What can’t Serena Williams do? Since picking up the tennis racquet at four years old, she’s won 23 Grand Slam singles titles and four Olympic gold medals. Not to mention, she’s now a mother of two, devoted wife, and entrepreneur with her investment capital firm, Serena Ventures, and Will Perform, a topical pain relief product company, which launched in December 2022.
However, what’s currently been at the forefront for Williams is motherhood, as she recently gave birth to her second daughter, Adira River Ohanian, in August 2023. Although she’s been happily basking in motherhood with her husband, Alexis Ohanian, Williams did express a desire to get back into the gym to dial up her fitness regimen. Just six months after giving birth to her daughter, we found Williams working on her squats with heavy weights in the gym. In her Instagram Reel filmed in January 2024, she spoke to her fans about how she’s getting back into the “swing” of things and captioned the post, “Back into the swing of things #Thisishowyoudoit.” She also said, “This isn’t my usual weight, but this is what I’m doing until I get back to where I used to be.”
In just one month, she began to see progress as she shared another Reel with her in a sports bra and leggings, letting some of her midriff show, and captioned the video post, “feeling confident.” Next, we saw her slay the red carpet with a tightly fitted bodycon dress throughout awards season, specifically at the Grammys. For the final reveal, she showed a picture of her in a lavender bikini, holding her newborn, and donning her newly sculpted abs. She captioned the post, “Loving yourself is essential. I find that I have to remind myself of that self-love through all different stages in my life. Right now I love that my body is not picture-perfect. I love that I smell like milk – that milk sustains @adiraohanian I love getting to know a new version of my body. It is a change, but it’s a change that has been well worth it. So start this week, knowing that you are loved, and that starts with you. Ok, now I’m about to go to the gym 🤪.”
Aside from consistently staying in the gym and weightlifting, we wanted to share some helpful exercises for getting amazing abs like the star athlete. Check them out below.
Dead squats: If you want to recreate Williams’s exact exercise in her Reel, you should master the art of dead squats. This exercise requires the lifter to rest the barbell on the safety pins before executing the lift, ultimately strengthening your core and developing tension (tightening) with your muscles. Although a dead squat isn’t a direct ab workout, your abs will be activated and engaged during the movement.
An old-fashioned plank: Although this exercise isn’t glamorous or comfortable, routine planks will do the job. To start, lie down and begin in a plank position. Be sure your elbows are aligned underneath your shoulders. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds per set.
Dumbbell side bends: For this exercise, you’ll need a single medium-weight dumbbell to help apply the necessary tension. This exercise will help shape your abs. To start, stand with your feet apart, keep your back straight, activate your core, and bend to the side as far as possible.