Rock Climber Margo Hayes in Two-Piece Workout Gear is a "Renaissance Woman"

Margo Hayes is a rock-climbing phenom who made history in 2017 when, at just 19 years old, she became the first woman to ascend a 9a+ (5.15a) route. With three World Youth Championship gold medals and two 5.15-grade climbs under her belt, Hayes has solidified her place as one of the most influential climbers of her generation. Beyond her achievements on the wall, Hayes is also a singer and released her debut single, “Karma,” earlier this year. Recently, she appeared on the Climbing Gold podcast with Alex Honnold to discuss her journey, battles with Lyme disease, and how she balances her passion for climbing with her other interests.

1. She Rock Climbs

Rock climbing is one of the main ways Hayes stays in shape. The sport has a lot of health benefits. The Glen Ellyn Park District states, “Rock climbing is a physically demanding sport that requires strength, endurance, flexibility, and mental focus. It’s imperative to understand proper climbing techniques and how to use the specialized safety equipment required for climbing.”

2. She Does Pull-Ups

Margo Hayes/Instagram

Hayes shares a lot of her favorite workouts on an Instagram story highlight. An exercise that she does often is pull-ups. According to Gymless, they are very beneficial. “Pull-ups can give size and strength to your upper body muscles. It allows you to target your lats, biceps, traps, and many more muscles. Practicing this consistently along with other variations that target different muscle groups, inevitably will give you the muscular aesthetics that you’re seeking. A study emphasized this by suggesting that this close kinetic chain exercise is designed to increase the muscular strength and endurance of the upper body and torso.”

3. She Uses Weight

Margo Hayes/Instagram

Hayes likes to strength train to stay in shape. One way she does so is by doing pull-ups with a weight on her body. Strength training has a lot of benefits. The Mayo Clinic states, “Strength training may enhance your quality of life and improve your ability to do everyday activities. Strength training can also protect your joints from injury. Building muscle also can contribute to better balance and may reduce your risk of falls. This can help you maintain independence as you age.”

4. She Boxes

Margo Hayes/Instagram

Hayes shared on her Instagram story that she likes to box to stay in shape. Harvard Health states that boxing has a lot of benefits. “Fitness boxing is also a great aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise gets your heart pumping and helps lower the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. It can strengthen bones and muscles, burn more calories, and lift mood. Aerobics can also boost your endurance, which helps you climb a flight of stairs or walk farther.”

5. She Spends Time Outside

Margo Hayes/Instagram

Hayes spends a lot of time outside, even when she isn’t climbing. Hayes likes to go to the beach a lot. UC Davis states that going outside has a lot of benefits. “Getting out into nature can lead us to want to walk, bike, hike, or kayak more often. People typically engage in regular physical activity when they're in nature. So, stepping outside can help you keep a healthy weight or even lose weight by increasing activity levels. Studies also show that being in nature has a positive effect on our bodies by reducing cortisol levels, muscle tension, and demands on our cardiovascular systems (lowers heart rate and blood pressure). Being out in nature often may lead to lower rates of heart disease. The great outdoors can also help you increase your vitamin D level, which is important for your bones, blood cells, and immune system.”

Athlete Nina Williams is a professional climber, known mostly for bouldering and ironically, is from Boulder, Colorado. “Particularly excited to see this quarter’s @americanalpine Guidebook in the mail - not only for some rad history about a Front Range classic, The Naked Edge (ft. Edge legends @alldayeddie & @stefangriebel), but also because this edition holds a published version of our 2024 Impact Report as well as AAC’s new strategic plan,” she said on Instagram. “A strategic plan guides an organization at the highest level, the ‘north star’ we reference when thinking about our future. Many hours, voices, and hearts carefully considered the intent of our strategy and how that shapes our impact in the coming years. I’m proud of the board (shoutout past Prez @grahamzimmerman for your thought partnership 🙏🏼), AAC leadership, and staff in rallying behind our mission, vision, and values in support of a strong AAC member community. Super excited for the years to come!” She’s passionate about what she does. Here’s what she does to stay in great shape!

1. She goes bouldering

Of course, she truly enjoys climbing. “Very pleased with my shorty beta on the first-move crux of Candyland V11. Who needs reach when you can just shoulder intermediates 😏Shoutout to @austinlee1989 for rallying an all-time crew on a perfect autumn day in the Basin. And congrats to @kellyabirch on her 100th double digit boulder 🥳My bouldering stoke is coming back now that I’m able to session for longer with less pain. Still just three weeks into the rehab plan with @theclimbingphysio and @latticetraining but I’m feeling optimistic. Onwards,” she said on Instagram.

2. She takes care of her freckles

She takes care of her skin while spending time outside. “Don’t forget your sunspots ☀️☺️ @freaksofnature___ protecting my freckles with natural ingredients & no white cast,” she said on Instagram. According to John Hopkins Medicine, “for day-to-day use, pick a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. If you spend time outdoors, choose a product with SPF 60 or greater. In reality, most people do not use as much sunscreen as they should, and this higher SPF helps compensate for the reduced application.”

