Powerlifter Hunter Elam in Fitness Apparel Shares "My Training Pillars"

Tina Chandler is sharing her gratitude in her workout gear. In a new social media post the bodybuilder shows off her impressively strong body while posing for a photo and expressing thanks. “Hallelujah!” she captioned the post. “You are great,” commented one of her followers, while another added fire emojis. How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits.

1. From Gymnastics to Weight Lifting

Nina explained to Kevin Saunders that she started weight lifting at 13 after years of training as a gymnast. “I read muscle magazines like Muscle & Fitness to learn lifting techniques and form. I also watched ESPN’s Body Shaping by Cory Everson religiously to see how the experts worked out,” she said. “In gymnastics, I learned a strict discipline for training on a regular schedule. I used this same discipline towards lifting weights, learning all that I could, and training every day. I created a schedule and stuck to it, just as we did in gymnastics.”

2. Healthy Lifestyle

Tina “made a promise to myself” and “made an adjustment on my mindset” to make healthy living a lifestyle. “I asked myself why I would go back to eating like ‘normal’, for example 3 meals a day with happy hour and brunches, when this OTHER way obviously was optimal for my performance, health, and wellbeing! I really started to look at this for myself and decided that eating 6 meals as opposed to 3 main meals would become my everyday ‘NORM’. I never wanted to get out of shape again, and after that I never did. After all, it had taken me 30 years to finally find answers and gain control of my body and life, I wasn’t about to lose it now! I learned that no number of tricks, gimmicks, fasting, or vegetarianism would amount to this knowledge. I was excited to have some answers about fitness and food.”

3. High Quality Products

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Tina shares a few things she has learned over the years. “I learned that good products matter!” she said. “I’m a big fan of Lee Labrada who made the transition from being a top bodybuilder to having the most trusted products and supplements in the bodybuilding world. Labrada Nutrition developed some of the purest products and his Proplete Whey Isolate Protein Powder was my favorite throughout most of my competing years. Labrada products are still made with great ingredients and formulas, helping pros get the right nutrition for this very demanding sport.”

4. Rest

She also learned that “rest is important,” she says. “In fact, rest and recovery are just as important as great workouts and excellent nutrition. There were times when my body was pushed so far, and I would come down with a cold or something similar. I learned that proper rest and recovery would get me back on track faster as opposed to pushing through or overdoing it.”

5. Working on Weaknesses

“I learned to LOVE to work on my weaknesses!” Tina adds. “Recognize your weaknesses and embrace them fully. Along the way, I noticed certain body parts were not as developed as the others. I would not have gotten to 8th in the world if I had not fully embraced and learned to love to work those areas I wasn’t as fond of! I reprogrammed my mind to actually LOVE working some of my least favorite areas to work. I used to hate working biceps, now I love it! Work on your weaknesses!”

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.”

Alina Popa is lifting up her fellow bodybuilder – in her workout gear. In a new social media post the athlete shows off her impressive physique while highlighting the release of the competitors list for the 2024 Rising Phoenix World Championship. “I eagerly anticipate witnessing the further evolution of the IFBB Pro League #womensbodybuilding division and discovering the fresh talents set to make their mark on stage this year,” she writes. “@mzprettymuscle - reigning Ms Olympia for the last 4 years, elevating the game of the WBB division!” How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits.

1. She Lifts Heavy

“There is essentially no difference between my workouts and those of male pro bodybuilders,” Alina told Muscle & Fitness. “Although some of the mass monsters out there are so much bigger than I am, then of course they need to train with heavier weights than I do. But I train as heavy as I need to, and in some cases I am lifting heavier than some men. Remember, bodybuilding is about weight training, not weightlifting. So, nobody who wants results should use the amount of resistance appropriate for the sets and reps dictated by their own workout schedule.”

2. Training Heavy

“I have heard from many women, that when they started training, they were discouraged from training heavy, in a really serious way. This makes no sense to me. It’s like telling a woman in track not to run too fast or pole vaulter not to jump too high. But limiting myself like that never occurred to me. Right from the beginning, I saw my body responding to the training and my goal was to carry this process on as far as I could,” she told Muscle & Fitness.

