Adriana Lima’s 45th birthday has brought fresh attention to one of fashion’s most recognizable workout routines.
The Brazilian model, who became one of Victoria’s Secret’s defining Angels, has spent years describing boxing as the workout that fit her personality. Lima was born on June 12, 1981, in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, according to Victoria’s Secret’s official model bio.
Her training has included boxing, jump rope, battle ropes, cardio-heavy drills, yoga, Lagree, and structured meals. Across interviews, Lima has said boxing kept her interested because it gave her combinations to learn, skills to build, and intense cardio without the boredom she felt with some other workouts.
Lima’s name has also been attached to older Victoria’s Secret runway-prep stories that drew criticism for being extreme. She later warned young fans not to copy a liquid-heavy pre-show approach, making her long-term boxing routine and regular eating habits the more useful part of the record.
Boxing Became Lima’s Main Workout
View this post on Instagram
Lima told Daily Burn that she tried spinning, aerobics, step, and yoga before finding boxing. Once she started, she said it became her passion because it was intense, challenging, and never boring.
“Every day you learn something new, whether that’s different combinations of punches, or more moves with the rope,” Lima said. She also described jump rope as one of her favorite options when she did not have time for a full workout, saying it was easy to travel with and could be done almost anywhere.
That skill-based approach has stayed visible in later coverage of her training. Women’s Health reported that Lima has worked with Dogpound founder Kirk Myers, and Dogpound has shared clips of her doing cardio-heavy drills, including battle ropes, boxing, core work, and medicine ball throws.
Her Routine Combines Boxing, Cardio, Yoga, and Lagree
In a 2020 interview with The Standard, Lima said she trained six days a week and took one day off. At the time, she said boxing made up most of her routine, with yoga and Lagree filling out the rest.
She also described a rotating boxing structure at Miami’s 5th Street Gym. One day could focus on legs, another on upper body, another on core, another on cardio, and another on a mix, with sessions running anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour depending on the workout.
Lima’s routine has included several types of training, but boxing is the exercise she has repeatedly described as the one that held her attention. The workouts gave her cardio, coordination, conditioning, and a way to keep improving from session to session.
Her Everyday Eating Was Structured Around Training
Lima’s everyday eating has often been described as structured. In The Standard interview, she said she ate six times a day, roughly every three hours, with three meals and snacks in between.
She said her meals varied but often included foods such as wild fish, quinoa, Japanese yam, beans, and brown rice, with help from nutrition professionals. In the Daily Burn interview, she also pushed back against the idea that intense training can be fueled by skipping meals.
“You can’t skip meals because these workouts are so intense,” Lima said. “You need something substantial to give you the energy to get you through those boxing and cardio sessions.”
Lima Later Warned Fans Not to Copy Extreme Runway Prep
Lima drew criticism in 2011 after discussing an intense pre-Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show routine involving protein shakes and liquid restriction before the runway. After the backlash, she told ET Canada not to copy that approach, according to BET.
“Those teenagers out there, don’t go starving yourself or only drinking liquids. Don’t do that please,” she said at the time. People also reported that Lima said the approach was tied to one specific show-prep window, not something she did throughout the year.
The warning changes how her routine should be described now. Her interviews point to boxing, regular training, skill work, recovery, and enough food to support intense workouts, not a plan built around copying pre-runway restriction.
Her Victoria’s Secret Return Put the Routine Back in the Spotlight
Lima returned to the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 2024, six years after her final walk with the brand. People reported that she walked the 2024 show at age 43 and had appeared in 18 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows before retiring in 2018.
Her return naturally revived interest in how she trains, especially because boxing has been part of her public image for so long. At 45, Lima’s fitness story is still tied less to one runway season than to the workout she has kept choosing for years: boxing, rope work, cardio, and repetition.