Ivanka Trump, known for her public presence and business acumen, has recently shared insights into the fitness regimen that she credits with significantly transforming her physique. Moving away from a long-standing focus on cardio, yoga, and Pilates, Trump has embraced a dedicated strength training approach, complementing it with a high-protein diet and a variety of outdoor activities to maintain her lean and strong build.
Shifting Fitness Focus: From Cardio to Strength Training
For much of her life, Ivanka Trump’s fitness routine, like many women’s, primarily revolved around cardiovascular exercises, alongside yoga and Pilates. However, since relocating to Miami, she has made a “transformative” shift towards weightlifting and resistance training. This change, she states, has been instrumental in helping her build muscle and alter her body composition in ways she hadn’t previously imagined. Trump now dedicates three to four days a week to strength training sessions, sometimes on her own and other times with a trainer.
Core Strength Training Movements
Trump’s strength training philosophy centers on “foundational, time-tested, and simple movements.” These cornerstones of her workout emphasize functional strength for everyday life. The key exercises she incorporates include:
- Squats: Engaging multiple muscle groups, squats are fundamental for lower body strength.
- Deadlifts: A full-body compound exercise that builds strength in the back, glutes, and hamstrings.
- Hinges: Movements like Romanian deadlifts that focus on hip flexion and extension.
- Pushes: Exercises such as overhead presses or push-ups that work the chest, shoulders, and triceps.
- Pulls: Movements like rows or lat pull-downs that target the back and biceps.
Her trainers, including Sandy Brockman, highlight these compound movements as highly effective for building strength and improving coordination while helping to burn fat.
Importance of Form and Progressive Overload
Ivanka Trump stresses the critical importance of prioritizing proper form before adding weight to her exercises. This meticulous approach ensures safe and steady progression while maintaining the integrity of each movement, helping her avoid injury and maximize results. Her goal is not necessarily to become a powerlifter, but to consistently challenge herself by mastering the movement before increasing the load.
Beyond the Gym: Varied Activities for Overall Fitness
While strength training forms the core of her current routine, Trump’s fitness goes beyond the gym walls. She integrates a variety of outdoor activities and sports into her weekly schedule, often enjoying these with her children. These activities include:
- Surfing
- Swimming
- Hiking
- Walking (including walks by the ocean)
- Golf
- Padel tennis
- Wake surfing
- Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
She still enjoys weekly yoga sessions, indicating a balanced approach that incorporates activities she genuinely enjoys, which she believes is key to consistency.
Integrating Cardio and Mobility
To further boost her cardiovascular fitness, Trump incorporates short, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions each week. Additionally, she emphasizes mobility work within her strength training sessions to enhance her range of motion and overall athleticism. This holistic approach ensures she maintains flexibility and cardiovascular health alongside her strength gains.
The Role of Nutrition in Physique Maintenance
A significant component of Ivanka Trump’s transformed physique is her dietary adjustments, particularly a dramatic increase in her protein intake. She now aims to consume between 30 to 50 grams of protein per meal, crediting this shift as critical to her progress and contributing to her feeling stronger than ever. This focus on high protein supports muscle growth and recovery, complementing her intense strength training regimen.
Ivanka Trump’s fitness journey underscores the importance of a balanced and adaptable approach to health. Her shift to consistent weightlifting, combined with a protein-rich diet and active lifestyle, highlights that effective fitness is about finding what works consistently for an individual to achieve their desired results.