3. Rowing

In her free time, Alina enjoys rowing. “What an amazing weekend for our @azdragonriders team, racing in Long Beach this weekend. It was a tough and competitive lineup: we had 2 teams in this festival and the team I paddled with made it to Division 1, placing 7th out of 48 boats. Our other boat placed on top in division 3B. I have to say that I am enjoying this sport quite a lot; it’s different, as it is a team sport (different from the individual sport I used to do) and I like every bit of the camaraderie and team spirit that we need in order to be a cohesive moving unit. I love my team! Riders Riders Rawr!!!!” she captioned a post.

4. Hiking

Alina is also a hiker. “Defying gravity on Angel’s Landing. This hike was both breathtaking and heart-pounding!” she captioned a post, adding the hashtag #HikingHighs.” According to the National Parks Service, the physical benefits of hiking include:

• Building stronger muscles and bones
• Improving your sense of balance
• Improving your heart health
• Decreasing the risk of certain respiratory problems

5. Split System Training

Alina does split-system training, working a few body parts in each session, with a goal of hitting all the muscle groups over a period of a week or 10 days. This includes mass-building power exercises like barbell or dumbbell chest presses, squats and deadlifts and isolation movements like leg extensions, curls or dumbbell laterals. “I don’t think you would notice any major differences between the way I train and the workouts of the top Mr. Olympia contenders,” she told Muscle & Fitness.

Hunter Hendersson is updating her fans on her bodybuilding journey – in her two-piece workout gear. In a new4 social media post the athlete shows off her strong body during an exercise session at the gym. “Kicked off week 2 with the @rpstrength app last night,” she writes. “I'm really liking my program/diet right now and having a lot of fun with it. I don't know that I've ever been this happy🥹 I had a nice waddle to me after this one. Fun fact: I originally learned to squat on a smith machine at planet fitness. Had no idea what I was doing back then. My first time under a barbell was horrific😂 Always makes me smile when I get to use a smith. We all start somewhere. Wherever you are on your journey, KEEP GOING.” How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits.

1. Intense Training

Hunter follows an intense training schedule. “I train five days a week, including a squat day with extra bench and a deadlift day with bench. On the other three days, I don’t touch a barbell. Those are accessory or bodybuilding days with machines and super fun workouts,” she told Bar Bend. “We also have what we call a “creatine” day with active recovery movements like box jumps, medicine ball slams; explosive and athletic-type movements.”

2. Walking on Incline

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Cardio is also key, she revealed in another interview with Bar Bend. “I think it is so important for cardiovascular health. Just like recovery in general, if you are sitting on the couch and not moving your body, not stretching those muscles, you’re going to get tight, and you’re going to eventually get injured,” she said. “I utilize those three days that I’m not lifting weights, I utilize that time to go walk. Honestly, I just do incline walking for about 25 to 30 minutes, and that’s it. I’m done.” She adds that she “solely” does it for a recovery purpose. “I don’t do this for a fat loss or at least that’s not my emphasis. I’m not doing this for like a fat loss thing. It’s just solely for recovery and keeping the body moving, keeping myself healthy. That’s all.”

3. Healthy Diet

One of the biggest misconceptions about bodybuilders? “I’d say that you can eat whatever you want and perform great. A lot of people have crap diets and they don’t put an emphasis on health. Health should be your number one priority. If you don’t have health then you can’t have that 600-pound deadlift. You can’t have this world record squat,” she says. “People just come into this with this idea that they’re going to be this huge monster. Super strong. They forget to check their blood pressure. They forget to get their labs drawn. People just have this misconception that it’s all performance. They kind of just leave their bodies behind, I guess. People don’t put enough emphasis on health. They don’t put enough emphasis on the diet, and they pay for it.”

4. Electrolytes

Hunter prioritizes hydration, drinking water enhanced with electrolytes. “I have utilized LMNT for awhile now to combat the effects of dehydration. I am not sponsored by this company I just genuinely love their product and I want you guys to have a chance to try it out! 0 sugars, only 1 carb, and all the sodium, magnesium, and potassium our bodies need to perform at our best,” she wrote i a post.

5. Be Patient

What is Hunter’s advice to aspiring bodybuilders? “Enjoy the process and take your time. You have to understand the long game. It won’t happen overnight. The most important part is to have fun. Enjoy the training sessions, too. If you’re not having fun with this, what’s the point?” she told Bar Bend.