Ronda Rousey Shares Her Secret to Being a Badass
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Just weeks after becoming the first woman to grace the cover of Men's Fitness Australia, UFC fighter Ronda Rousey strikes another fierce pose in an OYE Swimwear bathing suit on the cover of Self's November issue. In the accompanying shoot, Ronda shows off killer judo moves and the badass gaze we've come to know her for, and she also gives us a little insight into what it takes to be the best — as in, an undefeated UFC fighter and Olympic medalist who was recently rated as the best fighter, pound for pound, in the world (made especially apparent when she knocked out her opponent in just 34 seconds at a recent UFC championship). If you need a dose of Ronda's steely determination in your own life (who doesn't?), get ready to be inspired with a few of Ronda's best quotes and her surprisingly simple workout, and look for the Self November issue on newsstands.
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On being the best: "It's motivating, because it's something I have to keep earning. When I was a kid, all I did was train. I never went to a dance, I never had a date, I never went to a single party. Training was my whole life, and it was because I wanted to be able to win the Olympics more than I wanted to go to the movies with my friends. It's funny, because people get offended by the mind-set that it takes to be the best."
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On fighting strategies that carry over into life: "The one that really sticks out in my mind comes from my mom. She'd always tell me that you have to be your best on your worst day, because what if the Olympics fall on a bad day?"
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On what "badass" means to her: "Someone who's willing to do what needs to be done. There are plenty of times where people know and they don't do it — because it's not comfortable or easy. If you do what's right regardless of how it's going to make you look, then you're really a badass."
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How to train like Ronda:
With a few modifications, you, too, can train like an undefeated champ, says Ronda's trainer, Edmond Tarverdyan.
Warmup: "Ronda jogs on the treadmill for 20 minutes with a 2-pound dumbbell in each hand," Edmond says. "The pace is good but not too fast. The point is conditioning, and the little weights help tone her arms. Believe it or not, even though she is very strong we use a lot of light dumbbells in her training — the kind of weight any woman can use."
Legs: "Ronda does a lot of stair work. She runs the Santa Monica Stairs — there are almost 400 — and she'll run straight up doing one at a time," Edmond says. "Then she'll do side steps, first leading with her right leg, then her left. Then she'll go up two stairs at a time and repeat the whole routine. You could do the same thing on stadium steps."