The Truth of The Brazilian Body Workout: Aeroboxing of Adriana Lima
As physically involved as the sport is, it requires quick thinking, so Olajide begins Lima’s workouts with five to ten minutes of exercises designed to sharpen her mental concentration, including jumping jacks and shadowboxing—complicated eight-count combinations to keep Lima on her toes. “She is really smart. If it’s too repetitious, she doesn’t want anything to do with it,” says Olajide, laughing.
Next, the former middle-weight champion hands her a jump rope—which he calls the “rainmaker” for its ability to induce sweat—for up to 30 minutes of intense double unders (rotating the rope around your body twice within one jump), cross overs (crossing the rope in front of your body), and side-to-sides, during the course of which Lima performs complicated footwork that would put Double Dutch champions to shame.
At this point, Lima dons mitts and takes to the speed bag for a rhythmic, high-frequency ten minutes of throwing punches, followed by ten minutes of double-end bag work. “I think of cardio as muscular endurance,” says Olajide. “Through bodyweight resistance and high repetitions, everything she does burns calories.”
Better yet, the mere rotation from throwing technically perfect hooks, uppercuts, and jabs defines her Victoria’s Secret–worthy abs, meaning she never needs to do crunches. “I call it Grand Central,” says Olajide of her core, “because that’s where everything originates.”
For the end of the workout, the pair heads into the ring to spar for up to 40 minutes. With gloves on, they throw choreographed punches at high speeds. “It’s like a dance,” says Olajide, “but she has to remember to duck.” To make sure Lima is perfectly toned and that “her butt really pops,” they round out each session by zeroing in on bodyweight-resistance strength-training exercises.
The challenging full-body workout ensures that, on the road, Lima need only squeeze in ten minutes of jumping rope each day to stay fit. Aside from keeping her famously toned form in high demand, boxing bestows her with confidence and patience. “You know how powerful you are and how much strength you have. When you’re confident, you’re not bothered by much,” says Lima. And what’s more beautiful than that?
