Valentina Shevchenko is in vacation mode – in her swimsuit. The UFC Flyweight Champion, mixed martial artist, former Muay Thai fighter and Halle Berry’s Bruised costar shows off her insanely fit figure during a recent getaway in one of her latest social media posts. “Da Nang. Vietnam,” she captioned the Instagram snaps shared with her 2.6 million followers. How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Valentina Shevchenko stays in shape and the photos that prove they work.
In order to stay in fighting form, Valentina does partner work instead of weights for strength conditioning. That way her training mimics what she’s doing during competition. “You do the same as working with weights, but something that actually will work good for you in a fight,” she told Women’s Health.
Valentina spends two to three hours a day training. “It’s hard work and nonstop,” she told Women’s Health. She usually takes a rest day on Friday and then wakes up around 8 a.m. to do a light training session on Saturday morning before her fights. “It’s like a 40-minute training, just to stretch and sweat,” she says.
Valentina has a relaxed approach to diet. “I can eat everything,” she told Women’s Health “But I think the main idea is balance.” She avoids eating at night and overeating before a fight.
Recovery is an important aspect of Valentina’s physical health. She works with physical therapists and also takes time “just being in nature, recharging enough to get back.” she says. “My trainings are super intensive and super difficult,” she says about the importance of rest. “That’s why you try to save your energy as much as you can.”
Obviously, Valentina’s fighting helps her stay fit. “Fighters, they have to know how to box, have to know how to kick, how to wrestle, how to grapple, everything,” told Women’s Health. “They have to do it, not just okay, they have to do it in perfection.” She added: “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.”