Professional volleyball player Alix Klineman is showing fans what a typical workout looks like for the athlete. Klineman, 34, shared a video of herself wearing blue leggings and a white shirt, using a kettlebell and resistance bands. “Thought I’d share a workout of mine that requires no crazy machines/equipment! Here, we’re working on power without loading my back, rotational strength, knee mechanics/glute strength, landing + triple extension, shoulder stability, and core strength. A lot of it transfers directly to volleyball (by design), but I think a lot of you would enjoy this workout regardless of if you play vb or not! Anyway, my rant is over 😅 let me know if you decide to try any of these exercises, they got me feeling 👌🏼,” she captioned the post. Here’s how this Olympic gold medalist stays strong, focused, and happy.
Klineman’s training schedule is as strenuous as you’d expect. “We train about five days a week,” she told The Zoe Report. “We have practice for a few hours a day, we lift weights for a couple hours, I see [a physical therapist] for my body and movement training, so that’s another hour of therapy or deep tissue massage. So, it can add up to four to seven hours of commitment [a day]. But, because a lot of these things are very physical, it can be very taxing.”
Klineman had surgery in 2022 for a rotator cuff tear, and the experience was harder than she expected. “I never realized just how good getting outside and moving every day was for my mental health,” she told KT Tape. “It was just part of my daily routine, and I never knew anything different. And so the first couple months after surgery I had “cabin fever” for sure. I was restless, anxious, and generally less happy. The lack of routine definitely took a toll on me.”
Klineman relaxes by cooking and hitting the beach. “I love cooking and the creative aspect involved, so I always try to carve out time for that,” she told The Zoe Report. “I live close to the beach, so you’ll find me there on the weekends. Although, I’m one of those people who, on my off time, will never be caught playing volleyball. When I play, it’s really hard for me to do it leisurely, and just relax and have fun [with it] without worrying about winning. So, [if my friends are playing] I’m the one who sits on the towel on the sidelines.”
Klineman has a newfound appreciation for her career and her health. “Now I go to the beach, so grateful I get to do something I love while getting a workout in at the same time, and head back home energized, fulfilled, and happy from the hard work I just put in,” she told KT Tape. “Understanding the balance and correlation between physical and mental health has been the biggest lesson for me during this time, and just the perspective I needed to get back out on the court.”
Klineman is taking a different approach to injury and recovery these days. “One thing I’ve dealt with my whole career is a lot of injuries,” she told The Zoe Report. “This year, I finally broke off and found a place that, instead of giving you a few rehab exercises or referring you to a doctor, analyzes your movements and finds out where the mechanical breakdown is, what’s actually causing your injury. They’re determined to rewire your body and fix your mechanical issue so they’re treating the cause as opposed to just the pain. So, that’s been a really fulfilling and rewarding workout I’ve been doing. I really feel like I’m healing my body.”