Powerlifter Heather Connor in Two-Piece Workout Gear Has "Nice Depth"

Jessica Buettner is a very successful powerlifter. She is known for winning the IPF World Championships twice. Buettner is recovering from a back injury, and is sharing her recovery process on Instagram. In a video, she is seen doing some weightlifting exercises. Buettner captioned the post, “Training recap 🤡😂 tweaked my back about 3 weeks ago, nothing serious but I’m annoyed at myself for doing it nonetheless because once it seizes up I work long hours standing and it is hard to get back to normal. An ongoing problem for me a couple times a year for the past several years. Anyways, @miketuchscherer has put less specific movements in my program to help me recover and also in the last couple weeks reintroduced squats and deadlifts using the @reactivetrainingsystems framework for doing that and so far it’s been working very well. I also got some advice and adjusted how I stand at work and it’s helping too.”

1. She Lifts Weights

Buettner lifts weights to keep herself in shape. ACE Fitness states that weightlifting has a lot of benefits. “Using heavy weights increases intramuscular coordination, the number of type II motor units and the amount of muscle fibers engaged within a specific muscle. Have you ever felt your muscles shaking while lifting heavy weights? This is because you are recruiting and activating the larger type II muscle fibers, which are only stimulated to work when a muscle is challenged with heavy resistance or working to fatigue.”

2. She Deadlifts

Buettner likes to do deadlifts to keep herself in shape. She is seen doing them in this training video on her Instagram. ACE Fitness states that deadlifts have a lot of benefits. “When done correctly, the RDL is an effective exercise that helps strengthen both the core and the lower body with one move. Unlike the traditional barbell deadlift and other quad-dominant exercises such as leg presses, which place significant loads on the anterior portion of the knees, the RDL focuses most of the physical work on the muscles responsible for extending the hip and the knee from the posterior.”

3. She Does Squats

Buettner also likes to do squats to stay in shape. She shared this video on Instagram of herself doing them. Buettner captioned the post, “I think this is a rep PR on squats but I’m not sure - either way I’m super happy with the way it moved! Queues I still focus on almost every time I squat: -keeping even foot pressure - keeping the bar secure on my upper back. Bracing comes pretty naturally as I warm up, and I do think about things like improving the speed of my descent, and depth. Anyways, happy lifting everyone!”

4. She Hikes

Buettner doesn’t just workout in the gym. She also likes to spend time outside. One thing she likes to do is to go for hikes. Buettner shared this set of photos on Instagram of herself hiking in Malta. She captioned the post, “An amazing day in Malta 📍trained, saw some ancient ruins, a cathedral and some amazing sights. They introduced a one day break in the competition schedule at IPF worlds this year and I’m a big fan.”

5. She Doesn’t Focus On Being Perfect

Buettner doesn’t focus on being perfect, especially on social media. She talked about this in the caption of this Instagram post. “A quick tip to make you feel better if you’re filming yourself in a brightly lit gym. Most people probably know this trick for giving your videos dark Batman vibes, but at any rate remember social media is mostly an illusion and even people like me who don’t edit/photoshop photos still do things like this. Little things that really overemphasize a physique. Anyways have a good day everyone 💪”

Powerlifter and strongwoman Chloe Brennan knows the value of persistence and resilience in her sport. Recently, Brennan celebrated a new milestone on Instagram, sharing a video of herself lifting a long-awaited personal best, captioned, “It’s taken me 3 years to add 5KG to my log… 85KG finally ticked off.” Her fitness journey combines intense strength training with strategic restorative weeks to recharge her muscles. Known for exercises like deadlifts and pushing herself beyond comfort zones, Brennan emphasizes the importance of focusing on gains and trusting the process, even through challenging prep sessions. Her mindset and dedication inspire fans to embrace the grind, stay positive, and celebrate each hard-earned achievement.

1. She Strength Trains

Brennan naturally does a lot of strength training to keep herself in shape. ACE Fitness states that lifting weights has a lot of benefits. “Lifting heavy weights elevates levels of anabolic hormones—specifically testosterone, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1)—which are used to repair muscle fibers damaged during exercise. This helps the muscle fibers to become thicker and capable of generating higher levels of force.”

