Paige VanZant in Two-Piece Workout Gear Has "That Power Slap Fight Week Feeling"

Paige VanZant is a very well-known and successful MMA fighter. She also finished in second place on season 22 of Dancing With The Stars, with her partner Mark Ballas. A few weeks ago, VanZant shared a video on Instagram of herself dancing. She captioned the post, “That @powerslap fight week feeling.” How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Paige VanZant stays in shape and the photos that prove they work.

1. She Does A Variety Of Workouts

VanZant likes to do a lot of different workouts to keep herself in shape. She shared some of her favorite workouts in an interview with Vogue. “Every day is different it depends on what day of the week it is. We have lots of classes, wrestling, jujitsu. I do a lot of Pilates, yoga, CrossFit as well. I also try to include one relaxing workout through the week like hiking.”

2. She Boxes

VanZant shared some of her fitness secrets with Muscle & Fitness. “I’m working with Pedro Diaz here in Miami, and he’s a straight boxing coach at Mundo Boxing,” she said. “I feel like that’s going to be the biggest difference in my fight game and my striking. People are really going to see a big change from my first fight to this one. After the first fight, I thought it was important to work with a straight boxing coach, and Pedro is a legend in boxing and I’m excited to have him in my corner.”

3. She Eats Healthy

VanZant makes sure to eat healthy. She broke down her diet to Muscle & Fitness. “I’ll have a banana before practice. I’ll always have coffee and the one thing I can’t cut out of my diet is my coffee creamer. That’s usually before practice. After practice, I’ll have a protein shake for the drive home and then I’ll have whatever meal is prepare for me when I get home. It’s typically extremely lean protein, vegetables, rice and some other carb. My favorite foods are meals for lunch and dinners. I love Indian food and I had to cut that out as well as Thai food. I’m excited for after the fight to have some really good Indian food.”

4. She Recovers

VanZant shared her recovery process with Muscle & Fitness. “I do a lot of ice baths. We’ll do an ice bath in between sessions to try and get my muscles to recover as soon as possible for the next training session. I get a lot of massages to make sure I’m not as sore going into sparring days or not as sore coming out of sparring days. I love the sauna and I know it’s extremely healthy for you, and I know it helps me prepare for the weight cut when it gets closer to the fight, being able to sweat and lose as much water as possible without losing my real muscle mass. I love it because it’s very healing and it helps with the soreness also.”

5. She Loves Masks

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VanZant tells Women Fitness that she likes to do hair and face masks to keep them healthy. “Although I am a professional fighter I do love to feel beautiful and take care of myself. Hair masks and face masks are a very frequent part of my week. I love to rest in between practices or after a long day of training with a hair mask, a face mask and a glass of wine. I can even get my husband to do a facemask here and there. Kick butt in the gym, relax, pamper and love everywhere else’s.”

MMA fighter Paige VanZant just shared a humorous set of snaps on Instagram. In the first shot, VanZant posed in a pink bathing suit. In the others, she wore sweats in her house, and cuddled her dog. VanZant captioned the post, “What the fans see vs. what my man sees.” How does she stay in shape? Read on to see 5 ways Paige VanZant 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 Isn’t Afraid To Speak Up

VanZant isn’t afraid to speak up for herself, and she doesn’t let sexism hold her back. She tells The Guardian that she wants other women to feel the same. “That’s a big problem for women. We’re taught never to hurt men’s feelings. We need to teach women to stand up for themselves. When you get that voice inside that says, ‘No, stop,’ instead of worrying about hurting somebody’s feelings you need to listen to yourself: ‘Hey this is a bad situation. I need to go home and not feel sorry.’”

2. She’s An Advocate For Survivors

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In her memoir, VanZant revealed that she is a survivor of sexual assault. She revealed this around the time the Me Too movement took off. VanZant tells The Guardian she wants to be an advocate for others who have been in the same situation“It was amazing it started right before my book came out. So I felt huge support and that I wasn’t doing this by myself. It felt liberating to get the story out but the pain doesn’t just go away. It’s also a hard lesson to learn. It's not your fault in these circumstances. I want to change that stigma. I want women to feel confident to speak up.”

3. She Uses Fighting To Feel Confident

For VanZant, fighting isn’t just her job, it’s also a way for her to feel more confident with herself. She tells The Guardian that fighting helped pull her out of a dark place. “I just started training to lift myself. I was a hidden, shy, timid person and I fell into it. I felt like I was adopted into this family at my first gym. I then had my first fight and when I won, I discovered I mattered. Before then, I was stuck in that victim mindset. In fighting, I found a purpose and that my presence on earth matters.”

4. She’s Grateful

VanZant has been subjected to social media haters, but she doesn’t let them get her down. “It is hard because there’s so much negative stuff on social media,” she tells The Guardia. Even now, I get depressed. I haven’t been able to train the last seven months because of my arm and I don’t see light at the end of the tunnel. But each day I count all the amazing things in my life.”

