Emily Hayden is a fitness trainer with a large following on social media. She is about to participate in a secret project and is making sure to train hard for it. Hayden recently shared a workout video with a friend on Instagram. In it, they are seen doing things like box jumps, slamming weighted balls, and pushing weighted carts. She captioned the post, “What do you think would happen if you went ALL IN on you? No more holding back, no more half efforts, no more excuses, and no more making yourself small. NO. MORE.” How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Emily Hayden stays in shape and the photos that prove they work.

1. She Pushes Herself

Hayden makes sure to push herself when she works out. She talked about this in the caption of her post. “Take up space. Face the challenge head on. Dominate what’s in front of you. Give it everything you’ve got. And when you feel like you have nothing left, remember… that moment is exactly why you’re here. Push through and show yourself that you can overcome any obstacle in front of you.”

2. She Strength Trains

Emily Hayden/Instagram

Hayden likes to strength train to stay fit. In her Instagram video, she is seen using a weighted ball and a weighted cart. According to ACE Fitness, these exercises have a lot of health 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.”

3. She Works Out With A Friend

As you can tell from her video, Hayden likes to work out with a friend. Better Health states that having a friend workout with you can push you. “When you exercise with a friend who’s around the same fitness level as you, you’re more likely to encourage each other and to push a little harder (to increase intensity, for example) than you might do on your own. A friend can bring out your competitive side and spur you on. When you’re ready to give up, the sight of your friend powering on might be just the incentive you need to keep going.”

4. She Does Squats

One workout that Hayden enjoys doing is squats. She shared this video on Instagram of herself doing them with a barbell. Hayden captioned the post, “Do it because you deserve the life that excellence produces. Do it for you. What would you go after if anything was possible? Go after that. How would you show up if you weren’t worried about the judgements of others? Show up like that.”

5. She Uses A Resistance Band

Hayden likes to use a resistance band when she trains her glutes. She shared one of her favorite exercises in this Instagram video. In it, Hayden puts the band on her waist, stretches it out, and does forward bends with a weight. Hayden captioned the post, “Try this on your next glute day! It’s one of my favorite glute exercises. Focus on the efficiency & fullness of each squeeze and give it a full slow stretch at the bottom of the rep. Let me know what you think 💞tag me in your stories if you try it!”

Elizabeth Marks is a former army sergeant. She is also a swimmer who competes in the Paralympics. Marks will be competing in Paris, and shared a set of photos from the trials on Instagram. She captioned it, “Late to announcement post (as usual), but for a reason. Paris 2024 ♥️. Incredibly grateful to be named to my 3rd Paralympic Team. Today feels strange. I’m grateful, excited and sad. To my teammates that won’t physically be in Paris I will do my best to make you proud. Thank you for pushing me and supporting me everyday. I’m so fortunate to have y’all in my life. Congratulations to the 2024 Paris team, excited to see all of you thrive.”

1. She Hikes

Marks likes to go for hikes. She shared these photos on Instagram of herself and her friends hiking in Alaska. Harvard Health states that being outside has a lot of mental benefits. “A number of small studies hint that spending time in green space — nature preserves, woodlands, and even urban parks — may ease people's stress levels. Giving the growing consensus that stress contributes to high blood pressure and heart disease risk, anything you can do to mitigate stress is likely helpful. In that realm, the benefits of hiking remain anecdotal, but outdoor enthusiasts tend to agree.”

2. She Trains With Others

When Marks trains, she likes to have a partner with her. Marks shared these photos on Instagram of herself swimming with a friend. Iowa State reveals that group exercise has a lot of benefits. “Exercising with others can also satisfy some basic psychological needs. Any kind of exercise can help someone feel in control of their choices, but the social support from a group can reinforce a sense of autonomy. Similarly, group exercise can increase feelings of mastery – thanks to growing competence, for example, at spinning or step aerobics. And it will certainly increase your connectedness with others. People naturally choose to keep up fulfilling behaviors in the long term and they promote mental health – a win-win.”

