Valentina Shevchenko Shares Swimsuit Photo From Las Vegas

Valentina Shevchenko is an extremely successful MMA fighter. She also appeared in the film Bruised. Shevchenko recently enjoyed a trip to Vietnam. While there, she made sure to hit the beach and do some swimming. She shared a reel on Instagram of herself on the beach. She captioned the post, “Feels good.” How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Valentina Shevchenko stays in shape and the photos that prove they work.

1. She Swims

As you can see from her recent post, Shevchenko loves to swim. She shares a lot of posts on Instagram of herself in the water. In this video, she is seen doing freestyle laps in a pool. Shevchenko captioned the post, “When not training, then swimming.” The British Heart Foundation states that swimming has a lot of benefits. “Swimming is one of the few activities that work your whole body. Breaststroke, backstroke, front crawl, butterfly and even doggy paddle get your legs and arms moving. This in turn works your back and core muscles.”

2. She Does Martial Arts

Shevchenko opened up about how she trains as an MMA fighter to Women’s Health. “Fighters, they have to know how to box, have to know how to kick, how to wrestle, how to grapple, everything," she says. "They have to do it, not just okay, they have to do it in perfection. For me, martial arts, it's kind of [the] same as religion, because you have to believe in what you are doing and your temple is your dream.”

3. She Hikes

One thing Shevchenko likes to do to stay fit is going on hikes. She shared these photos on Instagram of herself going on a hike along the Pacific Coast Highway. Shevchenko captioned the post, “Ocean , Mountains , Winery 🍇Gorgeous landscapes along #PacificWestCoast.” Ace Fitness states, “Hiking helps increase the strength in the leg muscles, builds stability in the core muscles and enhances balance skills. The more technical the terrain is, along with an increase in climbing intensity, the more balance and core strength is required because more muscles are being recruited to manage the steeper terrain. As you climb, the larger muscles in your legs are activated (such as the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings and calves), and on the descent, your glutes and quadriceps are working hard to prevent you from falling forward on the decline. Uneven terrain means many of the smaller stabilizer muscles are being worked, which increases stability and balance overall.”

4. She’s Determined

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Shevchenko opened up about how she approaches training and fights to Yahoo Sports. She says that being determined is a big factor for her. “It's like knowing what I want. What is number one for me. And to be able to get rid from all unnecessary things, and like to focus only one thing that's really important, to be successful in martial arts, to be dominated as a fighter. And just to prepare for each fight is if it's my best fight.”

5. She Doesn’t Set Goals

In her Yahoo Sports interview, Shevchenko opened up about why she doesn’t like setting goals. “I kind of feel that when the person trying to set goals like and follows his goals, it's just like it's not good. It's not good for the internal feeling that one can have. Because you have this pressure and you are thinking, oh no, I have to rush in some way, or I have to do that, I have to like another thing. And if something is not going as they planned, they are so frustrated. They try and do crazy things. They're starting to act like, literally, like you're thinking like, what they are doing. It's not how it's supposed to be. And that's why I don't like it. I don't like to set goals.”

Valentina Shevchenko, the professional fighter, enjoyed her weekend. And she just posted a new photo on Instagram as proof. In it, Shevchenko walked in the water by a canyon. She wore a blue bathing suit, showing off the product of her hard work. Shevchenko captioned the post, “Weekend 🌸 vibes 😄 #LakeMead #Nevada #MojaveDesert.” How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Valentina Shevchenko 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 Does Partner Workouts

Shevchenko broke down her typical fitness routine and diet to Women’s Health. She surprisingly revealed that she doesn’t do a lot of weight and strength workouts. Instead, she favors partner type workouts, as she says that they help her in the ring. "You do the same as working with weights, but something that actually will work good for you in a fight," she says.

2. She Believes In A Balanced Diet

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Shevchenko talked about her typical diet in her Women’s Health interview. She says that while she tries to eat healthy, she doesn’t believe in going on a restrictive diet. Shevchenko believes in eating a balanced diet, and isn’t afraid to give into any cravings she might have. "I can eat everything," she says. "But I think the main idea is balance."

3. She Prioritizes Recovery

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While her training sessions and staying in shape are important to Shevchenko, she also believes in recovery. She tells Women’s Health that she has rest days on Fridays, and does things like physical therapy and walking to recover. "My trainings are super intensive and super difficult," she says. "That's why you try to save your energy as much as you can."

4. She Does Intense Workouts Five Days A Week

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Shevchencko naturally trains really hard to prepare for fights. She broke down her typical training schedule to Women’s Health. Shevchencko works out for two to three hours, four times a week. “It's hard work and nonstop," she says. She also will do a quick training session before she goes into a fight. “It’s like a 40 minute training, to stretch and sweat,” she says.

5. She Does Neck Workouts

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Shevchenko works out every part of her body. Even her neck. She posted this video on her Instagram of herself doing different neck exercises, like bridges and sprawls, in the ring. She revealed in the caption that these exercises help her stay in shape, and help with her fights. Shevchenko captioned the video, “Some more neck exercises.”