Nneka Ogwumike in Workout Gear Says "Practice Makes Perfect"

Nneka Ogwumike is a professional basketball player, currently playing for the Seattle Storm. She previously played for the Los Angeles Sparks, and played in Russia and Poland. She shared a new video on Instagram of herself practicing on the court. Ogwumike captioned the post, “You are your fiercest competitor.” How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Nneka Ogwumike stays in shape and the photos that prove they work.

1. She Doesn’t Use The Word Diet

Ogwumike talked about her diet secrets in an interview with GQ. She says that she doesn’t like to use the word ‘diet’, as it doesn’t help her eat better. “I always tell people that instead of ‘dieting,’ you have to consider it a lifestyle. I feel like ‘diets’ restrict people to rules. For me, I approach my diet and what I put into my body as a way of life. There are certain things that I like to eat that may not necessarily be good for me. When I have a craving, I know how I can fulfill it, or at least supplement the craving with something close to it that may not be as detrimental.”

2. She Does Yoga

Ogwumike shared some of her wellness secrets in an interview with ESPN. She says that she likes to do yoga and similar exercises to recover. “Yoga. I switch it up depending on the day. On recovery, I incorporate slower pace and a bit more stretching.” John Hopkins Medicine says that yoga has a lot of health benefits. “Slow movements and deep breathing increase blood flow and warm up muscles, while holding a pose can build strength.”

3. She Does Planks

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Ogwumike does a lot of core workouts, and shared her favorites with ESPN. “I do a lot of bird dogs and planks. Dynamic planks are what I work on because I need to work on my back stability. When you do planks, it allows you to develop that.” Lifehack.org states that planks have a lot of benefits. “A plank workout is one of the best exercises for strengthening your core. You’ll note that when you maintain the plank posture, your biceps, neck, and shoulder muscles are also put to the test and stretched. This is excellent news if you like to do press-ups because it encourages their growth and development.”

5. She Cooks

Ogwumike loves to cook, and shared some of her favorite recipes with ESPN. “I'm really great at making breakfast. I can make pancakes out of anything. I can make buckwheat pancakes, almond flour pancakes. I make really fluffy coconut flour pancakes. Pastries are kind of like my weakness, so I try to find ways to cook sweet things in the kitchen.”

4. She Doesn’t Push Herself Too Hard

Although Ogwumike is a professional athlete and does a lot of fitness, she doesn’t like to push herself too hard. She tells ESPN that she’s limited her exercise for this reason. “I don't do as much as I used to. I used to think that you had to do everything to really get the benefits. But everyone's body is different. I learned that my body doesn't need so much. It reacts very quickly to whatever I eat or whatever training I do, so I try to really limit all the extra stuff and keep it simple.”

Elisabeth Akinwale, a powerhouse CrossFit athlete and inspiring businesswoman, is known for her relentless dedication to fitness and her commitment to building an inclusive gym environment. Recently, she shared a video on Instagram showcasing her Glute Hamstring Developer (GHD) sit-ups, explaining their incredible benefits: “Doing GHD sit-ups without explosive contraction down the front side of my body, including the legs, leaves a lot of potential benefit on the table." For Akinwale, fitness is about more than strength—it’s about consistently pushing boundaries, fostering inclusivity, and living a life of purpose. From speaking out against prejudice to building consistency into her routine, Akinwale leads by example, inspiring others to pursue their passions and stay resilient on their journey.

1. She Does Sit-Ups

As you can see from her Instagram video, Akinwale likes to do sit-ups to stay in shape. The exercise has a lot of benefits. The Cleveland Clinic states that they are a great core workout. “Sit ups are great for tightening your core. They strengthen and tone your rectus abdominus, transverse abdominus and oblique abdominal muscles as well as your neck muscles. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions three times per week.”

2. She’s Inspired By Others

Akinwale opened up about what inspires her in the caption of this Instagram video. “Inspired by those who live their passions, and though they have a full plate of responsibilities, they chose to make space in their lives to create and connect to meaning. In doing so, they inspire others pursue their own passions. There are never really enough resources, but they make it work. The time they have, they make the absolute most of.”

