Madison Keys Is a Fan of Orangetheory Fitness, Just Like Us

POPSUGAR: What do your typical workouts consist of in addition to (obviously) tennis and training?

Madison Keys: I usually go back and forth between a cardio-based day and a weightlifting day. So Monday will be weights, Tuesday will be cardio. And then usually on Saturday, it will be kind of a combination circuit. So it's kind of best of the both worlds.

PS: What kind of strength workouts do you like to do?

MK: I obviously focus a lot on my lower body to have the strength there. So we do lots of either front squats or back squats and things like that. But also we do a lot of plyos and stuff, so we'll do a set of back squats and then go straight into box jump just to keep the fast twitch muscles going.

PS: And what kind of cardio do you usually do?

MK: I kind of do a little bit of everything. I like to do a lot of side sprints. Today, we did bursts of [Versa]Climber sprints. So a lot of my cardio is obviously quick or short bursts to mimic tennis. So whether that's shuttle runs or side sprints or bursts of climber sprints, it's usually 15 to 30, 45 seconds, and then break and then go again.

PS: I heard that you like Orangetheory. Is that true?

MK: I do. I used to do it for a while. I really liked that it was a combination of weightlifting and also cardio. So, for me, it was kind of best of both worlds. You could go in, and in 45 minutes, feel like you got an amazing workout. [Editor's note: Orangetheory Fitness workouts are typically 60 minutes.]

PS: Do you still do Orangetheory at all? I know you're probably super busy and probably don't have time to fit it in.

MK: I don't usually have time to fit it in. I typically work out with a trainer and do my own thing.

PS: What does a typical day of eating look like for you, especially when you're in training mode?

MK: In training mode, I usually have eggs and avocado toast to start and then maybe have a snack before I start working out. Then I have practice, fitness, usually try to have some sort of a Kind bar in there just to help get me through. And then for lunch, I'll have a really big salad with some sort of carb on top of the salad, whether that's quinoa or rice — something like that.

Then I usually have another practice in the afternoon. And then at the end of the day, that's where I usually do fish or chicken, and then I have a big side of veggies. Depending on what I have in store for the next day, if it's going to be a heavy day, I might have rice or potatoes, some sort of carb. And if it's a lighter day, I usually will just stick to adding another half portion of vegetables.

PS: If you're on your off-training day or maybe after a big competition, do you have any cheat foods or any kind of indulgence foods?

MK: I love food [laughs]. I love pizza and ice cream. And I have a big sweet tooth, so for me, it's a lot more about giving myself little treats. So on an off day, I don't completely binge. But at the end of the day, I have a square or two of dark chocolate. But as far as if I really want to go big, my go-to is usually ice cream or pizza.

PS: Can you tell me a little bit about the Acuvue See It Through campaign and why it's important to you?

MK: I think the See It Through campaign is important to me because it's all about young people setting goals and doing what inspires them, and for me, that's obviously why I was doing something at my age, but also it's just kind of how I want to live my life. I want to be a role model for people and also to seriously grow. It's just something that's so organic and natural to me just because it was something that I was already doing, so to have a brand that is also doing that and being able to partner was perfect.

PS: What do you want young people and teenagers to know? What advice you have for them?

MK: I think the biggest thing is that no goal is too big. You can really do anything you set your mind to. I was 9 or 10 years old when I declared that I was going to be a professional tennis player. And, obviously, at 10 years old, I didn't really know what had to go in to achieving that, but I decided that that's what I wanted to do and I just did it. So I think just remembering that you can really do anything that you set your mind to.

PS: Do you have a favourite mantra or saying that kind of gets you motivated for a big competition?

MK: I mostly just remind myself of why I'm doing what I'm doing, and for me, that's because I really love tennis. So on those days that I don't want to wake up and go to the gym, I remind myself that I'm doing it so that I can be in the quarterfinals in the slam or trying to win the Grand slam. So the biggest thing is just reminding myself why I'm doing what I'm doing, and that usually gets me motivated.