It’s a mix of Pilates, mobility work, and strength-building moves.
Kerri Walsh Jennings’s 40th birthday is five months away (August 15), but you’d think she’s 10 years younger watching her rip through an hour-long beach workout. She personifies longevity in sports—and believes age really is just a number. “The fact that I’m 39 years old plays no mind in the way I train; it's just where I'm at in my life,” she says. “I don't want to stop or ever be told you can't go higher and higher and higher.” That’s the mindset she’s taking with her on the road to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo where she wants to take home her fourth gold medal.
Sidelined last summer with two injuries, her shoulder and her ankle, she’s now back in action and Furthermore had the opportunity to spectate one of her recent workouts alongside her best friend, makeup artist Roxanne (Roxy) Saffaie, and her trainer Kerry Wachtfogel. Walsh Jennings also talked about how much sleep she deems necessary, how her relationship with her body changed after becoming a mom, and her latest project, p1440.
And as for those injuries, she doesn’t see them as setbacks. In fact, she thinks fear and pain and uncertainty can be full of magic and growth. “I believe that there's an opportunity and there's positive to every situation, no matter how bleak it can seem, whether it's a difficulty in a relationship or with a teammate or with yourself and your body,” says Walsh Jennings. “With my two injuries, they were total blessings in disguise. I would have never gotten my ankle fixed if I didn't hurt my shoulder. Instead of looking at my sixth shoulder surgery as, ‘What am I doing? Am I done?’ I can say, ‘Thank you, Lord, for this chance to be stronger than ever.’
Watch her beach workout in the video above, then read our Q&A. You can also scroll down to see some of her go-to exercises.
The Exercises
Dynamic Band Work
Partner Toss with Twist
Core Punch
Shoulder Strength and Mobility
Medicine Ball Wall Toss
TRX Plank with Splits
Photography by Sam Kweskin