3. She Works Her Upper Body

Marks shared this video on Instagram of herself doing an upper body workout. “Go to @usarmywcap for nutrition tips and workouts provided by our awesome team at WCAP 🖤 credit: @usarmywcap... 2 minute warm up - Skier. 4x6-12 Chest press /super set with pull ups. 4x6-12 Incline press /super set with rows. 4x6-12 Flys /super set with high row. 4x6-12 Bicep curl /super set with overhead tricep extensions.

4. She Strength Trains

As you can see in the previous Instagram post, Marks is seen using weights. ACE Fitness states that this 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.”

5. She Swims, Naturally

"Swimming is one of the most effective ways to burn calories. A gentle swim can burn over 200 calories in just half an hour, more than double that of walking. And a faster swim would see that chocolate bar gone quicker than if you went running or cycling," says Swimming.org. "As well as being a great form of cardiovascular exercise, swimming just 30 minutes a week can help to guard against heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes."

Posing in her new workout gear on Instagram, Henry is clearly a force to be reckoned with in the gym. She built her community of 7.6M followers, aiming to inspire others to get their fitness goals in check. She’s a content creator, fitness fanatic, model, and influencer inspiring others to take care of their health, as well. What exactly does Katya do to stay fit? Here are some of her secrets to keeping herself in tiptop shape.

1. She uses dumbbells

You don’t always need a gym full of massive machines or intense equipment to see results. She does her strength training using dumbbells at times. “Limited equipment at your gym? here’s my fav [dumbbell] 🍑 workout @wbkfit,” she said on Instagram. According to the Mayo Clinic, “strength training may enhance your quality of life and improve your ability to do everyday activities. Strength training can also protect your joints from injury. Building muscle also can contribute to better balance and may reduce your risk of falls. This can help you maintain independence as you age.”

2. She does light cardio

She avoids actually resting on rest days, but instead takes it easy a bit. “On rest days.. we don’t rest! we do light cardio and core ❣️these are my staple deep core exercises I’ve been doing for the last month to snatch my waist and fix my diastasis recti/ab separation ✨mommy tummy✨ @wbkfit,” she said.

3. She started the All About Me Era

She finds the humor in life, made clear by her poem. “May the booty get fatter and my stomach become flatter. Amen. Keeping active up until my All About Me Era begins on January 15th 💫 I can’t wait. @wbkfit,” she said on Instagram.

4. She goes easy on herself in her body is recovering

Katya Elise Henry/Instagram

She recognizes when her body needs a break. “Today’s first official workout back! 6 weeks post breast augmentation and I’m finally ready to get back to it, taking it easy still, I’ll be sticking to machines first few workouts. Started with some bands, jumped into some machines for the legs n booty, cooled down with some stair master (my fav) and ended with a few deep core exercises bc I promised myself that everyyy day I’d work this mama of 2 tummy ☺️💪🏽,” she said on Instagram.

5. It’s not just about the booty gains

Katya Elise Henry/Instagram

She works hard to sculpt her peach. Tagging @wbkfit, she said in the caption “8 Week Hourglass Challenge- week 5 day 1 ⚡️ im an upper body girl now guys. Half way through and I’m seeing major changes, toning up especially in my arms and back wooohooo! 💪🏽 here’s some of my workout today, save and try,” she said on Instagram captioned on a video of her knocking out some upper body moves.

Sarah Davies is a decorated professional weightlifter whose career highlights include competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and earning gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Her impressive accolades also include a silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and two silver medals in the 2021 European and World Championships. Known for her dedication and resilience, Davies shares glimpses of her training and life on Instagram, inspiring her followers with her discipline and motivation. In a recent video, she demonstrated a snatch session and reflected on her progress: “Now I'm touching at least 90 every snatch session. That's a win!” Beyond weightlifting, Davies is an advocate for women’s sports and finds balance through hobbies like dance.