3. She Stands Up Against Hate

Akinwale speaks out against hate and prejudice in the fitness industry. She talked about this in the caption of this Instagram photo. “By my standards, it’s impossible to run a values business, a business that serves whole people, if you are unwilling to leave dollars on the table. I will say straight up, if you don’t love Black people, queer people, brown people, Muslim people, poor people...,don’t come to my gym. If you support hateful political regimes and policy, don’t come to my gym. The presence of that type of ideology is toxic and antithetical to what I want to build. As a trainer I concern myself with people in their entirety. The specific focus is helping them reach peak performance, and part of that is removing as many limitations and barriers as possible. Identity is absolutely part of the training equation. Recovery is a key element of training, stress levels are a primary component of recovery. Micro-aggressions are stressful and energy draining and that directly takes away from the training. Climate and culture in the gym overall matter, it’s the difference between thriving because of and surviving in spite of.”

4. She’s Consistent

Akinwale makes sure to stay consistent when it comes to working out. She talked about this in the caption of this Instagram video. “Stick around long enough, there are going to be some ups and downs. Where ever you are today is simply where you are. Start taking steps and build from there.”

5. She Does Burpees

Elisabeth Akinwale/Instagram

In the previous Instagram video, Akinwale is seen doing burpees. They are considered a compound exercise, which means they have a lot of benefits. ACE Fitness states, “The purpose of cardiovascular exercise is to improve the ability of the heart to function as a pump. This can be accomplished through activities such as running and cycling, or by doing exercises that involve a significant amount of muscle tissue. Sitting in a leg-extension machine doing knee extensions or performing biceps curls with dumbbells uses only a limited amount of muscle tissue; these exercises are more appropriate for focusing on isolated strength. Squats to shoulder presses, medicine ball chops or burpees are all examples of compound exercises that involve large amounts of muscle tissue, which challenges the heart to pump blood to keep the muscles fueled and active.”

Nia Jax is a superstar wrestler for the WWE. She recently shared a new reel on Instagram. In it, Jax modeled some new clothes. She wore workout gear and a black tank top and pants. She captioned the reel, “It’s a vibe @FashionNovaCurve. Vital Goddess Active Long Sleeve Infinity. Monte Blanc Sweatsuit. No Jealousy Pant Set.” How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Nia Jax stays in shape and the photos that prove they work.

1. She Works Out With Others

Jax likes to train with other people. And sometimes they are her fellow wrestlers. She talked about this to Bill Apter. "I am training. I'll train over at D-Von Dudley's ring. He's great and then I go over to Nattie and TJ's [Natalya & TJ Wilson], so they run me through some drills and stuff like that and I have matches. I'll get in the ring every now and then with some of my friends like Charlotte [Flair] and her husband, Manny [Andrade El Idolo).”

2. She Does Pilates

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In her Bill Apter interview, Jax shared one of her go-to workouts. “I've kind of started being obsessed with Pilates." The Cleveland Clinic states that Pilates has a lot of benefits. “Pilates is a form of strength training, but it doesn’t look like some of the other strength training exercises you might be familiar with. Pilates focuses more on improving muscle tone than building muscles, but the result is similar: greater stability and endurance. Pilates isn’t going to bulk you up — if anything, it’s designed to cultivate a longer, leaner look. Still, it can lay a strong physical foundation for muscle-building activities — and may even reduce your likelihood of injury.

3. She Plays Pickleball

Jax is a big fan of playing pickleball to keep herself in shape. She shared this video on Instagram of herself playing pickleball with some friends. She captioned the video, “Pickleball stereotypes #iykyk #pickleballislife #pickleball Having too much fun with @anghaskins @sonja_naomi.”

4. She Wants To Inspire Others

Jax wants to be a positive role model. She tells Refinery29 that this is why she started accepting herself. “Maybe a young girl seeing me and not feeling comfortable in her group can feel like, ‘Oh my gosh, look, she went out there and she’s different and I look like her and she’s kicking ass and she’s taking names. Maybe one day I can do that and I should just embrace who I am.’”

5. She’s Positive

Jax is all about self-love. She shared how she adopted this attitude with Metro. “Loving yourself and being happy and positive, that’s where true beauty comes from,” Jax explained. “I get styled and have pounds of make-up put on which is cool and all, but if I walk out with a bad attitude and have crappy negative ways, then nobody would think twice about me. I definitely feel that if somebody is struggling with themselves and how they look, they need to really channel the positivity within.”

Kristina Nicole is sharing a motivating message to her followers – in her workout gear. In a new social media post the IFBB pro shows off her famous figure in a two-piece set. “Your job is not to rush the timing. Rather, to determine the type of person who will meet it at the doorway,” she captioned the post, quoting Brianna Wiest. How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits.

