Pippa Mann In Workout Gear Says “I Get To Drive Race Cars”

British racing car driver Pippa Mann is poking fun at her job in a social media post. Mann, 40, shared a video of herself wearing leggings and a tank top, sipping from a mug while enjoying the fresh air in her yard. “Grown up job? ❌ Consistent income? ❌ Future planning? ❌ Financial responsibility? ❌ BUT I GET TO DRIVE RACE CARS!!! ✅ (Kids. When your parents tell you to get a real job, they’re perhaps not wrong… 😂😂😂),” she captioned the post. Here’s what Mann’s intense training regimen looks like.

1. Tough Training

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Mann wants people to know how hard it is to control a race car. “Training to stay in shape for racing requires much more time and effort than I think anyone in the normal population realizes,” she told OrthoIndy. “The running joke about race car drivers of course is that we’re just sitting down, and how hard can it be? The first thing to understand is that you have a continuously elevated heart rate throughout the entire race. Think of the heart rate of someone running or cycling a two to three hour race and how fit his or her cardiovascular system needs to be to cope with that continued exertion. Then you have to add in high heart rate spikes to the equation.”

2. Cardio Sessions

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Mann does lots of cardio to keep herself fit for the track. “Under these trying conditions it is vital that you are able to cope, react and make good decisions in fractions of a second to try and give yourself a good outcome,” she told OrthoIndy. “We do a lot of endurance style cardio training and sprint interval cardio training. Adding in reaction or balance work right after these big sprint cardio intervals is one of the ways we help teach our brains and bodies to react while our heart rates are spiking.”

3. Indianapolis Bike Rides

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When she’s not spinning around a track, Mann enjoys taking her bike out for some exercise in the sunshine. “Beautiful weather today in Indy. Took myself on a little Easter Sunday bike ride for some ice cream! 🍦,” she captioned an Instagram post.

4. Weight Training

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Weight training is an important part of Mann’s training, as it takes significant strength to drive a racecar. “I train at PitFit Training Indianapolis where we have weighted steering wheels, cross core trainers, a surge 360 machine, tractor tires and battle ropes to pound up and down until our shoulders feel like they are going to explode and our arms feel like they are going to fall off,” she told OrthoIndy. “We also work on grip strength and neck strength fairly regularly as these are both very important muscle groups for drivers.”

5. Kettlebell Workouts

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Mann uses kettlebells as part of her strength training workouts. “Today’s #MondayMOOD. Brought to you by ‘People of the internet’ 🤣,” she captioned a post mocking society’s expectations for women’s workouts. “Hard work deserves to be rewarded 💪,” a fan commented.

Bianca Bustamante is soaking up the sun in her two-piece workout gear. In a new social media post the racecar driver shows off her amazing body in an exercise set while sunbathing. “Made it to Qatar!! Today was a rest day so took the liberty to work on the tan 🙈Proud morena hehh,” she captioned the Instagram snap. How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits.

1. Race Car Driving

Bianca explained to MEGA Active that race car driving is a great form of exercise, and maintains that you can lose up to 6 pounds per race due to dehydration and fatigue. “It is one of the most physically taxing sports I’ve ever experienced in my life. We have to go through so much G’s [G-Force] when we’re driving and at such high speeds where we need to be able to maintain our core and maintain our neck,” she said.

2. Strength Training

Bianca strives to out-train her competitors, spending hours nearly everyday at the gym where she focuses on strength training along with endurance, cardio, reaction time, and reflexes. “You know, to be a driver, it’s a complete package. It takes strength. It takes mental fortitude. It takes reflexes, smart thinking, and survival skills,” she told MEGA Active. “Sometimes it's for the body, sometimes it's for the mind. Nothing more peaceful than early sessions,” she captioned an Instagram post of one of her sessions.

3. Fueling Her Body with Protein

Diet is also an integral part of fueling her body for performance. She makes sure to amp up her protein intake to build more muscle and stay as lean as possible to meet the weight requirement. “It’s been a really cool journey seeing my body develop and transform into this whole different person I never knew I could become,” she said.

4. Cold Plunge

Recovery is also important to her strategy. Cold plunging is part of Bianca’s training regime.

5. Positive Self-Talk

One thing Bianca is working on? Positive self-talk. “Of course, I put a lot of pressure on myself, but in the end, I always tell myself that as long as I give my best and I learn from it, any mistake I make is valid,” she explained. “I always try to repeat that to myself that I am valid. I’m here for a reason and there’s nothing I would rather do than be here.”

Amber Balcaen, a trailblazing NASCAR driver and the first Canadian to win a NASCAR race, brings a winning mindset to every aspect of her life. In August, she shared her top five mental performance books on Instagram, captioning, “My top 5 favorite mental performance books. I’m an avid reader and also believe mental conditioning is just as important as physical. Let me know if you have any questions on these books 🤍.” From her intense fitness routine to her passion for racing, Balcaen is proof that success comes from dedication both on and off the track.