3. She spends time with her community

In between climbing, she spends time with her supportive community. “Squeezed in this rad Rumney boulder during @barndoorhostel’s Start-Of-Summer Outdoor Fest 🤗 Still managing wrist/elbow pain but can try hard during shorter sessions. Seeing family, friends, and the New England community was healing too ❤ More thoughts on this current injury but for now plz enjoy the sports action,” she said on Instagram.

4. She challenges herself climbing

She finds boulders and places to climb that really challenge her. “When in California, obvs have to stop by Bishop 💛 It’s a little warm for hard boulders but I’m lookin at a tall one 👀 and soaking up the immaculate friend vibes as always,” she said on Instagram, on a series of photos and videos of her climbing and spending time with friends.

5. She cycles

As part of a longer Instagram post, she talked about challenging herself with cycling. “After the initial 41 mile uphill bike ride I was deep in the pain cave, I can’t remember the last time I did something that cardio intensive. When I hopped off the bike I was so sore and so wobbly, wondering how I ever thought this could be fun. For the first mile of the approach, I was cramping up virtually every step. It did get better, but marginally,” she said on Instagram.

Meagan Martin is a highly successful rock climber and former American Ninja Warrior competitor. In September, she shared a glimpse of her love for the outdoors on Instagram, captioning a photo, “Love soaking up these sunny days outside🥰! Wouldn’t be complete without an @athleticbrewing Fancy Like 🍻! Seems like it’s the end of summer as the leaves start to change and the cool temps roll in. Pretty excited about fall 🍂🍁!!!” Known for her incredible climbing skills, Martin incorporates diverse workouts into her fitness routine, including hiking, yoga, and swimming. She also focuses on upper-body exercises tailored for climbing and relies on group fitness classes to motivate her cardio sessions. Martin’s active lifestyle is all about staying strong and enjoying nature.

1. She Hikes

As you can see from her Instagram post, Martin likes to hike to keep herself in shape. She also shared this video of herself hiking with her dog and husband. Martin captioned the post, “Got in a nice hiking day in my @prana ReZion’s! Fun to see the signs of fall coming in and getting all the fresh air! I was only super out of breath a few times 😂!”

2. She Does Yoga

Martin likes to practice yoga to keep herself in shape. She did this when she was pregnant with her first child. Martin shared these photos on Instagram of herself doing poses outside. She captioned the post, “Some 3rd trimester backyard yoga and doggy hangs in my @prana Blazing Star bralette and leggings! Love this set 🥰!!!”

3. She Swims

Martin likes to swim to keep herself in shape. She shared this set of photos of herself in the water on Instagram. According to Better Health, swimming has a lot of benefits. “Swimming is a good all-round activity because it: keeps your heart rate up but takes some of the impact stress off your body, builds endurance, muscle strength and cardiovascular fitness, helps you maintain a healthy weight, healthy heart and lungs, tones muscles and builds strength, provides an all-over body workout, as nearly all of your muscles are used during swimming.”

4. She Does Upper Body Workouts

Since she’s a climber, Martin has to do a lot of upper body workouts. She shared some of her favorites with Training Beta. “I’ll make sure I do the salmon ladder and the cliff hanger and the floating pegboard and slackline. They came up with this new thing the other day. It’s so sketchy. It has this long metal bar halfway on the slackline, halfway on the ground, and you had to walk on it and then there was a little long, metal pole with things on the end and you had to kind of pole vault jump. You’d jump on it. It was so sketchy.”

5. She Takes Fitness Classes

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Martin admits to Training Beta that she has a hard time doing cardio workouts. She says that she turns to classes to help her out. “I do Orangetheory, that cardio class, and there’s light weight stuff in there and TRX stuff. I haven’t even done a class in a month because I haven’t been here. That’s more because I just need to be better with cardio in general. I hate running so I need to be in a group environment in order to do it.”

Natalia Grossman is a professional rock climber who has achieved incredible success, including multiple World Cup medals and podium finishes at the World Championships. Known for her strategic mindset and physical prowess, Natalia shared her approach to staying at the top of her game on the Test Piece Climbing podcast. As the caption for her episode noted, “Mindset As An Underdog vs Topdog, Climbing Your Best While Injured, and Knowing She’s ‘Ready’ For a Comp.” Here’s how Natalia trains her body and mind to perform her best.

1. She’s Consistent

Grossman opened up about her training routine with Redbull. She says that she makes sure to stay consistent. “My training varies with the season. During competition season, from April until September, I travel. When I’m home I train five times a week. For power training, I normally spray wall, which is climbing hard boulders on steep terrain. I also work on skills using competition-style boulders. For power-endurance training, I do circuits of 30 to 40 hard moves, where movement with my left or right-hand counts as a move. For pure endurance, I’ll do 50 easier moves or go rope climbing on the wall for a longer period of time.”

