Olympic Weightlifter Sarah Robles in Two-Piece Workout Gear Says "I Am Sore"

Sarah Robles is getting her sweat on in her workout gear. In a new social media post the Olympic weightlifter jokes about aging during an intense exercise session at the gym. “When I was a literal child, it squatted 150 for 5 sets of 8 and everything was just fine. Today, with 130 for 5 sets of 5...I am sore,” she captioned the Instagram clip. How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits.

1. From College Track Star to Olympic Weightlifter

Sarah first started weightlifting in 2003 or 2004 “as part of my strength and conditioning program for track and field. I lifted in a few local meets and loved the sport. I wanted to compete for fun some day in the future. I was an all-American discus thrower in high school and received two full track and field scholarships to the University of Alabama and Arizona State University,” she told Bar Bend. “During my redshirt season at ASU, I was introduced to weightlifting as a sport again. My coach at the time said the numbers I was lifting in the gym could get me a medal at the Junior National Championships. I met him on a Thursday, qualified for Junior Nationals 2008 that Sunday and ended up making the 2008 Junior World team after an athlete ahead of me pulled off the team. I was able to lift well enough there to bring home a silver medal. That experience really fired me up. I decided to give weightlifting a try for a year and if I liked it, I would stick with it. I loved it! Now I’m answering these questions as a two-time Olympian.”

2. A Balanced Diet

“I don’t really have a regimented diet,” Sarah says about her approach to eating. “I try to have a decently rounded diet and consume a lot of protein. I try to fill half my plate with meat and the other half with fruits or vegetables. I try to consume most of my carbohydrates at the start of the day and keep it to a minimum—or not at all—at dinner. After training, I drink protein. My diet is really nothing special.”

3. 5 Days a Week Training

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Sarah trains like it’s her job. “I train five days a week, training once a day in the afternoon. I train at 90% or more pretty frequently. Saturdays are my days to try and lift as heavy as possible in the competition lifts. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are generally squat, pull, and press days. Tuesday is a snatch day, Thursday is a clean day, and Saturday is heavy snatch as well as clean and jerk day,” she says.

4. Hiking

What does Sarah do in her free time? “I like hiking, camping, and reading,” she said.

5. Self-Love

Sarah promotes self-love. “Fat people don’t need to perform ‘health and fitness’ to prove to you they’re worthy of respect and human decency. I find it fascinating that an an elite athlete, sometimes I get a free pass on some prejudices because I’m being a ‘good fatty.’ People know I workout all the time and that I’m conscious of my diet and other perceived health markers. Basically, I’m not like OTHER fat people. However, those biases you have about fat people are what people who don’t know me automatically have about me. I’m not excluded from being a fat person. It’s an interesting dichotomy to be both a world-class athlete and also part of this ‘obesity epidemic.’ I get told I’m promoting obesity and that fat people like me are bad for society and the health care system and all that. Then I get messages from people saying they just got into the gym for the first time or signed up for a competition because I inspired them in someway,” she writes in a Facebook post.

Amanda Lawrence, a powerhouse in the powerlifting world, keeps her followers motivated with intense training updates on Instagram. Recently, she posted videos of herself bench pressing and deadlifting, captioned, “Happy Saturday! We still out here training hard 💪🏼 12 weeks until @sbdsheffield 👀.” With her unwavering commitment, Lawrence demonstrates the grit and preparation required for competitive lifting.

1. She Lifts Weights

Weightlifting is the main way Lawrence stays in shape. ACE Fitness states that lifting weights 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

Lawrence is seen doing squats in this Instagram video. Squats are a great exercise to do. Allina Health reports, “The squat is one of the all-around best exercises to do for your lower body. It strengthens and tones muscles in your thighs, butt and calves and improves posture, balance, flexibility and inner core strength. Squatting also improves bone mineral density to keep your bones strong.”

3. She Works With A Coach

Lawrence shared her training secrets with Muscle & Fitness. She says that she works with a coach to help her train correctly. “I was training with straps all the time and with non-calibrated plates, on incorrect bench heights. It made things hard when you actually had to train on standard equipment on game day. I had a lot of changes I wanted to make from the Grand Prix in March of this year to Worlds. I hired a new coach, Joey Flexx, and he changed everything for me. I purchased calibrated plates, got a rack and everything, and started training on the correct equipment. Now, I have a different perspective on what I can improve upon.”

4. She Eats A Lot Of Protein

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Lawrence shared her typical diet with Muscle & Fitness. She says that she eats a lot of protein. “I eat the same things a lot, over and over. That’s just what works for me. I like a high protein diet—at least one gram per pound of body weight—because you need that just to perform and fuel. I go a little bit lower carbs, but make sure I get enough to fuel my performance. I follow a Renaissance Periodization diet, and they have an app you can use to track macronutrients in a plan that’s customized to your goals. It has set food choices that you can pick from. For example, if you need to get 30 grams of protein in and you want to eat specific foods, the app will tell you exactly how much to eat of specific foods to hit the nutritional value of 30 grams, or whatever fits your needs.”

5. She Protects Her Muscles

Lawrence makes sure to protect her muscles from injury. She shared how she does so with Muscle & Fitness. “I know my body’s limits, and I’ll purposefully not go through with a rep if something feels funny. Of course, I always have spotters, but knowing my limits has allowed me to continually push weight faster than others without getting injured. Before a lift, I’ll stretch a lot, use rollers, and do hip circles to loosen up my hips for both squats and deadlifts. I don’t do a ton of post-lift stretching, but I use recovery creams and make sure to eat a healthy diet. When it comes down to it, if you’re going to get injured, you’re going to get injured. There’s no way to prevent it, but just don’t be stupid and know when to stop.”

