The Athlete Spotlight: Meet Ana Learmann
It’s time to catch up with some more of our AYBL Athlete family…
Meet Ana Learmann, a fitness influencer and Nutrition major who, like us, is using her platform to help empower others to take charge of their own fitness journey.
Her kind and down-to-earth nature shines through every piece of content, from Instagram and YouTube to TikTok. And as someone who has bounced back from injury, it’s clear to see she won’t let anything stand in her way of achieving her goals.
See what else Ana had to say when we caught up with her below.
THANKS FOR CATCHING UP WITH US, ANA! TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR FITNESS JOURNEY.
My fitness journey started with sport and just a genuine love for staying active, having teammates, working together and winning together. But that all came to a stop at the end of my sophomore year of basketball when I tore my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), meniscus, PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) and various other ligaments. I was then due to have surgery, but due to covid, it was postponed until the next month.
Once I had surgery, I realised that staying in shape and moving my body has always been important to me and because I could no longer participate in sports, I opted for the gym. From there, I started learning and seeing progress, not only from physical therapy for my knee, but in myself.
Online, I started posting TikTok dances and people admired the way I looked and started asking for workout routines. The positive feedback from others online gave me the confidence to start posting more regularly, which has allowed me to learn and grow with my supporters and audience ever since.
Months went by and I started to attract more and more attention for fitness, lifestyle and fun. Now, here I am, a year later still doing content creation online due to the fact that I tore my ACL.
DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS OR ADVICE FOR SOMEONE WHO IS LOOKING TO START SHARING THEIR FITNESS JOURNEY ON SOCIAL MEDIA?
Just do it! It sounds so simple - and believe me, it’s not - but you’ll miss every chance you don’t take.
Start out by just doing it for yourself and use it as a way to track your progress and learn as you move through your fitness journey.
Be consistent with posting once, maybe even twice a day, depending on the platform. Also, be creative and be yourself - never be afraid to show your personality, as it shows people that you’re relatable and real. From there, you will start to attract an audience that has goals and ideals that align with yours. After that, you’ll have your own community of people who are invested in your journey and just you in general.
All it takes is one post, you got it!
@ana.learmann Here are some things I do if I’m not feel like going to the gym, try one of them out to get you up and motivated🙌🏽 #beaybl @ehplabs ♬ original sound - I am Regina Phalange
WHAT DOES YOUR TYPICAL WEEKLY WORKOUT ROUTINE LOOK LIKE?
My typical weekly workout routine looks like this:
- Mondays: Back and biceps.
- Tuesdays: Quads and calves.
- Wednesdays: Glutes and hamstrings.
- Thursdays: Chest and triceps.
- Fridays: Abs and cardio.
- Weekend: Rest and get outside.
WHAT IS YOUR PROUDEST AND MOST CHALLENGING MOMENT SO FAR IN REGARDS TO YOUR FITNESS JOURNEY?
I think my proudest moment in my fitness journey was finally getting the ‘all-clear’ from my physical therapist. When my injury occurred, it was the first serious injury I’d had. I’d never broken, sprained or severely hurt any part of my body prior to that, so losing most, if not all, of my muscle mass in my right leg for nine months was the most challenging thing I have physically had to go through.
I remember at one point, I was lying down at physiotherapy and was asked to lift my leg up. Although it seemed simple, I was unable to do it - I didn’t have enough muscle to do so. That gave me the motivation to give it my all in the gym and push myself to get back to being me.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT BEING AN AYBL ATHLETE AND HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE SEEN AS INFLUENTIAL TO OTHERS?
I love the AYBL community and family!
It doesn’t feel like work to me, it feels more like a hobby. Getting to work not only with the brand itself, which is amazing and empowering, but working with the people behind the scenes is so surreal. I would not be where I am without the constant love and support from AYBL.
As far as being influential goes, I don’t think I have my head wrapped round it still. I feel as though my supporters are my best friends and we are all learning and growing together in life. My platforms are just large groups of people with common interests uplifting each other and that is what I love most about what I do.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE AYBL CAMPAIGN TO WORK ON AND WHY?
My favourite AYBL campaign has to be going to LA for the Summer Sale photoshoot. I had so much fun, the AYBL family were so nice, generous and kind. They made sure I was well rested, fed and had fun throughout all of the shoots.
My favourite memory was when we stopped and went on a rollercoaster - because why not?
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE AYBL COLLECTION OR SET AND WHY?
My favourite AYBL collection is the Motion Collection. I love the variety of dark and light colours. The comfortability of the fabric, whether I want to lounge around the house, go on a hike or workout, is a perfect fit for every occasion. I’m obsessed to say the least!
DO YOU HAVE ANY TOP TIPS TO HELP OUR FEMALE COMMUNITY ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS?
Listen to your favourite music, take your supplements, put on a cute outfit and do your workout. It can be intimidating going to a gym and seeing people work out, feeling as though all eyes are on you, but trust me, they’re not. People are at the gym to work out just like you, so go in and work hard and reward yourself with a protein shake for the gains when you get home!
WHAT DOES THE NEXT SIX TO 12 MONTHS LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
I’m currently studying Nutrition, so I’ll be continuing my college education.
I also want to continue to build my platforms and audience with my sister, especially YouTube, as that’s been our favourite as of recently.
I also want to continue to better myself emotionally and physically, so I can grow as a person throughout everything that I have going on.
DO YOU THINK YOUR CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH LEXIE HAS HELPED YOUR CONTENT GROW AND BE AS SUCCESSFUL AS IT HAS BEEN?
Completely! People love the fact that we’re twins and look so much alike. Online, people engage because they think they’re seeing double or that it’s cool we look so similar. Every time we post something together it does well too.
I would not be where I am without her in general, but also, I could not have done this without her support, motivation and creativity through this entire journey that we’ve accomplished together. She’s my best friend!
Together, the two of them are truly unstoppable - and it just proves that with the right mindset, you can achieve anything!
Take a look at what Lexie had to say when we caught up with the other half of the Learmann Twins.