1. She Makes Progress in the Off Season

Kristina, who also goes by Kristina Mendoza, maintains that most progress is made in her offseason. “There’s a lot of calories going in. Training gets more and more intense as the calories go up,” she said, adding that she used to train legs twice a week, but now only does legs once. “I’m trying to bring my upper body up, be a little more symmetrical with the legs, so I have better flow and balance onstage,” she told Muscle & Fitness.

2. She Trains Hamstrings and Quads on the Same Day

Mendoza trains hamstrings and quads on the same day with adductors added in as well. “I like to burn them out a little bit before I get into the compound movements like the leg press or squat machine,” Mendoza explained. After a brief introduction, Mendoza then demonstrates each of the movements that she likes to work with.

3. Hydration

Mendoza prioritizes hydration. “water break,” she captioned this post. According to the Mayo Clinic, hydration is important for a variety of reasons. Water helps get rid of waste through urination, perspiration, and bowel movements, keeps your temperature normal, lubricates and cushions joints, and helps protect sensitive tissues.

4. Mastery Is “Mindset”

“Mastery is a mindset: It requires the capacity to see your abilities not as finite, but as infinitely improvable. Mastery is a pain: It demands effort, grit, and deliberate practice. Mastery is… never fully reaching mastery but always striving to get there,” she captioned a post.

5. Warmup and Stretching

Before lifting, Kristina warms up on the bike. “I like to start with lighter weight for the first couple of sets before I work up into my working sets,” said. She performs two to three lighter sets before doing one working set. She then follows that up with a “back-off” set with lighter weight and more reps.

Cass Olholm, an inspiring influencer and fitness coach, is all about pushing limits – in two-piece workout gear. Recently, she completed her first WOD Week and shared the experience on Instagram, rocking a purple sports bra and black spandex shorts. “As a coach, nothing beats this,” she wrote, celebrating her community’s growth and personal bests. But beyond the physical, Cass is about balance. She listens to her body, especially after being ill, and she knows when to dish out tough love to help others improve. Here’s how Cass Olholm maintains her fitness and guides others to reach their goals.

1. She Has a Great Community

Cass Olholm/Instagram

As a coach and nutritionist, Olholm brings people together to achieve their fitness goals. She just completed her first WOD Week–workout of the day, which is a hard week of training, and every day is a completely new session. Olholm posted photos of the event, in which she’s rocking a purple sports bra that shows off her toned abs and black spandex shorts. She wrote, “ I am so proud of my community, and it was such an honour to do it alongside them, witnessing multiple PBs and watching so many people realise a new level of strength and grit they hold. As a coach, nothing beats this.”

2. She Listens to Here Body

After being hit with a virus and unable to do much for a week, Olholm eased back into the gym with lighter workouts. Here’s how she targeted her lower body while recovering from being sick.

1. A) 5 sets:

4 x Back Squat

1. B) Superset - 3 sets:

- 12 (6 E/S) x DB Negative Bulgarian Split Squat

- 12 (6 E/S) x Negative Bulgarian Split Squat

1. C) 5 sets:

4 x Deadlift

1. D) Superset - 3 sets:

- 12 (6 E/S) x Weighted Step Down

- 12 (6 E/S) x Step Down

1. E) Finisher - 2 rounds:

- 60sec DB Walking Lunge

- 60sec Walking Lunge

- 30sec rest

3. She Stretches

Stretching improves flexibility, reduces stiffness, increases circulation, reduces injury, and is important for overall mobility. Olholm recommends five lower body stretches to improve range of motion.

-Squat to hamstring stretch

-Squat rocks

-½ kneeling lateral adductor rock

-Kneeling adductor rock backs

-Cossack squat

4. She Does Ankel Mobility Drills

Cass Olholm/Instagram

Having strong ankles is vital for maintaining balance, shock absorption, and preventing injuries. Olholm said a deep squat hold calf raise is “the ankle mobility drill you NEED. If you’re new to this movement, you have limited range of motion in your ankles, or balance isn’t your strength, I suggest holding onto something for support, and/or only raising one heel at a time.”

5. She Gives Tough Love

Cass Olholm/Instagram

As a coach, Olholm isn’t afraid to give constructive critisim when needed. She wrote, “If you have performance-based goals and you want to improve, you’re going to have to lean into discomfort. The power of growth exists in the space that is uncomfortable, there is no way around it. As a coach, I have witnessed many people with the desire to improve but without the desire for discomfort. What this results in is those people wondering why year after year they see minimal improvement. They are still lifting the same weights and moving at the same speed, which is completely fine unless you have the desire to improve your performance. She ended her post by stating, “The role of a good coach isn’t just to be a cheerleader, it also involves applying a dose of tough love when it’s needed.”