2. She Builds Muscle

Grossman tells Redbull that building muscle is something she focuses on. “For climbing, physical strength is a necessity, especially finger and upper-body strength. So once or twice a week, I’ll do hangboarding, where I hang by my fingers off a wooden board. I can add weight in, too. And I’m always working on my leg strength and power; for that I do squats, hamstring curls, deadlifts and pistol [single-leg] squats. For upper-body strength, I do lots of rows and curls. But when the competition season starts, I focus more on maintaining leg strength, because my upper body is just naturally stronger.”

3. She Stretches

Grossman tells Redbull that she makes sure to do a lot of stretching. “I think being flexible is helpful for getting my feet high and keeping my hips close to the wall. I used to do gymnastics, which I think made me very flexible. Now I maintain it by doing 10 or 15 minutes of stretching every morning. I start with frog position and splits. Then I do upper-body stretches to open up my shoulders and chest. When I get to the gym, I’ll do band work to finish my upper-body warm- up—movements like bringing the band across my chest or a curling motion. And then I do a bit with my fingers, too.”

4. She Centers Herself

Grossman revealed how she stays focused during a competition with Redbull. “In bouldering competitions, when I turn around, I have four to five minutes to figure out a climb that I’ve never seen before. Before I start, I like to lower my heart rate and get into a calm state. I have to come up with a game plan quickly and I try to stick to it. When I’m waiting behind the wall, I put on loud music so I can’t hear the crowd. Then I’ll just close my eyes and take some deep breaths. When I’m in a final where I’ve seen the climbs before, I’ll close my eyes and visualize myself climbing the boulder.”

5. She Hikes

Naturally, Grossman spends a lot of time outside. Besides climbing, hiking is an outdoor activity she does to keep herself in shape. Grossman shared a photo of herself hiking by the beach in this Instagram post. She captioned it, “Some much needed island vibes🏝🌊🌞Now I’m onto the next adventure! Thrilled to spending the next month in my second home… Innsbruck😍”

Madeline Sturt, a seasoned CrossFit competitor known for her dynamic workouts and engaging social media presence, recently thrilled her followers with a workout video set to Cher’s hit "If I Could Turn Back Time." Known for her rigorous training routine, Sturt showcased her skills on gymnastic rings, demonstrating the high level of fitness and dedication required in her sport. In her Instagram post, she playfully challenged her audience’s taste in music, suggesting that anyone who didn’t find the song a 'banger' was simply lying to themselves. This blend of humor and hardcore fitness exemplifies Sturt’s approach to training—intense yet accessible, inviting her audience to both admire her athleticism and join her in a shared love for classic tunes and tough workouts.

1. She Jumps Rope

Sturt shared some of her favorite workouts in this Instagram post. She captioned it, “Saturday burner.” In the first video, Sturt is seen jumping rope. The Cleveland Clinic states, “Jumping rope can be a good form of cardio, which increases your heart rate and can help decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease…And when you increase your heart rate, you also burn more calories. So, how many calories does jumping rope burn? While it depends on your pace, on average, someone may burn about 100 calories jumping rope for 10 minutes.”

2. She Lifts Weights

Madeline Sturt/Instagram

In the previous Instagram post, Sturt is seen lifting a barbell. ACE Fitness states that lifting weights has a lot of benefits. “Using heavy weights increases intramuscular coordination, the number of type II motor units and the amount of muscle fibers engaged within a specific muscle. Have you ever felt your muscles shaking while lifting heavy weights? This is because you are recruiting and activating the larger type II muscle fibers, which are only stimulated to work when a muscle is challenged with heavy resistance or working to fatigue.”

3. She Climbs

Madeline Sturt/Instagram

Sturt is seen climbing a wall in the previous Instagram post. Climbing of all kinds has a lot of benefits. All Climbers states, “Climbing is an endlessly variable series of movements. No climbing surface or route is quite like another, so the work you ask your muscles to perform during a climb changes each time you exercise. This ensures you’re training a greater number of muscles. Research suggests this kind of dynamic muscle activation is much more challenging than simple, repetitive movements.”

4. She Runs

Sturt shared this video on Instagram of herself running on a treadmill. FloTrack states that running has a lot of benefits. “Running releases endorphins, which then trigger a positive feeling in your body. The chemicals released after any exercise improve your mood and decrease anxiety and stress. You get a boost of energy and self-esteem and your sleep also improves. Running can set into motion a continuous cycle of improving different facets of your mental health.”

5. She Uses A Stationary Bike

In the first photo in this Instagram post, Sturt is seen on a stationary bike. Penn State PRO Wellness states that doing this has a lot of benefits. “A stationary bike workout is a low-impact workout that uses smooth movements to strengthen bones and joints without putting much pressure on them. This makes it a good workout option for people with joint issues or injuries.”