Elisabeth Akinwale, a powerhouse CrossFit athlete and inspiring businesswoman, is known for her relentless dedication to fitness and her commitment to building an inclusive gym environment. Recently, she shared a video on Instagram showcasing her Glute Hamstring Developer (GHD) sit-ups, explaining their incredible benefits: “Doing GHD sit-ups without explosive contraction down the front side of my body, including the legs, leaves a lot of potential benefit on the table." For Akinwale, fitness is about more than strength—it’s about consistently pushing boundaries, fostering inclusivity, and living a life of purpose. From speaking out against prejudice to building consistency into her routine, Akinwale leads by example, inspiring others to pursue their passions and stay resilient on their journey.
1. She Does Sit-Ups
As you can see from her Instagram video, Akinwale likes to do sit-ups to stay in shape. The exercise has a lot of benefits. The Cleveland Clinic states that they are a great core workout. “Sit ups are great for tightening your core. They strengthen and tone your rectus abdominus, transverse abdominus and oblique abdominal muscles as well as your neck muscles. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions three times per week.”
2. She’s Inspired By Others
Akinwale opened up about what inspires her in the caption of this Instagram video. “Inspired by those who live their passions, and though they have a full plate of responsibilities, they chose to make space in their lives to create and connect to meaning. In doing so, they inspire others pursue their own passions. There are never really enough resources, but they make it work. The time they have, they make the absolute most of.”
3. She Stands Up Against Hate
Akinwale speaks out against hate and prejudice in the fitness industry. She talked about this in the caption of this Instagram photo. “By my standards, it’s impossible to run a values business, a business that serves whole people, if you are unwilling to leave dollars on the table. I will say straight up, if you don’t love Black people, queer people, brown people, Muslim people, poor people...,don’t come to my gym. If you support hateful political regimes and policy, don’t come to my gym. The presence of that type of ideology is toxic and antithetical to what I want to build. As a trainer I concern myself with people in their entirety. The specific focus is helping them reach peak performance, and part of that is removing as many limitations and barriers as possible. Identity is absolutely part of the training equation. Recovery is a key element of training, stress levels are a primary component of recovery. Micro-aggressions are stressful and energy draining and that directly takes away from the training. Climate and culture in the gym overall matter, it’s the difference between thriving because of and surviving in spite of.”
4. She’s Consistent
Akinwale makes sure to stay consistent when it comes to working out. She talked about this in the caption of this Instagram video. “Stick around long enough, there are going to be some ups and downs. Where ever you are today is simply where you are. Start taking steps and build from there.”
5. She Does Burpees
Elisabeth Akinwale/Instagram
In the previous Instagram video, Akinwale is seen doing burpees. They are considered a compound exercise, which means they have a lot of benefits. ACE Fitness states, “The purpose of cardiovascular exercise is to improve the ability of the heart to function as a pump. This can be accomplished through activities such as running and cycling, or by doing exercises that involve a significant amount of muscle tissue. Sitting in a leg-extension machine doing knee extensions or performing biceps curls with dumbbells uses only a limited amount of muscle tissue; these exercises are more appropriate for focusing on isolated strength. Squats to shoulder presses, medicine ball chops or burpees are all examples of compound exercises that involve large amounts of muscle tissue, which challenges the heart to pump blood to keep the muscles fueled and active.”
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Kelsey Kiel/Instagram
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