Izabelly Araujo

Fitness Model, Competitor

Izabelly Araujo is a Brazilian fitness model and competitor for the figure category. She rose to fame in the fitness scene in 2015, after she began posting pictures of her aesthetic physique online.

Through these posts, she became recognized by several high-profile fitness brands. They offered her the opportunity to make a name for herself in the industry through various collaborations. She gladly accepted it – becoming a sponsored athlete.

But, Izabelly didn’t stop here. In 2015, she made a leap of faith by moving to Florida, U.S. Where she made connections with some of the biggest fitness influences in USA. They helped her become even more recognized, and in turn, went from strength-to-strength.

Since then, Izabelly Araujo has become a name that is easily recognized in Brazil, and Florida. She continues to chase her ambitions. With her main career goal is to help other women create a beach-ready body, as she says; “so they can feel great in their own skin.”

Athlete Statistics

Accomplishments

• Fitness Model
• Figure Division Contestant

Training

Sprints for Muscle Building

Outside of her regular weight training program, Izabelly sometimes incorporates sprints to build muscle. She says that sprints not only burn fat fast. They also activate deeper muscle fibers within her legs, which aren’t usually activated with regular weightlifting. She believes this is the secret behind her awesomely developed lower body.

Usually, she’ll have two sprinting sessions each week; one dedicated for recovery, and the other one for muscle building. For example, on Wednesday, she’ll have a light sprinting session. Meaning, she’ll do 3 100-m sprint intervals, with 2 minutes of rest between each interval.

This isn’t intense enough to cause any muscle tissue breakdown, but gives her increased blood flow – and, in turn, faster muscle recovery.

On Saturday, she’ll have a more intense sprinting session. Which consists of 10 100-m sprint intervals, with only 1 minute of rest between each interval. This way, she doesn’t allow her muscles to fully rest; causing micro-tears deep within the muscle tissue, while burning fat at the same time.

Izabelly’s Leg and Glute Workout

• Squats, 3 sets of 12 reps
• Leg Press, 3  sets of 12 reps
• Romanian Deadlift with dumbbells, 3 sets of 8-10 reps
• Leg Extensions, 4 sets of 12-15 reps
• Seated Leg Curl, 4 sets of 12-15 reps
• Barbell Hip Thrust, 3 sets of 12 reps
• Hip Abductor Machine, 1 set until failure

Nutrition

Straightforward Approach

Izabelly says she likes to keep her approach to nutrition“straightforward.” She eats based on her body’s needs, meaning she never restricts herself of certain foods if her body is truly craving them.

However, she never lets herself to go on an eating binge; especially with unhealthy foods such as pizza and hamburgers. If she eats such foods, she’ll always track her macros carefully. Making sure she stays under her daily calorie allowance limit if her goal is fat loss.

Some of her top healthy food choices are: broccoli, salmon, asparagus, quinoa, hemp seeds, brown rice, lean beef, vegetables, mango, and papaya.

Supplementation

Izabelly only takes one supplement regularly, and that is a whey protein powder. Other than that, she may add in a superfood or a vegetable blend supplement, if she doesn’t consume enough vegetables throughout the day.

She may also add in a whole-food based multivitamin supplement, to make sure she’s covered her daily micronutrient requirements.

What we can learn from Izabelly Araujo

One thing has stood out in Izabelly’s Araujo’s story. That is her willingness to take a big risk in order to reach her goal. She moved from Brazil to a completely different country, where she barely knew anyone. But, she took the risk; believing it would bring her to “greater planes” in fitness.

In the end, her decision was the right one. She became an online sensation, building a flourishing career in fitness for herself.

However, this doesn’t mean that everyone should follow Izabelly’s path. Still, it might be a good idea to keep her story in the back of your mind; in case you ever find yourself in a similar situation.