Bodybuilder Eva Montgomery in Two-Piece Workout Gear Rocks a Deadlift

Bakhar Nabieva, a successful bodybuilder with a huge following on Instagram, often shares her fitness journey and workout routines with her fans. Known for her impressive physique, she regularly posts videos of herself performing weightlifting exercises, showcasing her dedication to maintaining her strength and form. Last week, Nabieva shared a video of herself posing in new workout clothes at the gym, inspiring her followers with both her fashion sense and fitness tips. Here’s a deeper dive into her favorite exercises and how they contribute to her strength and overall fitness.

1. She Uses Weights

Bakhar Nabieva/Instagram

Being a bodybuilder, Nabieva lifts a lot of weights to keep herself in shape. According to ACE Fitness, this 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.”

2. She Does Deadlifts

One exercise that Nabieva does to stay fit are deadlifts. She shared this video on Instagram of herself doing them. ACE Fitness reports that the exercise has a lot of benefits. “The barbell deadlift can help clients improve their total-body strength, while placing a specific emphasis on the posterior muscles involved in hip, knee and back extension. Increasing the strength of the posterior chain muscles can help clients reduce or avoid low-back pain while also teaching them how to synchronize movement of the ankles, knees, hips and back into one pattern. The deadlift can help an individual develop a level of strength that can be used for a number of other exercises or to improve performance in activities requiring significant levels of hip and core strength.”

3. She Does Squats

Nabieva also enjoys doing squats to stay fit. She shared this video on Instagram of herself doing them. Piedmont reports 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.”

4. She Does Planks

Bakhar Nabieva/Instagram

In this video on her Instagram, Nabieva is seen doing planks. The Cleveland Clinic reports that this exercise has a lot of benefits. “Plank exercises work your core muscles, which are located between your pelvic floor and diaphragm. The area is also known as your trunk. These muscles support your movements and stabilize the spine.”

5. She Goes To The Beach

Nabieva likes to go to the beach. She shared this photo on Instagram of herself by the water. Nabieva captioned the post, “Running away to the land of discovery,Running away from the suffering, I’m gone, yeah. Running away from the darkness, I’m out here, yeah. Higher than all the limits. Going way beyond the noise and your feelings. When you speak all I can hear is silence. Turning back from all the pain and violence.”

Natalia Soltero, an IFBB champion and fitness expert, regularly shares her intense training sessions on Instagram. Recently, she posted a video from the gym, posing and encouraging her followers with the words, “If you are afraid of failing, you probably will fail.” Soltero’s workout routine focuses heavily on weightlifting, hamstring curls, RDLs, and back exercises, which help her maintain her impressive physique. Her disciplined approach to fitness serves as an inspiration to her followers, encouraging them to strive for balance and physical harmony.

1. She Lifts Weights

Since she’s a bodybuilder, Soltero naturally does a lot of exercises with weights. A lot of her workout videos on Instagram feature her lifting weights. Soltero shared this photo and video of herself using weights. She captioned the post, “Saturday workout.” ACE Fitness states that using weights to workout 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.”

2. She Works Her Hamstrings

Soltero makes sure to work her hamstrings. She shared this video on Instagram of herself doing hamstring curls. Soltero captioned the post, “Workout.” She also shared this video of herself doing one-leg hamstring curls. Soltero captioned that post, “Today Workout. There is nothing more beautiful than balance and physical harmony.. so let's go for it ! 👊🏼”

3. She Does RDLs

Soltero also likes to do RDLs to stay in shape. She shared this video on Instagram of herself doing them. Soltero captioned the post, “After twisting my back and falling a disc on my foot, I think it was a good day 😅💪🏼” ACE Fitness states that the exercise has a lot of health benefits. “The most important benefit of the RDL is that it teaches the proper movement and biomechanics of standing hip flexion and extension. This is the foundational movement for squatting, whether the movement is performed with a weight in the gym or while bending over to pick an object up from the floor.”

4. She Does Pulldowns

Soltero likes to do lateral pulldowns to stay in shape. She shared this photo of herself doing them on Instagram, captioning it, “Back day!” Piedmont states that lateral pulldowns have a lot of benefits. “The lat pulldown is a fantastic exercise to strengthen the latissimus dorsi muscle, the broadest muscle in your back, which promotes good postures and spinal stability. Form is crucial when performing a lat pulldown to prevent injury and reap the best results.”

5. She Works Her Back

As you can see from the previous blurb, Soltero likes to do back exercises, like the lateral pulldowns. She shared this video on Instagram of herself doing a lot of different back exercises like dual pulley rows, single arm curls with a twist, and lateral pulldowns. Soltero captioned the post, “Part of my back routine from yesterday, I couldn’t record it all.. but little is better than nothing 🤪”

Sarah Lanzillo, a professional powerlifter and strong woman, has built a reputation not only for her impressive feats in strength but also for her advocacy. In August, she showed support for Presidential candidate Kamala Harris, sharing a post on Instagram where she posed in a “Childless Cat Lady” shirt—a playful nod that many had adopted to voice their endorsements of Harris. Here's how she stays so fit.

1. She Lifts Weights

One of the main ways that Lanzillo stays in shape is weightlifting. ACE Fitness states that doing 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.”

