Paige VanZant In Workout Gear Does Sled Exercises At the Gym

MMA fighter Paige VanZant is used to dealing with heavy weights—but even though she makes it look effortless, her training is seriously intense. VanZant, 30, shared a video of herself wearing brown shorts and a black sports bra, pushing a very heavy sled across the gym with a smile on her face. VanZant is open about the incredible discipline it takes to train like an athlete and prepare for fights—here’s what her diet, fitness, and training routine looks like, and her best advice for anyone who wants to be strong.

1. She's Dedicated to Her Regime

VanZant is strict and dedicated to her workout regimen. “I’m in the gym every day twice a day,” she told Women Fitness. “Since I have switched over to professional boxing my schedule comprises of boxing every day, sometimes twice a day. And strength and conditioning three days a week. I do all of my training at American top team, a world renowned MMA and combat academy.”

2. Fighting Diet and Cheat Days

VanZant is careful about her diet, but makes a point of making her healthy food as delicious as possible. “Dieting is a huge part of being any sort of professional athlete,” she told Women Fitness. “My husband and I love cooking and we really enjoy making healthy meals together. I like to think of myself as a chef and have competed on many cooking shows. We of course have our occasional cheat day here and there. But once we have a flight scheduled it’s down to business. Then after we fight we go a little bit crazy and eat everything in sight.”

3. Intense Training and Relaxing Workouts

VanZant is active even on her “off” days, going on hikes to relax. “Every day is different, it depends on what day of the week it is,” she told 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. 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. I do more cardio, and I run a lot if I can. I do a lot more sparring and more combat throughout the week.”

4. Fitness Goals

VanZant advises anyone wanting to get fit to start slowly and set realistic goals—you don’t have to work out like an MMA fighter to reap the rewards. “Just taking a cardio kickboxing class [can be helpful],” she told Vogue. “You can go into a gym and it’s all cardio-based and you get to learn a little bit of self-defense as well. When I started MMA, I got into the best shape of my life.”

5. Dancing With the Stars

VanZant loved her stint on Dancing With the Stars, as she has a background in dance. “Competing on Dancing With the Stars by far was one of the greatest experiences I have been able to take part in because of my successful MMA career,” she told Women Fitness. “I actually grew up dancing and had been away from it for the past 10 years. Being on the show helped me get back in touch with my roots. I absolutely loved my partner Mark Ballas. We are still very good friends and chat every now and then. I would love to be able to compete on the show one more time and redeem myself and my second place trophy. As a professional fighter I really want that first place win.”

Professional fighter Paige VanZant works hard to have a fit figure, for work and for play. Her Instagram is full of swimsuit and other revealing photos. She just shared a new set of bathing suit photos. In them, she posed among the trees in a pale orange bathing suit. She captioned the post, “A little lost. A lot found.” 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. She Works Out Regularly

VanZant revealed some of her wellness secrets to Women Fitness. Since she is a professional fighter, she has to stay in shape. This means VanZant has to workout on a regular basis. “I, of course, have a very strict workout regimen,” she says. “I’m in the gym every day twice a day. Since I have switched over to professional boxing my schedule comprises of boxing every day, sometimes twice a day. And strength and conditioning three days a week.”

2. She Cooks Healthy Meals

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In addition to working out, VanZant also has to eat healthy. She tells Women Fitness that one of her secrets is cooking a lot of her own meals. “Dieting is a huge part of being any sort of professional athlete. My husband and I love cooking and we really enjoy making healthy meals together.

3. She Takes Care Of Her Skin & Hair

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For VanZant, wellness isn’t just about eating right and staying active. It is also about taking care of her skin and hair. She tells Women Fitness that she likes to use masks when she has downtime. “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.

4. She Does A Variety Of Workouts

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VanZant has to do a variety of workouts to stay in shape for the ring. She revealed her regimen to Muscle & Fitness. “Alongside regular MMA training, I’ve incorporated CrossFit and a lot more weight training and endurance training,” says VanZant. “I can do four practices a day, two of them technique, and two more hardcore. Other days will be sparring days, and you don’t want to do too much other than sparring, because it’s really hard on your body.”

5. She Weight Trains

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VanZant tells Muscle & Fitness that she does a lot of strength and weight training. She says that it is one of her more challenging workouts. “Weight training is more of a challenge because it’s new to me,” VanZant explained. “I can push myself to lift more weight or get more reps, and it’s something that I can see myself progressing in. My favorite exercise is the squat clean.”

Kay Hansen, a highly successful MMA fighter, regularly shares videos of her training on Instagram. Recently, she posted a video of herself boxing and working on holds, captioning it, “In my own lane.” Hansen's rigorous training includes a combination of boxing, weight training, and core workouts to keep her body in peak fighting shape. Her commitment to mastering techniques like snatches and leg day exercises shows her dedication to building strength, endurance, and power in the gym and the ring.

1. She Boxes

The boxing that Hansen is seen doing so in her Instagram video has a lot of benefits. Harvard Health states, “Fitness boxing is a great aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise gets your heart pumping and helps lower the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. It can strengthen bones and muscles, burn more calories, and lift mood. Aerobics can also boost your endurance, which helps you climb a flight of stairs or walk farther.”

2. She Weight Trains

One type of exercise that Hansen likes to do is weight training. She shares a lot of videos on Instagram of herself using weights. Hansen shared these videos on her page of herself using a barbell and a kettlebell. She captioned the post, “A little solo work today building off of some recent workouts with @coach_lou_ 🏋️‍♀️Complex 1RDL x10. Power cleans x5. Front Squat x10 (X4). Complex 2. (Forgive the form- that was my last set😂). Bicep curls x5. Bent over row x10. Overhead press x6 (3x). Movement 3: Whatever kettle bell exercise that was 😂”

3. She Works Her Lower Body

Hansen doesn’t skip leg day. She shared some of her go-to moves in this Instagram video. Piedmont recommends training your lower body. “Having strong glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings and calf muscles gives your body a strong foundation and can: Tone your lower body muscles. Boost your metabolism as you increase muscle mass. Give you a higher calorie burn as you train larger muscle groups. Improve your balance. Strengthen your bones. Reduce joint pain.”

4. She Does Core Workouts

Hansen makes sure to do core workouts to stay in shape. She shared some of her favorites in this Instagram post. In it, Hansen does things like plank slides and side planks while lifting a weight. “Cardio and Core today 🥵💪Little blast at the end was my fav. 30sec cardio (versus climber) x 30sec core (any) for 10 straight 🙌 try it out!”

5. She Does Snatches

One weight training exercise that Hansen enjoys doing is snatches. She shared this video of herself doing them on Instagram. Hansen captioned the post, “Today was an introduction to snatches for me 🙌 I think I found my new favorite 😂One thing about me is I am going to do it right. Whether it takes 10 reps or 1000 reps, I have to get as close to perfect as possible😂 today was a 1000 rep kinda day lmao. It’s a blessing and a curse.”

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.”