Paige VanZant is a very well-known and successful MMA fighter. She also finished in second place on season 22 of Dancing With The Stars, with her partner Mark Ballas. A few weeks ago, VanZant shared a video on Instagram of herself dancing. She captioned the post, “That @powerslap fight week feeling.” How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Paige VanZant stays in shape and the photos that prove they work.
VanZant likes to do a lot of different workouts to keep herself in shape. She shared some of her favorite workouts in an interview with Vogue. “Every day is different it depends on what day of the week it is. 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.”
VanZant shared some of her fitness secrets with Muscle & Fitness. “I’m working with Pedro Diaz here in Miami, and he’s a straight boxing coach at Mundo Boxing,” she said. “I feel like that’s going to be the biggest difference in my fight game and my striking. People are really going to see a big change from my first fight to this one. After the first fight, I thought it was important to work with a straight boxing coach, and Pedro is a legend in boxing and I’m excited to have him in my corner.”
VanZant makes sure to eat healthy. She broke down her diet to Muscle & Fitness. “I’ll have a banana before practice. I’ll always have coffee and the one thing I can’t cut out of my diet is my coffee creamer. That’s usually before practice. After practice, I’ll have a protein shake for the drive home and then I’ll have whatever meal is prepare for me when I get home. It’s typically extremely lean protein, vegetables, rice and some other carb. My favorite foods are meals for lunch and dinners. I love Indian food and I had to cut that out as well as Thai food. I’m excited for after the fight to have some really good Indian food.”
VanZant shared her recovery process with Muscle & Fitness. “I do a lot of ice baths. We’ll do an ice bath in between sessions to try and get my muscles to recover as soon as possible for the next training session. I get a lot of massages to make sure I’m not as sore going into sparring days or not as sore coming out of sparring days. I love the sauna and I know it’s extremely healthy for you, and I know it helps me prepare for the weight cut when it gets closer to the fight, being able to sweat and lose as much water as possible without losing my real muscle mass. I love it because it’s very healing and it helps with the soreness also.”
VanZant tells Women Fitness that she likes to do hair and face masks to keep them healthy. “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. I can even get my husband to do a facemask here and there. Kick butt in the gym, relax, pamper and love everywhere else’s.”