1. She Lifts Weights

Weightlifting is obviously one of the main ways Davies keeps herself in shape. According to ACE Fitness, this exercise 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

One workout that Davies does with weights is squats. She shared this video on Instagram of herself doing them. Davies captioned the post, “Looks like I've learnt to keep grinding out of a squat. Only taken me 12 years! Big love to the hype squad this morning helping me through. Did myself dirty with the camera angle though 🤣😵‍💫” Piedmont states that squats are very beneficial. “Squats are a compound, multi-joint movement, which means they exercise several muscle groups. When you perform a squat, you work your calves, quads, hamstrings, glutes, core and part of your back. A squat has more overall benefits than, say, a bicep curl, which strengthens an isolated area.”

3. She Works Hard

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Davies is all about hard work. In an interview with Image, she advised others to do the same. “Keep pushing,” she said. “There will be people who try to stop you being successful because they are jealous you have the discipline to be great. If it makes you happy then be the best athlete you can be.”

4. She Wants To Inspire Women

Davies talked about wanting to be an inspiration for other women and her desires for women’s sports to be more popular in her Image interview. “I think it’s very much a vicious cycle at the moment and we need one company to break the mould for it to open up women’s sport. Companies do not sponsor women’s sport because it doesn’t get enough air time and visibility, yet television does not show enough women’s sport because it does not have enough financial backing. I think the women’s rugby and football lately have started to break this cycle more but it needs a big shake up.”

5. She Dances

Davies revealed in her Image interview that she has taken up dance. She says that it’s not just a way to stay in shape, it’s also a way to help her mental health. “I recently started going to dance classes so that I have a hobby because weightlifting is now my job and I wanted to have something and somewhere where I was just Sarah rather than Sarah the weightlifter. I love the new challenge and the friends it has brought me. I think as an athlete it can be too easy to get fully wrapped up in the sport so when it doesn’t go well in training, you can easily spiral downwards. Having something that reminds you that you still have an identity without sport is really important.”

Natalie Freeman is a celebrated fitness influencer and trainer who leverages her platform to share workout regimens and motivational insights. Her fitness app further encapsulates her dedication to helping others achieve their physical goals. In a recent Instagram video, Freeman underscores the journey over the destination with her thoughtful words, "Everybody wants the view without the climb…" She emphasizes the importance of embracing imperfection in pursuit of fitness, advocating for consistent effort over flawless execution.

1. She Doesn’t Strive For Perfection

Freeman doesn’t believe in striving for perfection when it comes to fitness. And she wants others to have the same attitude. She talked about this in her Instagram post’s caption. “Imperfect, consistent action. The ‘view’ is a byproduct. It doesn’t have to be perfect, and if you’re waiting for perfection to put in the work, that time will never come.”

2. She Works Hard

Natalie Freeman/Instagram

Freeman makes sure to work hard when it comes to fitness. She encouraged others to do the same in her post’s caption. “It won’t always sound good to show up. Your body won’t always feel it’s best. You won’t always ‘have time’. You’ll have bad days. Hard days. Do the work anyway. You deserve to see that view! What we do best in @strengthmethod.app — join us!!! 📈👑”

3. She Does Pull-Ups

Natalie Freeman/Instagram

One exercise that Freeman is seen doing in her Instagram video are pull-ups. This exercise has a lot of health benefits. NASM reports, “Pull ups and chin ups are a multi-joint movement, meaning that they engage multiple muscle groups (lats, biceps, shoulders, and upper back). They promote overall upper body muscle development and can lead to some serious strength gains. Grip strength is critical in being able to lift heavier in a variety of exercises that require you to hold the weight, but it is also important as we age. Chin ups and pull ups challenge forearm and hand strength to help you build and maintain better grip strength.”

4. She Uses Weights

Natalie Freeman/Instagram

Freeman is seen using weights in her workouts in her Instagram video. ACE Fitness states that using weights to exercise 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.”

5. She Does Lunges

Natalie Freeman/Instagram

Another workout that Freeman is seen doing is lunge squats with a barbell. Lunges of all kinds have a lot of benefits. According to ACE Fitness, “Lunges work the biggest muscles in your lower body — mainly the quadriceps, gluteus maximus, and the adductor magnus (the muscle in your inner thigh). Other muscles that come into play are the hamstrings, gluteus medius, calves, and core stabilizers, says Susane Pata, content strategist for the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and NASM-certified personal trainer based in Miami.”