Georgia Ellenwood, an Olympic heptathlete who competed in the 2020 Olympics, keeps her fitness sharp with various challenging exercises. Recently, she shared a video on Instagram where she tackled a series of fitness challenges, performing impressive push-ups, sit-ups, and plank variations. Her caption, “I definitely got more athletic today,” hints at her dedication to building strength and agility across different disciplines. Whether she’s holding a plank or powering through push-ups, Ellenwood’s commitment to fitness showcases the athletic prowess that has fueled her success on the world stage.
Ellenwood was seen doing push-ups in her Instagram video. NASM states that push-ups are very beneficial. “This ONE exercise can help you torch calories, build and tone muscle, gain strength, and positively impact your overall fitness, function, and performance. Due to its versatility, mastering this exercise can be vital to unlocking your true fitness potential.”
In her Instagram video, Ellenwood is seen holding a plank, and rolling a barbell out to a plank-like position. Planks have a lot of benefits. Allina Health reports, “The plank is a simple, effective bodyweight exercise that strengthens your core, as well as muscles in your upper and lower body. Core muscles, which include your back and abdomen, help you maintain posture and balance as you stand, sit and move throughout the day.”
Ellenwood shared some of her favorite at-home exercises in a YouTube video for Under Armour. In it, she is seen doing quad stretches. According to The Houston Methodist, stretching has a lot of benefits. “Regularly stretching certainly comes with benefits, mostly because it builds flexibility and preventive measures,” says Dr. Alysia Robichau, a sports medicine doctor at Houston Methodist. “As you continue to stretch, you become more flexible, able to reach or extend farther. Stretching also calms your muscles and helps keep them strong and healthy.”
In her Under Armour YouTube video, Ellenwood is seen doing squat jumps. According to Piedmont, squats have a lot of benefits. “Squats are a compound, multi-joint movement, which means they exercise several muscle groups. When you perform a squat, you work your calves, quads, hamstrings, glutes, core and part of your back. A squat has more overall benefits than, say, a bicep curl, which strengthens an isolated area.”
Ellenwood is also seen doing lunge jumps and skates in her Under Armour YouTube video. ACE Fitness states that lunges of all kinds have a lot of benefits. “They’re a form of unilateral training, which means you’re working only one limb or side of the body at a time. And unilateral training is a more effective way to build functional strength (than using both legs) because these types of movement mimic other everyday motions, like walking and climbing stairs — and not just to the working leg. Research suggests the strength gains to the nonworking side are about half of the strength gains of the working side. And with unilateral training, because it involves balance, you’re working your core muscles, too, according to the American Council on Exercise.”