ESPN Star Nicole Briscoe in Two-Piece Workout Gear Runs Chicago Marathon

Spanish pole vaulting champion Clara Fernández is one of the most impressive athletes competing right now, and she trains incredibly hard to be a winner. Fernández shared pictures of herself wearing a swimsuit on her social media, and it’s clear from the post that building and maintaining muscle is something she has done for years. But how exactly does she train? Here are the exercises Fernández swears by for strength, speed, and agility.

1. She’s a Runner

Fernández’s training includes plenty of running—including long-distance running. "Any type of aerobic exercise has a positive effect on the heart," says Dr. Dan Meyer, chief of cardiac transplantation at Baylor Scott & White Health in Dallas. "Running is such an efficient mode of exercise. It can be relaxing and a stress reliever at times. I find it having as much emotional benefits as physical."

2. She’s Also a Swimmer

Fernández’s athletic background includes swimming, which is a great full-body workout. “Swimming works the heart and lungs,” say the experts at Harvard Health. “This trains the body to use oxygen more efficiently, which is generally reflected in declines in the resting heart rate and breathing rate. It uses the arms, the legs, and other muscle groups in between. This improves muscle strength and flexibility.”

3. She Cycles

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Cycling is another major part of Fernández’s background and training. “Cycling is one of the healthiest and low-impact forms of exercise - meaning it causes less strain and injuries than most other workouts,” say the experts at the University of Montana. “So it's a hobby you can continue to enjoy throughout your long life. And, unlike other forms of exercise, you won't dread doing it. Even if you take cycling seriously and go at it hard, the blood pumping and wind in your face is still exhilarating, even when it's difficult.”

4. Triathlon Star

Fernández takes part in triathlons (seriously, is there anything she can’t do?). Training is crucial for anyone wanting to take part in a triathlon, experts say. “Triathletes can suffer injuries from the compound effect of adding too much training without proper care and guidance,” says Gautam Yagnik, MD, an orthopedic surgeon with Miami Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute at Baptist Health South Florida. “Cross-conditioning is important and a key training element for triathletes, but proper preparation, stretching, hydration, periods of rest and other precautions should be taken to avoid overuse injuries.”

5. Dog Lover

Fernández loves animals, especially dogs, which are known to have health benefits for their owners. “An extensive number of studies in a wide range of journals and disciplines support that interactions with pets contribute to good health and quality of life and healing from serious illnesses and conditions,” says Dr. Maria Iliopoulou, an alumna of the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine. “Pets can influence our emotional state, our sense of security and acceptance, and even our positive outlook on life.”

Jamie Little, the well-known NASCAR TV host, recently shared some highlights from her trip to California on Instagram. Enjoying time with family and friends, she posted about hiking, swimming, and soaking up the sun. Jamie also revealed some of her favorite workouts, showing her dedication to staying fit and strong. From running to intense strength exercises, she keeps herself in top shape both on and off the track.

1. She Hikes

Jamie Little / Instagram

As you can see in her Instagram post, Little is seen hiking. Harvard Health states that hiking has a lot of benefits. “Like brisk walking, hiking is a good way to improve your cardiovascular fitness, particularly if your route includes some hills, which will force your heart to work harder. Taking a hike on the slightly uneven surface of a trail also provides a natural way to engage the core muscles in your torso and to hone your balance skills.”

2. She Runs

Jamie Little/Instagram

In this Instagram story, Little shared some of her favorite workouts. She revealed that she likes to go on a mile run. FloTrack says that running has a lot of benefits. “Running and jogging is an aerobic exercise, and you’re working out both your heart and lungs while doing so. This will also lead to a lower resting heart rate, lower bad cholesterol in your blood and lower blood pressure. You don’t need to run an obscene amount of miles every day to get these benefits, either. Those who just run a couple of minutes a day decrease their risk of cardiovascular death by 58 percent. If you have a hard time running, you can still give your heart a workout by jogging or walking.”

3. She Does Squats

Jamie Little/Instagram

Little also revealed in her Instagram story that she does 100 squats with 30 pound weights. Piedmont states that squats have a lot of benefits. “Joel Hardwick, ACSM EP-C, EIM2, an exercise physiologist at Piedmont Atlanta Fitness Center, says practice will pay off. ‘One of the best things you can do is practice the squat,’ he says. Hardwick explains that 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.”

4. She Does Pushups

Jamie Little/Instagram

In the same Instagram story, Little revealed that she does 100 pushups. Allina Health states that the exercise is very beneficial. “The push-up: Strengthens your entire body. Burns calories. Because the push-up involves large muscle groups (arms, legs, back, abdomen) your heart has to pump harder, enhancing circulation and burning oxygen. Protects from lower back and shoulder injuries.”

5. She Works Her Core

The last exercise Little revealed she does in her Instagram story are core exercises. The Mayo Clinic states that these are crucial to do. “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. Stability is important whether you're on the playing field or doing regular activities. In fact, most sports and other physical activities depend on stable core muscles.”

Michelle Jenneke is a track and field athlete known for doing the hurdles. Jenneke has even competed in the Olympics. She also recently competed in Finland, and shared some highlights from the day on Instagram. Jenneke captioned the post, “Season best of 12.69 tonight at the @kuortanegames 😆 Great night with solid races from the Aussie contingent! Thank you Finland!!!” How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Michelle Jenneke stays in shape and the photos that prove they work.

1. She Does A Variety Of Workouts

Jenneke shared some of her favorite workouts with Body & Soul. She says that she does a variety of different things. “It’s a lot of heavy weights there, plus full body exercises and quite a bit of plyometric [exercises]. I start with heavy weights, and then I’ll do some lighter functional circuit, towards the end. All up, that takes an hour and a half to two hours… and sometimes when I finish a session I just lie on the ground.”

2. She Eats A Healthy Breakfast

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Jenneke also shared her diet secrets with Body & Soul. She shared her favorite breakfasts for training day. “It really depends on what my training day looks like, but if I’ve got training in the morning (which I often do at the moment) I’ll have cereal generally before I go out and train. Then, I actually love having a Milo after a hard session – it’s got good levels of protein and iron in it – and then I make myself a second breakfast, which could be muesli with yoghurt or bacon and eggs.”

3. She Dances

Jenneke likes to dance before a meet. "The dancing preparation is good," Jenneke said to The New Zealand Herald. "People see me doing a dance on the track and it's part of my enjoyment ... I love being there and I love racing and that's how I express that. If you watch me during my warm up I'm dancing the whole way through it. I've always got music playing and I'm just really getting into it, it's how I pump myself up for the race."

4. She Swims

Jenneke loves to swim to stay in shape. She shared this video on Instagram of herself snorkeling in the ocean. Jenneke captioned the post, “A little taste of my amazing holiday in the Whitsundays last week 🌴⛵️ @suncoastcharters @hamiltonisland #gopro 🎶 Born To Be Yours - Kygo & Imagine Dragons.”

She Trains Consistently

Jenneke shared her training secrets with Body & Soul. She says that consistency is important. “I do three track sessions a week, and they can be from 2-3 hours each, which can be full on. You do some warm up, a hurdle session, and then a sprint session after that.”