Track and Field Star Femke Bol in Two-Piece Workout Gear Says "All is Good"

Femke Bol is a phenomenal track and field athlete, celebrated for her Olympic success. At the 2024 Olympics, she won gold in the 4x400 mixed relay, silver in the 4x400 relay, and bronze in the 400-meter hurdles, adding to her bronze from the 2020 Olympics. Recently, she shared a series of workout photos on Instagram, captioned, “Running, hurdles, smiles, sore muscles, all is good 🥰.” Here’s how Bol stays at the top of her game.

1. She Runs

Bol is seen running in her Instagram post. Running has a lot of health benefits. According to FloTrack, running is a great way to burn calories. “Just like other forms of exercise, running burns calories while working out. The additional perk about running, though, is you can continue to burn calories even after you stop. The ‘afterburn’ continues to burn calories after your run.”

2. She Lifts Weights

Bol shared this video on Instagram of herself working out in the gym. In it, she is seen weightlifting. ACE Fitness states that using 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 Works With A Trainer

Bol’s trainer, Laurent Mowley, talked about her training in an interview with Athletics Weekly. “Progressively we pushed her stride a bit more and changed to having a more cruising way of running the first 200m, with longer strides. It’s about a 12cm difference in stride length. And then to change after seven hurdles to go to 15 – that was something completely different to what she has been used to. But, very quickly, she realised in training that this was the direction to go in.”

4. She Does Hip Thrusts

Femke Bol/Instagram

In the second blurb’s Instagram link, Bol is seen doing hip thrusts to keep herself in shape. Gymless states that since hip thrusts are a glute workout, they have a lot of benefits. “Strong glutes are not only for aesthetic appeal; they serve a key functional purpose in supporting the posterior chain of muscles around the spine. Hip thrusts are also known for their capacity to develop and define glute muscles, contributing to their popularity on social media. After all, who doesn’t appreciate the look of a well-crafted pair of glutes?”

5. She Does Squats

Femke Bol/Instagram

Bol is also seen doing squats in the Instagram video. According to The Cleveland Clinic, squats have a lot of benefits. “Proper squatting form requires you to reaaaaally engage your core — the muscles of your stomach, pelvis, hips and lower back. These large muscle groups support every move you make, both large and small, so keeping them strong helps keep you well. Strong core muscles play a role in: Maintaining good posture. Relieving back pain. Lowering your risk of injuries like hip flexor strains and sports hernias.”

Keely Hodgkinson, a rising star in track and field, has made waves on the global stage. After winning silver in the 2021 Olympics, she clinched gold in the 800 meter at this year's Olympics, solidifying her status as a top athlete. Before her triumphant performance, Hodgkinson graced the pages of ELLE UK, sharing stunning photos from the shoot on Instagram with the caption, "This was so fun." Curious about how she maintains her peak physical condition? Read on to discover five ways Keely Hodgkinson stays in shape and see the photos that prove her methods work.

1. She Does A Split 800 Meter

Hodgkinson shared her training secrets with Runner’s World. She says that she splits the 800 meter up. “There's a session I do, which is usually the last one I’ll run before a championships. It’s a split 800m, so a 400m, 30 seconds’ rest, then another 400m. The outcome is very accurate in terms of telling you what you’re capable of. When I was at the Tokyo Olympics, I did that session beforehand and I split a 1:55.3, then ended up running 1:55.8. So it’s a really honest reflection of where you’re at.”

2. She Trains 7 Days A Week

Hodgkinson trains 7 days a week. She shared her routine with Runner’s World. “So, it’s cross training on Mondays. On Tuesdays, I’ll do a session on the cross trainer and then I’ll do a track session. Wednesdays involve a 30-minute run and 40 minutes on the cross trainer, plus some gym work. Thursdays are similar to Tuesdays, but with maybe more of a tempo-type session. I always have Fridays off, then Saturdays in the winter will be a longer session and in the summer a track session. Sundays in the winter will be hills, and in the summer I’ll do a 15-minute run.”

3. She Eats A Pre-Race Breakfast

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Hodgkinson shared her favorite pre-race breakfast with Runner’s World. “It’s probably one of those questions where nearly every athlete has the same answer, but I’d say porridge – and I always have a cup of tea. Then white toast. I’m usually the athlete who doesn’t have the snacks, although there will often be some granola lying around somewhere.”

4. She Enjoys Eating Healthy

Hodgkinson revealed to Runner’s World that she actually enjoys eating healthy. “I eat pretty well. I’m not really a person who craves takeaways or things like that, because they just don’t make me feel very good. My friends will say, ‘Let’s get a Chinese,’ but I’d rather just eat a chocolate bar, to be honest – that’s my thing. So I eat pretty well, not so much because I have to, but more because I like to. I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables and good carbohydrates, but there will always be a chocolate bar, too. I think I need the calories, to be honest.”

5. She Isn’t Bothered By What Others Think

Hodgkinson isn’t bothered by what others think of her. She told ELLE UK, “You can’t get overly bothered about what everyone else is doing. I think that’s good [to remember] in every aspect of life, whether it’s how you look or what job you have – if you’re just comparing, you’re going to be miserable.”

