Valentina Shevchenko In Workout Gear Shadow Boxes On the Beach

Valentina Shevchenko is an extremely successful fighter. Her skills have even landed her role in the film Bruised. Shevchenko has been posting a lot of vacation highlights on her Instagram recently. In a new photo, Shevchenko posed by the lake at sunset. She wore a dark green bikini with paisley patterns. She captioned the photo, “Issyk Kul lake.” Read on to see 5 ways Valentina Shevchenko stays in shape and the photos that prove they work—and to get beach-ready yourself, don't miss these essential 30 Best-Ever Celebrity Bathing Suit Photos!

1. She Horseback Rides

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Shevchenko loves to spend time outside. She shares a lot of outdoor photos on Instagram. One thing she likes to do is go horseback riding. She shared this reel of herself going for a ride. She also shared this set of photos of herself going for a ride to celebrate Kyrgyzstan’s Independence Day. Shevchenko posted this reel of herself going for a ride on her recent vacation, captioning it, “Mountains of Issyk Kul lake. Kyrgyzstan. September 2022.”

2. She Hikes

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Another outdoor activity Shevchenko likes to do to stay in shape is going on hikes. She did a lot of hiking on her recent trip, and shared a bunch of highlights on Instagram. Shevchenko posted this set of photos of herself hiking in the mountains and by the lake. She also shared this set of photos of herself hiking in Lake Issyk-Kul, captioning it, “Amazing nature of Kyrgyzstan.” Shevchenko also shared these photos of herself hiking with friends, captioning it, “Mountains of Issyk Kul lake.”

3. She Does Partner Work As A Form Of Strength Training

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Being a fighter, you might think that Shevchenko does a lot of weight training to stay in shape. However, you’d be wrong. Shevchenko tells Women’s Health that she does a lot of partner work for her strength training, as it helps her in the ring. "You do the same as working with weights, but something that actually will work good for you in a fight," she says.

4. She Prioritizes Her Recovery

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Shevchenko’s career requires a lot of physicality, which can take a toll on her body. She tells Women’s Health that she prioritizes her down time, and uses it to recover. "My trainings are super intensive and super difficult," she says. "That's why you try to save your energy as much as you can." Shevchenko says that she likes to spend time outside and go to a physical therapist as a way to recover.

5. She Learns A Lot Of Martial Arts

Naturally, Shevchenko does a lot of martial arts. She tells Women’s Health that she learns a lot of different forms. "Fighters, they have to know how to box, have to know how to kick, how to wrestle, how to grapple, everything," she says. "They have to do it, not just okay, they have to do it in perfection. For me, martial arts, it's kind of [the] same as religion, because you have to believe in what you are doing and your temple is your dream.”

Valentina Shevchenko is showing off her powerful physique in her two-piece workout gear. In a recent Instagram post, the MMA champion flaunted her incredibly fit body while training, dressed in a black sports bra and shorts emblazoned with her name. She also posed post-fight. "There's no discussion, Valentina is the best female fighter on the planet 100% 🇰🇬🐐❤️," commented one fan. Known for her rigorous discipline and intense workout routines, Shevchenko takes her preparation for fights to a whole new level. How does the UFC star get ready to step into the octagon? Here’s everything you need to know about the methods Shevchenko uses to stay on top of her game.

1. She Doesn’t Drink Water During Training

In a recent Instagram post, Shevchenko showed off her beautifully toned physique wearing a black sports bra and tight black workout shorts with her name on her upper thigh. The MMA star keeps in shape in various ways, including not drinking during training. “When you are drinking water, you are focusing on that you’re tired,” she said in an ESPN interview. This is a way to kind of develop your champion mindset.” She drinks water before or after training but never during.

2. She Has a Balanced Diet

In an interview with Women’s Health, Shevchenko shared she doesn’t hold back from eating anything, but the key is moderation. "I can eat everything," she says. "But I think the main idea is balance." According to the World Health Organization, a healthy, balanced diet combines different foods, such as protein, fruits and vegetables, legumes, and “staples like cereal.” The site states a well-balanced diet “protects you against many chronic noncommunicable diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Eating a variety of foods and consuming less salt, sugars and saturated and industrially-produced trans-fats, are essential for healthy diet.”