2. She Does Restorative Training

Brennan makes sure to give her body time to recover and doesn’t push herself too hard. One way she does so is by doing restorative training. Brennan talked about this in the caption of this Instagram video. “When your mind and body are feeling zonked from life doing its thing or from hard training or competing it can be super valuable to take a step back and do 1-2 weeks of restorative training where you take a break from hammering your body with heavy loads and just focus on movement quality and feeling good ✌🏻It’s amazing what a bit of a recharge can do, remember. In order to shoot an arrow forward, you must first pull it back.”

3. She Does Deadlifts

One strength training exercise that Brennan likes to do is deadlifts. She is seen doing them in this Instagram video. ACE Fitness states that deadlifts are very beneficial. “The Romanian deadlift (RDL) is a traditional barbell lift used to develop the strength of the posterior chain muscles, including the erector spinae, gluteus maximus, hamstrings and adductors. When done correctly, the RDL is an effective exercise that helps strengthen both the core and the lower body with one move. Unlike the traditional barbell deadlift and other quad-dominant exercises such as leg presses, which place significant loads on the anterior portion of the knees, the RDL focuses most of the physical work on the muscles responsible for extending the hip and the knee from the posterior.”

4. She Pushes Herself

Brennan makes sure to push herself when she is training. This means moving outside her comfort zone. Brennan talked about this in the caption of this Instagram post. “Feeling uncomfortable is part of the process. Being scared to fail is normal. The greatest opportunities and outcomes happen when we step outside of our comfort zone. So embrace the fear, feel the discomfort and do the thing anyway.”

5. She Focuses On Her Gains

Brennan makes sure to focus on the positive things when she trains. She talked about this in the caption of this Instagram post. “The final weeks of prep don’t always feel good, I’ll often feel like all of my gains have escaped but it’s super important to trust the process- you are not your final sessions but the result of all of the work put in up to that point ✌🏻This final session I was struggling to pick up 100kg from the floor- but panic we did not- on the day 100kg popped up lovely and moved 77m in 60 seconds for the event win (I hated every second but that’s not the point 🤣)Stop stressing over one or two bad sessions and remember your result will be a reflection of the bigger picture.”

Sarah Lanzillo, a professional powerlifter and strong woman, has built a reputation not only for her impressive feats in strength but also for her advocacy. In August, she showed support for Presidential candidate Kamala Harris, sharing a post on Instagram where she posed in a “Childless Cat Lady” shirt—a playful nod that many had adopted to voice their endorsements of Harris. Here's how she stays so fit.

1. She Lifts Weights

One of the main ways that Lanzillo stays in shape is weightlifting. ACE Fitness states that doing this has a lot of benefits. “Lifting heavy weights elevates levels of anabolic hormones—specifically testosterone, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1)—which are used to repair muscle fibers damaged during exercise. This helps the muscle fibers to become thicker and capable of generating higher levels of force.”

2. She Works Hard

Lanzillo makes sure to work hard when she trains. She talked about this in the caption of this Instagram video of herself training. “Deadlifts ✅The Competition weights for the ladder are: 405, 455, 495, 525, and 560. My goal is to get though the 1st 3 🙏🏼🙏🏼 it’s absolutely insane to see some of the women flying through this event 😬😬😬💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼 💪🏼”

3. She Does Deadlifts

Sarah Lanzillo/Instagram

In the previous Instagram video, Lanzillo is seen doing deadlifts with a barbell. According to NASM, this exercise is very beneficial. “A Romanian deadlift is a hip-hinge pattern that works the hamstrings and glutes. It is a form of deadlift with noticeably less bend in the knee, leading to greater hamstring engagement than traditional deadlifts. The move was introduced to the masses in the 90s by Romanian weightlifter Nicu Vlad (an Olympic and World Weightlifting champion) and his coach Dragomir Cioroslan. The two invented the move to help Nicu strengthen his back for the clean and jerk. Today, RDLs are commonly used to strengthen the posterior chain, using the core muscles to stabilize and the hamstrings and glutes to drive the movement.”

