lee Dannenmiller/Instagram
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