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.”

CrossFit athlete and LW Pro Strongwoman, Kristen Graham, works hard to stay in incredible shape and inspire others to do the same. “It’s about the recoil….Brand new YouTube Video just dropped,” she said on Instagram on a video of her weightlifting. Here’s what Kristen does to prioritize staying fit and healthy.

2. She weight lifts

She lifts weights, of course, as part of her workout routine. “Can’t wait for @corrinlemieux to come back and visit very soon. You know what that means 😘😅 more content,” she said while lifting weights in the gym with her friend in a video on Instagram.

2. She deadlifts

She enjoys deadlifting and how strong it makes her feel. “1-2-3 LET’S GO! First time deadlifting since I tore my lat. So in true KG fashion I did it in a bikini, barefoot, no belt on the beach😜 what did I hit? Check the full video on YouTube to find out! Energy and aggression from @blackstone_labs Halo Elite! If you haven’t tried it, it’s a must. The aggression pushes limits,” she said on Instagram.

3. She’s mentally strong

She prioritizes her mental strength and celebrates how far she’s come. “I have learned a tremendous amount about myself through the years that I have competed. Fighting through weakness, learning new movements, failing a lot… but it truly builds resilience within you. When you grind through the days of work, that strength and mental endurance came from sport. I’m so thankful for the opportunities I’ve had and continue to have,” she said on Instagram.

4. She works her shoulders

She doesn’t leave her shoulders out of her workouts. “Watch me hit Quads & Shoulders! Full workout on @youtube today,” she said on Instagram on a video of her pumping iron in the gym. According to Harvard Health, “your shoulders are a crucial part of your mobility and independence. You need them to be healthy and pain-free so you can drive a car, lift groceries, do housework, or pick up a child.”

5. She prioritizes her back

She works on making her back muscular and strong. “Who likes a girl with a muscular back?? #fitgirls #bodybuilder #strongback,” she said on Instagram on a video of her working on her back muscles. According to Harvard Health, “your back is made up of different types of specialized muscles that enable you to move your body so you can twist, turn, bend, stand, walk, run, and lift. Strengthening your back muscles can help you perform everyday activities such as putting on your shoes or closing a window. Strong back muscles can also enhance athletic performance in activities such as swimming or climbing.”

Powerlifter and strongwoman Chloe Brennan knows the value of persistence and resilience in her sport. Recently, Brennan celebrated a new milestone on Instagram, sharing a video of herself lifting a long-awaited personal best, captioned, “It’s taken me 3 years to add 5KG to my log… 85KG finally ticked off.” Her fitness journey combines intense strength training with strategic restorative weeks to recharge her muscles. Known for exercises like deadlifts and pushing herself beyond comfort zones, Brennan emphasizes the importance of focusing on gains and trusting the process, even through challenging prep sessions. Her mindset and dedication inspire fans to embrace the grind, stay positive, and celebrate each hard-earned achievement.

1. She Strength Trains

Brennan naturally does a lot of strength training to keep herself in shape. ACE Fitness states that lifting weights 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 Restorative Training

Brennan makes sure to give her body time to recover and doesn’t push herself too hard. One way she does so is by doing restorative training. Brennan talked about this in the caption of this Instagram video. “When your mind and body are feeling zonked from life doing its thing or from hard training or competing it can be super valuable to take a step back and do 1-2 weeks of restorative training where you take a break from hammering your body with heavy loads and just focus on movement quality and feeling good ✌🏻It’s amazing what a bit of a recharge can do, remember. In order to shoot an arrow forward, you must first pull it back.”

3. She Does Deadlifts

One strength training exercise that Brennan likes to do is deadlifts. She is seen doing them in this Instagram video. ACE Fitness states that deadlifts are very beneficial. “The Romanian deadlift (RDL) is a traditional barbell lift used to develop the strength of the posterior chain muscles, including the erector spinae, gluteus maximus, hamstrings and adductors. When done correctly, the RDL is an effective exercise that helps strengthen both the core and the lower body with one move. Unlike the traditional barbell deadlift and other quad-dominant exercises such as leg presses, which place significant loads on the anterior portion of the knees, the RDL focuses most of the physical work on the muscles responsible for extending the hip and the knee from the posterior.”

4. She Pushes Herself

Brennan makes sure to push herself when she is training. This means moving outside her comfort zone. Brennan talked about this in the caption of this Instagram post. “Feeling uncomfortable is part of the process. Being scared to fail is normal. The greatest opportunities and outcomes happen when we step outside of our comfort zone. So embrace the fear, feel the discomfort and do the thing anyway.”

5. She Focuses On Her Gains

Brennan makes sure to focus on the positive things when she trains. She talked about this in the caption of this Instagram post. “The final weeks of prep don’t always feel good, I’ll often feel like all of my gains have escaped but it’s super important to trust the process- you are not your final sessions but the result of all of the work put in up to that point ✌🏻This final session I was struggling to pick up 100kg from the floor- but panic we did not- on the day 100kg popped up lovely and moved 77m in 60 seconds for the event win (I hated every second but that’s not the point 🤣)Stop stressing over one or two bad sessions and remember your result will be a reflection of the bigger picture.”