10 Ways Caitlin Clark Built Her Six-Pack Abs For Time Magazine's Cover Shoot
Caitlin Clark is showing off her washboard abs on the cover of Time. In a new social media post, the WNBA star flaunts her six-pack in a Nike sports bra and trousers on her Time Athlete of the Year cover. "So deserved!!!" commented Lindsey Vonn. "Speechless," added Cameron Brink. How does the celebrated athlete stay in shape? Here are ten things Body Network knows about her approach to diet and exercise.
Basketball
Caitlin spends hours a day on the basketball court. "Basketball promotes speed, agility, strength, power and endurance. It [has] also been shown to increase flexibility and motor coordination. As a result, basketball is uniquely oriented to improve fundamental motor skills that are shown to be beneficial in promoting general health," Koco Eaton, M.D., orthopedic surgeon, founder of Eaton Orthopaedics and a former basketball player, tells Nike.
RELATED: 10 Steps This Fat Loss Coach Used to Drop 20 Pounds Without Gaining It Back
She Was "A Little Twig" Her Freshman Year of College
In an interview Caitlin told ESPN that she had a long and lean physique, like "a little twig" when she entered into her Freshman year of college. "The strength and conditioning program was a big help for me," she said. Her body didn't start "coming into its own" until her sophomore year.
Golf
Caitlin enjoys golfing. "Fun day surrounded by two of the best to ever do it," she captioned a post. A comprehensive review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that golf's health benefits are extensive, including mind, body, and even lifespan. Benefits include improved longevity, decreased risk of developing heart disease or suffering a stroke, good mental health, and improved strength and balance.
RELATED: 8 Doctor-Approved Ways to Lose Weight "Without Counting Every Calorie"
Yoga
Caitlin has dabbled in yoga and taken classes at studios. "I couldn't get a handstand," Clark told the Des Moines Register. "My teacher could tell I was mad." Not getting the handstand right kept her humble, and frustrated. "Sometimes I go way too fast, and then it doesn't turn out the way it should," Clark said.
Training Outside of the Season
Summer 2022 "was the first summer where we actually had a full summer of training," Iowa's associate strength and conditioning coach Lindsay Alexander, who trained her while at Iowa, told Business Insider. "And she's made strides over the year, but this is really where she made that biggest jump, because she was able to really dedicate the full summer to training." She "took the weight room super seriously," she added. "I think she really did that this past summer, and realized that that's what's gonna take her game to the next level."
She Put on 8 Pounds of Muscle in 8 Months
In a few months, Clark put on 8 pounds of muscle doing sprints, squats, jumps, deadlifts, lunges, single-leg work, and ankle stability exercises, according to Alexander, "all the normal things that people do."
RELATED: 10 Food Ingredients This Coach Avoids at All Costs
She Sleeps
"You can have the best training and the best basketball coach and all these things, but if you're not sleeping and taking care of your body appropriately, then it doesn't really matter," Alexander said. "[Clark] takes ownership of her sleep and, I mean, she's still a college kid, but good sleep and pretty good on the nutrition front. I think that has helped her really get to see the success from her training," she added, "because she's doing the other things as well."
She Loves Asian Food
In a 2022 YouTube video, Clark confessed that she and her family love Hy-Vee's Hai Chai entrees. "You can't go wrong with any sort of Hai Chai. My favorite's definitely broccoli beef, that's what I get," she said. "You definitely cannot go wrong with an egg roll," she added.
Doughnuts
Caitlin loves Hy-Vee chocolate-covered old-fashioned doughnuts. "Chocolate makes everything better," Clark explained.
RELATED: 4 Daily Habits This Weight Loss Coach Uses to Make Clients "Unrecognizable"
Breakfast
Clark fuels up in the morning. One of her go-tos is a fast food-style bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich and a coffee drink, like an iced macchiato with vanilla sweet cream cold foam. "It is the most classic college breakfast order," "Full Court Press" director Kristen Lappas told Forbes. And if you enjoyed this article, don't miss 12-3-30 Walking Method: 20 Proven Tips to Lose Weight Faster.