2. She Works Hard

Lanzillo makes sure to work hard when she trains. She talked about this in the caption of this Instagram video of herself training. “Deadlifts ✅The Competition weights for the ladder are: 405, 455, 495, 525, and 560. My goal is to get though the 1st 3 🙏🏼🙏🏼 it’s absolutely insane to see some of the women flying through this event 😬😬😬💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼 💪🏼”

3. She Does Deadlifts

Sarah Lanzillo/Instagram

In the previous Instagram video, Lanzillo is seen doing deadlifts with a barbell. According to NASM, this exercise is very beneficial. “A Romanian deadlift is a hip-hinge pattern that works the hamstrings and glutes. It is a form of deadlift with noticeably less bend in the knee, leading to greater hamstring engagement than traditional deadlifts. The move was introduced to the masses in the 90s by Romanian weightlifter Nicu Vlad (an Olympic and World Weightlifting champion) and his coach Dragomir Cioroslan. The two invented the move to help Nicu strengthen his back for the clean and jerk. Today, RDLs are commonly used to strengthen the posterior chain, using the core muscles to stabilize and the hamstrings and glutes to drive the movement.”

4. She Took Time Off

Lanzillo took time off from competing, and opened up about this in the caption of this Instagram video. “I’ve taken this whole year off competing to focus on my health. My body was so confused with the constant ups and downs of competing. Gain weight… lose weight… back and forth…I honestly haven’t lifted anything heavier than 225 in MONTHS and my body is thanking me for it. It doesn’t hurt when I get out of bed. My elbows don’t chronically hurt. My hips aren’t in pain every second of the day. My spine isn’t compressed after every workout. I feel good! I’m not saying I won’t EVER get back into competing BUTTTT this time off has done my body good 🥰🥰🥰”

5. She Does Squats

Lanzillo is seen doing squats with a barbell in this Instagram video. The Cleveland Clinic states that squats are very beneficial. “‘Squats are integral to athletic training programs, enhancing speed, agility, strength and power across various sports disciplines,’ says sports and exercise medicine physician Matthew Kampert, DO…’Squats primarily target the muscles in the thighs, hips and buttocks, leading to enhanced stability, balance and overall lower body strength.’”

Donna Moore is a powerhouse in the world of strength competitions, having claimed the title of World’s Strongest Woman three times. Recently, she gave her Instagram followers a glimpse into her intense preparation for the Rogue Invitational. In the video, Moore is seen lifting weights while climbing stairs, showcasing the dedication it takes to be a champion. "Thanks to Coach @trapsliketodd for making the drive for a session with myself and @mrs_myler and @lukedaviesstrongman for setting up and resetting the stairs each time," she captioned the post. With her training that combines heavy lifting, stair climbing, and more, Moore proves that becoming a strongwoman is as much about mental endurance as it is about physical strength.

1. She Uses Weights

As you can see in her Instagram post, Moore likes to use weights to stay in shape. ACE Fitness states that doing this can have a lot of benefits. “Lifting heavy weights increases production of the hormone IGF-1. This hormone is related to the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is a neurotransmitter responsible for stimulating the growth of new neural pathways in the brain along with enhancing communication between existing pathways. In short, lifting heavy could make you smarter by enhancing cognitive function.”

2. She Stair Climbs

Donna Moore/Instagram

Moore is also seen doing a stair workout in her Instagram video. ACE Fitness states that these exercises have a lot of benefits. “Stair climbing exercise can be a strenuous, says Alexandra Lempke, PhD, a clinical assistant professor of applied exercise science and the co director of the Michigan Performance Research Laboratory at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology in Ann Arbor. When you climb stairs, your heart rate and breathing will increase. ‘Stair climbing for exercise targets the cardiovascular and respiratory systems,’ Dr. Lempke says. It takes a lot of work to move your body mass vertically against gravity.”

3. She Does Deadlifts

Moore likes to do deadlifts to stay in shape. She shared this video on Instagram of herself doing them. NASM states that deadlifts are very beneficial. “A Romanian deadlift is a hip-hinge pattern that works the hamstrings and glutes. It is a form of deadlift with noticeably less bend in the knee, leading to greater hamstring engagement than traditional deadlifts. The move was introduced to the masses in the 90s by Romanian weightlifter Nicu Vlad (an Olympic and World Weightlifting champion) and his coach Dragomir Cioroslan. The two invented the move to help Nicu strengthen his back for the clean and jerk. Today, RDLs are commonly used to strengthen the posterior chain, using the core muscles to stabilize and the hamstrings and glutes to drive the movement.”

4. She Doesn’t Diminish Herself

Moore doesn’t like to beat herself up for her accomplishments. She talked about this in the caption of the previous Instagram video. “Deadlifts last night were hard and heavy and it was 'only' 220kg. I just wanted to touch on the 'only' part of this statement. 'Only' diminishes the achievement. It's negative self-talk. 2 weeks ago it was a top triple for me easily. Last week I couldn't move it off the floor.. at all.. and I had a tantrum. This week it's 'only' 220kg and another tantrum because I'm frustrated.”

5. She Does Box Jumps

Moore likes to do box jumps to stay in shape. She shared this video on Instagram of herself doing them. Moore captioned the post, “Jumping hot potatoes 🔥After deadlifting what felt like the entire universe @weave_strongman ropes me into this just for fun apparently! I will also add he did not do deadlifts before this which is why he's more springy 😂 Ninja warrior is calling us I think!!”