Olympian Lieke Klaver is a Dutch track and field sprinting athlete. On a series of photos captioned “@athlos my baby. Season 2024 is a WRAP !! Outfit @stellamccartney @adidas @omega @avavav,” on Instagram, Leike shares photos of herself running and mingling with fans. Here’s what she does to stay in such great shape and maintain her fit physique.

1. She lifts weights

During her workout routine, lifting weights and feeling strong is an extremely important part of the process. “The gym makes me happy in a different way 🦸🏼‍♀️🦸🏼‍♀️🦸🏼‍♀️,” she said on a video of her deadlifting on Instagram. “You don't need to spend hours a day lifting weights to benefit from strength training. You can see significant improvement in your strength with just two or three 20- or 30-minute strength training sessions a week,” according to the Mayo Clinic.

2. She has support

She’s grateful for the support she has from her family. “LOOK my dad and brother!!! 😍😍😍😍 World Championships 🧡🧡🥇🥈 Not able to find words to describe the past weeks🎢 So so so proud of my team, my people, my family! One week of rest, then ➡️ We continue the hard work @toomuchsugar400 😍 Anyone is excited with me for the upcoming Olympic season???? 🙋🏼‍♀️,” she said on Instagram.

3. She rests

She takes days off to rest from intense workouts when her body needs a brief break. “Rest days in the garden where I just lay on the grass, watch birds and embrace the messy hair, ugh LOVE it #goodmorning 🦋🪲🌿🌾,” she said on Instagram. “Just like your body needs sleep every night to recover from the day, it also needs occasional rest days to recover from workouts. Taking some downtime between exercise sessions is essential for building strength and preventing injury. Experts recommend taking at least one day off from your daily workout routine each week. Taking a rest day after a particularly long or intense workout can be especially helpful,” according to UCLA Health.

4. She cools down

Preparing your body during warm-ups and cool downs before and after workouts can be an important part of the journey. “Cooling down after the 49 run 🥵,” she said on Instagram. “Cooling down after a workout is as important as warming up. After physical activity, your heart is still beating faster than normal, your body temperature is higher and your blood vessels are widened. This means if you stop too fast, you could feel sick or pass out. A cool-down after physical activity allows a gradual decrease at the end of the episode,” according to heart.org.

5. She deadlifts

She incorporates deadlifting into her workouts, weightlifting to build strength. “OMGGGGGG sharing this moment with you guys because I’m soooooooo proud!!!!!!! 110 kg!!!! 🤝🏼❤️‍🔥 And don’t try to play coach and tell me stuff about technique,” she said on Instagram on a video of her hitting 110 kg.

Holly Bradshaw is an elite Olympic pole vaulter who claimed a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics and the 2018 European Championships. She’s gearing up for the upcoming Padova Pole Vaulting Convention, where her appearance is highly anticipated. Padova’s official Instagram shared a video of Bradshaw competing, captioned, “Ready for Holly Bradshaw? The Britain’s first pole vault Olympic Medallist is coming to Padova!” Here’s how Bradshaw stays in peak condition and maintains her wellness.

1. She Has Balance

Bradshaw shared her wellness secrets with Get Sweat Go. She says that she is working on having more balance in her life. “One project I’m currently working on is getting the right training and lifestyle balance. Being an elite pole vaulter doesn’t take up every hour of the day, there is a lot of downtime and I am useless at being bored so I am currently helping conduct some research with two other researchers surrounding ‘post Olympic blues’, which is keeping me busy.”

2. She Does A Variety Of Workouts

Bradshaw shared her training routine with Get Sweat Go. She says that she does a lot of different things. “My training is very varied and I train five times a week for around 3-5 hours each session. My training schedule consists of pole vault once a week, weights sessions 2/3 times a week, gymnastics, explosive jumping and throwing, various running sessions including short acceleration sessions (30m), medium speed runs (50m) and then speed endurance running sessions (90-120m). I also do yoga and stretching work most days.”

3. She Evaluates Her Sessions

Bradshaw shared how she evaluates her training sessions with Get Sweat Go. “I like to evaluate my sessions both objectively and subjectively. I sometimes compare any numbers I have from previous sessions and check how far I am away from them. However, I feel evaluating subjectively is important too. Some days just aren’t PB days – or even close – however, it could be really good session for other reasons. I think using both methods is vital for an athlete. I am an optimistic person and finding the positives in any situation is my strength and something I value a lot.”

4. She Plans Her Workouts

Bradshaw tells Get Sweat Go that she likes to plan things out. She says that she has a journal for this. “It’s so important to have a plan and then note everything I do down. Training components, training numbers, PBs, notes on how I felt etc! It’s awesome to reflect back on what you did, how you felt – I think having a training diary is something simple but gives you structure and confidence when you look back and see how awesome you were.”

5. She’s Focused

Bradshaw shared her biggest piece of advice with HFE. “Make sure you stay committed and focused. That’s one of the things that I do, make sure I’m focused because I’m a really determined person and I have clear goals to focus on. You need to make sure you’re always having fun, I think athletes can be way too serious. Obviously you need to work hard in training sessions, like I always do, but I feel like there always needs to be an element of fun.”