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.”
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