1. She Loves What She Does

In an interview on her website, Balcaen talked about what she loves about racing. “I kind of describe racing as a drug. I literally cannot live without it. I love it so much. I grew up in a racing family so I was at the track at a very young age. I begged my Dad to let me race and finally at 10 years old he allowed me to race go karts. Now I’m 24 [25 on the 7th] and as the years have gone on my passion and love for racing has only grown. I’m so fortunate to be in the position to now turn it from a hobby into a career which is a very difficult thing to do. Despite the difficulty I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else. It’s what makes me happy.”

2. She Values Exercise

In her interview on her website, Balcaen talked about her wellness secrets. She says that she values working out. “Since I’m not as naturally strong as a lot of my male competitors, I spend a lot of time in the gym so that I’m not physically lacking. I really focus on my strength and endurance. I need to make sure I’m alert and present at the end of every race. It’s rewarding to put in the time at the gym and see your body react positively.”

3. She Studies Racing

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Balcaen shared how she prepares for her racing in her website interview. “Another part of it is actually watching races and taking notes. Since I come from dirt racing I still have a lot to learn in NASCAR. So it’s really important this year that I watch a lot of racing and listen to the commentators to pick up on strategies. Nothing beats seat time but I definitely learn from watching.”

4. She Takes Protein Powder

Balcaen revealed on her website that she likes using protein powder. “The final piece is my nutrition. I really try to eat right. As a personal choice I don’t eat beef or pork, but I take time to plan my meals. Some of my favorite, healthy things to make are foods that use protein powder. One of my awesome sponsors is 1st Phorm. I use their Phormula-1 protein powder to make waffles and muffins. I especially love making the muffins because they’re easy to take on the go with me.”

5. She Strength Trains

Balcaen revealed her favorite workouts and foods in this Instagram video. In it, she is seen doing strength training exercises with battle ropes and a weighted bag. The Mayo Clinic states that strength training has a lot of benefits. “Strength training may enhance your quality of life and improve your ability to do everyday activities. Strength training can also protect your joints from injury. Building muscle also can contribute to better balance and may reduce your risk of falls. This can help you maintain independence as you age.”

Professional drag racer Leah Pruett is celebrating an important day in the automotive world—Hemi Day, in honor of when the 426-cubic-inch HEMI V8 engine was launched in 1964. Pruett, 35, shared a picture of herself wearing a black tank top that perfectly accentuated her ripped shoulders and arms, walking with her driving suit on. “Wishing you all a Happy #HEMI Day! 🎉 #HappyHemiDay #HEMIDay #426,” she captioned the post. Here’s what Pruett’s intense strength and health regimen looks like.

1. Endurance Training

For Pruett and other professional racers, racing is very much about endurance, so she mixes up cardio with strength training. "Race weekends often mean sixteen hour days," she told Inc. "Running from event to event, meeting sponsors, packing parachutes, mixing fuel, doing media... race days are extremely high-paced and intense. I can't operate at that level if I don't condition for that level." "The number one premise behind my fitness and conditioning is reaction time," she says. "Your leg can't be shaking from holding the clutch in for a long time, you can't be tired, you can't be lethargic..."

2. Careful About Diet

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Pruett is careful about her diet as any fluctuations could impact her driving. "In the off-season the team may spend weeks shaving 5 pounds off a particular spot on the car," she told Inc. "But if I'm capable of shaving 5 pounds off of me (laughs) just through my time and my work ethic... why wouldn't I? When I eat a normal meal, within 30 minutes I feel myself start to get lethargic. So I maintain a protein and leafy diet: For example, grilled chicken with as much hot sauce as I can to put some flavor in (laughs) and broccoli."

3. Plank Variations

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Pruett does her own “knee to opposite elbow” variation of a plank. “The pure adrenaline of driving produces the ultimate thrill,” she told SELF. “I love not only the speed, but the competition and intensity of getting everything right on every pass. Every move inside the car counts… I like this move because it works all the muscles in your core, including the abdominal, back and pelvic muscles. When these muscles are strong, you feel better, look better and have more energy.”

4. Wakesurfing For Fun

Pruett wakesurfs in her free time, finding it a perfect complement to her racing. "I started wakesurfing two years ago," she told Inc. "Every time I'm on the board I'm pushing for my mind to understand what my feet are doing and to develop better foot control. When you're balancing on a board, balance is something you don't think about. You just do it. But to do tricks I literally have to 'tell' my feet try this, try this a little more. In the car when my mind says go my feet have to say go... and wakesurfing helps me build that connection between my brain and my feet.”

5. Diversity In Racing

Pruett is proud to be a role model to up and coming female drivers, and has plenty to prove. “From a driver’s standpoint in the space, I feel like I’ve always had to prove myself more as a female,” she told Engine Builder. “One, my dad told me I would never be as good as the boys, so I focused on being better than the boys. To further prove my worth, I said I would never want to be a helmet back driver, much less a female helmet back driver. That has pushed me to work on the cars, build them from a chassis standpoint with the Funny Car crew, perform clutch work, etc.”