Zoa Linsey-Kumzak is working on her legs in her exercise clothes. In a new social media post the bodybuilder shares an update with her followers during a sweat session at the gym. “Thought I’d better post to let y’all know I’m still here. Just been busy! Don’t worry workouts are always on,” she captioned the Instagram post, adding the hashtag “fitness motivation.” How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits.
Zoa modifies her diet for her workout goals. “In the off-season I might decide to take advantage of the extra work load I just lifted, and have a cheat meal, or a larger post-workout meal after a leg day. However, more frequently, I will utilize the principles of specific nutrient timing and will add a post-workout shake containing a balanced amount of fast acting carbs and protein immediately following my workout, with a solid meal shortly thereafter. I do a lot of volume training and often my leg day workouts may last longer than 1 hour so I will also sip on a carbohydrate drink during my workout. Of course all this shifts when I am on a more restricted diet during ‘cutting’ season and carbohydrates are typically lowered somewhat,” she told RXMuscle.
“My nutritional strategy is simple. Eat every 2.5 hours with a balanced meal of carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats,” says Zoa. “I eat 6-7 meals throughout the day, depending on how long my day is. I will typically keep carbs in all these meals right up to the last week of the show; however the portions of carbs get smaller as the protein portion stays high. I eat mostly whole foods and limit the amount of shakes I use and try to pick a wide variety of nutritional sources. As I said I will take in a post-workout high-glycemic carb/protein shake immediately following the workout, but from there it is whole foods.”
Zoa understands the importance of stretching. “I received the BEST STRETCH, I could feel my circulation improve, I felt lighter and more able to move. And that’s just one session! I highly recommend adding this to your self-care,” she writes in a post
“If I can help it I don’t do cardio in the off-season. Occasional low-intensity cardio is valuable to keep the heart healthy and energy levels high, however too frequently and you run the risk of tiring out and having your workouts suffer,” says Zoa. Again this is very individual and also depends on your genetics, diet and training intensity while in the weight room. For me, I train my legs very intensely and find that too much cardio makes me weaker and less able to handle the volume I like on leg day. I don’t necessarily believe that cardio itself holds back growth, but under-eating and over-training will cumulatively lower your body’s ability to recover and put on those extra pounds of muscle you want in the off-season.”
“Definitely legs are one of my favorite body-parts,” to train, says Zoa. “However of course it is sometimes a ‘love-hate’ relationship! Leg workouts are some of the most brutal workouts you can put yourself through, but the most gratifying in the sense of that when you leave the gym you KNOW whether you put it all out on the line or not. However, the longer I train and the more dense my muscle has become it has become easier and easier to get that same feeling of intensity on most of my other body parts. It’s all about your ability to focus in on that muscle and push it to the extreme.”