Yahoo Lifestyle This Low-Impact Exercise 'Humbles' Olympic Sprinter Gabby Thomas
Olympic track and field athlete Gabby Thomas shares her workout routine with Women's Health.
She supplements her runs with a common class workout: Pilates.
Gabby will compete in the 200m dash after finishing first in Olympic Trials.
Gabby Thomas may be a two-time Olympic medalist, but even she finds Pilates classes "humbling."
The sprinter is headed to Paris for the 2024 Games after winning the 200m dash at the Olympic Trials. And she's sharing her workout regimen with Women's Health—including the low-impact class that everyone seems to be loving.
In addition to weight lifting and track workouts (which can be longer runs or sprints), Gabby supplements her training with Pilates.
"Pilates is humbling," Gabby, 27, told WH in April at the 2024 Team USA Media Summit. "As an Olympian in that room, not being able to do a lot of the exercises that they're doing, you really realize how many small muscles that you don't activate every day."
But of course, Gabby is always up for a challenge—even when she gets the dreaded shakes during lunges.
"My body goes through it during Pilates," she shared. "But it’s really good for me and my personal growth. It’s really hard, but it's also relaxing in a way, so it’s fun."
ICYDK: Pilates is having a moment, with everyone from Jennifer Aniston to David Beckham saying they use the low-impact workout to target muscles and build strength. And if it works for an Olympian like Gabby... well, it’s gotta be worth a try, right?
Equally important to Gabby's routine? Her diet, so she can keep herself fueled during runs. She always eats lots of carbs and protein to get energized, but stays away from anything too "heavy" before a race.
She also drinks a bottle of water each day when she wakes up, and keeps a gallon jug with her to make sure she gets enough throughout the day.
"Water and hydration is huge for me," she says. "It's one of my pillars."
Gabby is headed to Paris after a triumphant 2020 Tokyo showing, where she received silver and bronze medals in the women’s relay and 200m dash, respectively.
But she's more than just racing: Gabby's also a Harvard University graduate who currently works at an Austin, Texas, volunteer health care clinic for people without insurance, per NBC. After training for three to six hours each day, Gabby puts her degrees in neurobiology and public health to use at the clinic. One day, she hopes to run a hospital or a nonprofit to expand access to health care.
Gabby credits her mother with giving her a strong work ethic. While Gabby was growing up, her mother waitressed while putting herself through school to be a professor, Gabby shared with NBC.
“She showed me in real-time, growing up, what it’s like to go after your dreams and to achieve them,” she said, per the outlet. “I watched her just achieve all of that by herself and while raising us.”
Good luck, Gabby!
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