Olympic Swimmer Missy Franklin in Two-Piece Workout Gear Goes to "Boot Camp"

Missy Franklin, the Olympic swimming sensation, has made waves in both the 2012 and 2016 Games, clinching five gold medals and one bronze. Recently, she shared a glimpse of her workout routine on Instagram, where she demonstrated her fitness regimen with exercises like burpees and the agility ladder. Despite no longer competing, Franklin stays dedicated to her health and fitness, blending strength training, cardio, and a balanced diet into her daily life. Her journey post-Olympics focuses not just on physical strength but also mental well-being, advocating for the importance of seeking medical help when needed and maintaining balance in every aspect of life.

As you can see from her Instagram post, Franklin likes to do burpees to stay fit. A Healthier Michigan states that the exercise has a lot of benefits. "A burpee is an easy exercise and can be done in almost any location because it involves no workout equipment and only requires a small amount of space. Burpees workout your entire body and are great for building strength and burning calories."

Franklin is also seen using an agility ladder in her Instagram story. ACE Fitness states that agility exercises like these have a lot of benefits. "SARQ training uses more muscles than linear running, which can help you burn more calories during your workout. Think of driving in the city compared to driving on a highway—the former requires frequent starts and stops, which burns more fuel, while the latter maintains a consistent rate of speed, which helps to conserve energy. The body uses approximately 5 calories of energy to consume one liter of oxygen. When more muscles are involved during exercise, the body requires more oxygen, which increases the amount of energy that is expended. Most, if not all, of the leg muscles are needed to overcome the forces of gravity and ground reaction to control the body's ability to make multiple changes of direction and frequent changes of speed (a hallmark of SARQ training), while running at a constant pace in a linear direction does not engage the leg muscles in the same ways."

Franklin opened up about her diet in an interview with Mind Body Green. She says that she believes in moderation and balance with food. "When my 4-year-old asks if we can go out for ice cream, then we go out for ice cream! Recognizing that balance is so important—and it looks different for everyone, but if I can focus on those whole foods and hitting my protein goal, then it really just allows me to also enjoy food when I want to enjoy it."

Franklin tells Mind Body Green that she eats a protein-rich diet. "I think a lot of people have really recognized the importance of protein. I love protein. It just makes me feel so strong. And I'm really focused on strength training right now. So, to support all the hard work I'm doing in the weight room, I need protein. It's not one size fits all, but I've found that what works really well for me is high protein and high fat."

Franklin is an advocate for kidney disease. In her Mind Body Green interview, she talked about the importance of seeking medical attention. "I think the big thing for me is that we live in a culture where we're expected to tough it out a lot of the time. So something might be happening in your body that doesn't feel right, and yet, you just have that mindset of like, oh, I'll be fine. That's something I really hope that we can move away from. The number one thing we should be considering with the most amount of seriousness is our health, right? So if there's something that feels wrong, try not to push it aside—but instead seek the help you need."