4. She Took Time Off

Lanzillo took time off from competing, and opened up about this in the caption of this Instagram video. “I’ve taken this whole year off competing to focus on my health. My body was so confused with the constant ups and downs of competing. Gain weight… lose weight… back and forth…I honestly haven’t lifted anything heavier than 225 in MONTHS and my body is thanking me for it. It doesn’t hurt when I get out of bed. My elbows don’t chronically hurt. My hips aren’t in pain every second of the day. My spine isn’t compressed after every workout. I feel good! I’m not saying I won’t EVER get back into competing BUTTTT this time off has done my body good 🥰🥰🥰”

5. She Does Squats

Lanzillo is seen doing squats with a barbell in this Instagram video. The Cleveland Clinic states that squats are very beneficial. “‘Squats are integral to athletic training programs, enhancing speed, agility, strength and power across various sports disciplines,’ says sports and exercise medicine physician Matthew Kampert, DO…’Squats primarily target the muscles in the thighs, hips and buttocks, leading to enhanced stability, balance and overall lower body strength.’”

Kimberly Walford is a legend in powerlifting, having clinched the IPF Championship title an impressive seven times. Alongside her competitive accolades, she’s a dedicated coach who inspires athletes with her strength and expertise. Walford frequently shares insights into her training routines on Instagram, offering a glimpse of the workouts that keep her at the top of her game. In September, she posted a video of herself performing bench presses, reflecting on her journey and the challenges she’s overcome in mastering this lift. She captioned the post, “With my body mechanics, I have never been at an advantage with bench press. However, I never let it stop me from earning a bench I’ve been proud of as well.” Here’s how she trains and stays motivated.

1. She Lifts Weights

Naturally, Walford lifts a lot of weights to keep herself in shape. Weightlifting is very beneficial. ACE Fitness states that not only does it get your body in shape, but it can help with your confidence. “Knowing that you can lift heavy stuff gives you the confidence that you can handle common challenges, such as a putting a bag in the overhead bin on an airplane or carrying a heavy piece of furniture while reorganizing a room or helping a friend move.”

2. She Bench Presses

Walford does a lot of workouts with weights to keep herself in shape. As you can see from her Instagram post, one of them is the bench press. Walford doesn’t just bench press with large barbells, however. She shared this video on Instagram of herself doing them with hand dumbbells. Walford captioned it, “110#_49.69kg Dumbbell Press - DB press have always been one of my favorite accessories. I know working on increasing my unilateral strength will help me on improving my bench.”

3. She Does Reverse Hypers

Walford likes to do reverse hypers to keep herself in shape. She shared this video of herself doing them on Instagram. Walford captioned the post, “Back to another favorite accessory of mine - @roguefitness Rhino Reverse Hypers. Literally had to start with only 2.5kg of bar weight. ✅ ⬆️ Posterior Chain muscles strength. ✅ ⬆️ Back resiliency. ✅ Isolate Glutes and Hammies. Thank you @protim for posting your video!!”

4. She Makes Time To Recover

While Walford works out on a regular basis, she makes sure to recover and to not push her body too hard. Walford talked about this in the caption of this Instagram video. “The beginning of a new training cycle is rough on the body. Light way feels heavy and your body sometimes feels a little like it forgot how to lift. We all go through it. Just know it takes a few weeks for your body to recover. Ride it out. Your CNS system will recover and you’ll be back to feeling normal.”

5. She Does Squats

Kimberly Walford/Instagram

Walford is seen doing squats in the previous Instagram video. Allina Health states that squats are very beneficial. “The squat is one of the all-around best exercises to do for your lower body. It strengthens and tones muscles in your thighs, butt and calves and improves posture, balance, flexibility and inner core strength. Squatting also improves bone mineral density to keep your bones strong. Include squats in your exercise routine two to three days a week to reap the benefits from this dynamite move. Rest at least one day to allow muscle recovery.”