5. She Trains Hard Before Fights

VanZant has to train on a consistent basis. She revealed some of her workout secrets in an interview with Vogue. She says that she amps up her gym time when she has a fight coming up. “When I gear up for a fight I try to cut out a lot of the fun outdoorsy workouts and do a lot more training in the gym,” she says. “I do more cardio, and I run a lot if I can. I do a lot more sparring and more combat throughout the week.”

Paige VanZant, the AEW fighter, is, needless to say, fit. And she has extra energy, finding time to appear on Dancing with the Stars and Chopped. Her fans recently asked which superhero powers she’d want. “Would you rather have super speed or the ability to fly,” she was asked in an Instagram Q+A. (She’d want to fly.) She also shared a photo in a swimsuit and captioned it: “The Life.” How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Paige VanZant 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. This Has Been Her Workout

VanZant was asked about her workout a while back. “Every day is different it depends on what day of the week it is,” says VanZant to Vogue. “We have lots of classes, wrestling, jujitsu. I do a lot of Pilates, yoga, CrossFit as well. I also try to include one relaxing workout through the week like hiking.”

2. CrossFit Works

CrossFit is a great way to build strength. “Strength training can help you tone your muscles and improve your appearance. With a regular strength training program, you can reduce your body fat, increase bone strength, increase your lean muscle mass and burn calories more efficiently,” says the Mayo Clinic. “Better yet, strength training doesn't have to take as long as you might think. Do strength exercises for all the major muscle groups at least two times a week. Aim to do one set of each exercise using a weight or resistance level heavy enough to tire your muscles after about 12 to 15 repetitions and stamina over time.”

3. She Developed a Healthy Approach to Eating

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Trying to make her weight for feights was detrimental to her health. She told People: “I was at a fight where a fellow UFC fighter, Uriah Hall, was cutting weight and he pushed himself just to the brink of death. He had kidney failure and started seizing in the hallway right in front of me,” she said. “It’s because of that I’m like ‘I can’t do this anymore.’” “I recently went up to the Flyweight division which is 10 lbs. heavier, which is a huge difference,” she added.

4. She Eats Veggies

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While getting healthy in fight camp, VanZant ate meals high in protein and healthy vegetables. For example: “Spinach is high in vitamins A and C and folate. It's also a good source of magnesium. The plant compounds in spinach may boost your immune system. The carotenoids found in spinach — beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin — also are protective against age-related vision diseases, such as macular degeneration, as well as heart disease and some types of cancer,” says the Mayo Clinic.

5. She Ups Her Protein

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“Protein is made up of essential and non-essential amino acids. A complete protein source is one that contains all nine essential amino acids to support human dietary needs,” says the Cleveland Clinic. “Not only does a complete protein contain all essential amino acids, but it also contains them in perfect proportion in terms of biological function. Great examples include whey (dairy sources), lean meat, egg whites and soy.”

Paige VanZant, the mixed martial artist, just posted a new revealing photo on her Instagram. The fighter lounged in a pool wearing a blue bikini, showing off her toned body. VanZant revealed that she had just finished a workout, and didn’t get a photo of it, so she decided to post a revealing photo instead. Read on to see 6 ways Paige VanZant 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’s A Fighter

VanZant is a professional mixed martial arts fighter and boxer. Naturally, this means she’s in top shape at all times. Boxing and martial arts are a great way of getting exercise, and can help with muscle building and burning calories. A 2017 study in Biology of Sport states that boxing can increase muscle mass and decrease body fat.

2. She Takes Ice Baths

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In this reel from her Instagram, VanZant revealed that she likes to take ice baths to help her muscles recover. Ice baths, while cold, are a great way to help your body recover from a tough workout. Elizabeth Gardner, MD, tells Byrdie that ice baths work well because of the “rapid dilation of the blood vessels also delivers much-needed oxygen and nutrients to the muscles, which in theory should help them to recover after a hard workout.”

3. She Enjoys Time in The Pool

VanZant loves to spend time in the pool, and posts a lot of poolside and swimming photos and videos on Instagram.

4. She Works Out With Her Husband

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VanZant and her husband, fellow MMA fighter, Austin Vanderford, like to workout together. They sometimes will work out with the same coach. VanZant posted this video on Instagram of the couple exercising together. She captioned the video, “Couples who workout together stay together.”

5. She Weight Trains

VanZant is a fan of weight training, and she isn’t afraid to do some heavy lifting. Literally. VanZant posted this video on Instagram of herself lifting a large barbell. She captioned the video, “What’s the weight???;) Getting stronger with coach @evertonvoliviera at @americantopteam.”

6. She Does Yoga

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VanZant also does yoga. She posted a series of photos on Instagram of herself doing poses on the beach. She captioned the photo, “Sometimes I do yoga.”