3. She Trains Nonstop

Shevchenko trains two to three hours a day to prepare for a fight. She told Women’s Health, "It's hard work and nonstop.” However, she takes a day off to rest when she has Saturday fights and does light training the morning of. "It's like a 40-minute training, just to stretch and sweat," she says.

4. Recovery is Important

With such a rigorous workout schedule, recovery is important and something Shevchenko takes seriously. When she has downtime, she spends a few hours at a lake in Vegas she enjoys. "Just being in nature, recharging enough to get back," she told Women’s Health. "My trainings are super intensive and super difficult," she says. "That's why you try to save your energy as much as you can."

5. Sports is her Religion

Shevchenko entered the world of fighting at a young age. She was only 6 or 7 when she competed for the first time, and her first professional fight was at 12. When she joined the UFC, she was a 17-time Muay Thai World Champion. "Fighters, they have to know how to box, have to know how to kick, how to wrestle, how to grapple, everything," she told Women’s Health. "They have to do it, not just okay, they have to do it in perfection." She compares her passion for the sport to religion. "For me, martial arts, it's kind of [the] same as religion, because you have to believe in what you are doing and your temple is your dream," she says.

Valentina Shevchenko is an extremely successful MMA fighter. She also appeared in the film Bruised. Shevchenko recently enjoyed a trip to Vietnam. While there, she made sure to hit the beach and do some swimming. She shared a reel on Instagram of herself on the beach. She captioned the post, “Feels good.” How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Valentina Shevchenko stays in shape and the photos that prove they work.

1. She Swims

As you can see from her recent post, Shevchenko loves to swim. She shares a lot of posts on Instagram of herself in the water. In this video, she is seen doing freestyle laps in a pool. Shevchenko captioned the post, “When not training, then swimming.” The British Heart Foundation states that swimming has a lot of benefits. “Swimming is one of the few activities that work your whole body. Breaststroke, backstroke, front crawl, butterfly and even doggy paddle get your legs and arms moving. This in turn works your back and core muscles.”

2. She Does Martial Arts

Shevchenko opened up about how she trains as an MMA fighter to Women’s Health. “Fighters, they have to know how to box, have to know how to kick, how to wrestle, how to grapple, everything," she says. "They have to do it, not just okay, they have to do it in perfection. For me, martial arts, it's kind of [the] same as religion, because you have to believe in what you are doing and your temple is your dream.”

3. She Hikes

One thing Shevchenko likes to do to stay fit is going on hikes. She shared these photos on Instagram of herself going on a hike along the Pacific Coast Highway. Shevchenko captioned the post, “Ocean , Mountains , Winery 🍇Gorgeous landscapes along #PacificWestCoast.” Ace Fitness states, “Hiking helps increase the strength in the leg muscles, builds stability in the core muscles and enhances balance skills. The more technical the terrain is, along with an increase in climbing intensity, the more balance and core strength is required because more muscles are being recruited to manage the steeper terrain. As you climb, the larger muscles in your legs are activated (such as the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings and calves), and on the descent, your glutes and quadriceps are working hard to prevent you from falling forward on the decline. Uneven terrain means many of the smaller stabilizer muscles are being worked, which increases stability and balance overall.”

4. She’s Determined

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Shevchenko opened up about how she approaches training and fights to Yahoo Sports. She says that being determined is a big factor for her. “It's like knowing what I want. What is number one for me. And to be able to get rid from all unnecessary things, and like to focus only one thing that's really important, to be successful in martial arts, to be dominated as a fighter. And just to prepare for each fight is if it's my best fight.”

5. She Doesn’t Set Goals

In her Yahoo Sports interview, Shevchenko opened up about why she doesn’t like setting goals. “I kind of feel that when the person trying to set goals like and follows his goals, it's just like it's not good. It's not good for the internal feeling that one can have. Because you have this pressure and you are thinking, oh no, I have to rush in some way, or I have to do that, I have to like another thing. And if something is not going as they planned, they are so frustrated. They try and do crazy things. They're starting to act like, literally, like you're thinking like, what they are doing. It's not how it's supposed to be. And that's why I don't like it. I don't like to set goals.”