{"id":7642,"date":"2023-09-24T20:09:56","date_gmt":"2023-09-24T13:09:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=7642"},"modified":"2023-09-24T20:09:56","modified_gmt":"2023-09-24T13:09:56","slug":"ginny-maccoll-oldest-competitive-ninja-on-her-core-workout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=7642","title":{"rendered":"Ginny MacColl, Oldest Competitive Ninja, on Her Core Workout"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p> <span class=\"drop-cap__first text-dropcap \">G<\/span>inny MacColl never played a competitive sport until her 60s. From the third grade to her 30s, she was a trained dancer\u2014eventually landing an understudy role on Broadway\u2019s <em>Pippin<\/em> in the \u201870s.<\/p>\n<p>Then, at age 63, she took up obstacle courses. \u201cI was inspired by my daughter, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/jessiegraffpwr\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/jessiegraffpwr\/?hl=en\">Jessie Graff<\/a>\u2014who&#8217;s been on <em>American Ninja Warrior<\/em> for 10 seasons now,\u201d MacColl says. \u201cI saw how strong, healthy, and beautiful she looked\u2014and I wanted to be strong, so that&#8217;s how this whole ninja thing started.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At the behest of the <em>American Ninja Warrior<\/em> casting department, who had seen her in a segment working out alongside Graff, MacColl competed in her first Ninja obstacle course on the show six years ago.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Now 71, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ginnymaccoll\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ginnymaccoll\/?hl=en\">MacColl<\/a> recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.guinnessworldrecords.com\/news\/2023\/9\/meet-the-senior-ninjas-proving-age-is-nothing-but-a-number-758258\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.guinnessworldrecords.com\/news\/2023\/9\/meet-the-senior-ninjas-proving-age-is-nothing-but-a-number-758258\">set a Guinness World Record<\/a> as the world\u2019s oldest competitive ninja athlete who is a woman.<\/p>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_1115381\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1115381\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1115381 js-inline-lazy-load\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Ginny-MacColl-USA-Oldest-competitive-female-Ninja-Athlete-3-600x400_falsexfalse_true_70.webp\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1115381\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: Guinness World Records<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p>As we chat about her accomplishments on a video call, MacColl shares a piece of wisdom she\u2019s learned over her seven decades. \u201cIt&#8217;s never too late to start,\u201d she tells Well+Good with a confident smile on her face. \u201cThere are people in their 80s and 90s that are finding great abilities in strength training just <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/resistance-band-exercises-seniors\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/resistance-band-exercises-seniors\/\">using resistance bands<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have to believe in yourself and what you can do,\u201d MacColl adds. \u201cThe mental component, I think, is one of the hardest things in all of this. But you want to find your passion, commit to it, and make it a habit.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline pr-6 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/ginny-maccoll-core-workout\/\" current-title=\"This Is the No. 1 Core Workout That the World\u2019s Oldest Competitive Ninja Athlete Swears By at Age 71\" current-image=\"Ginny-MacColl-USA-Oldest-competitive-female-Ninja-Athlete-2-425x285.jpg\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2023-03-24\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/ginny-maccoll-core-workout\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/ginny-maccoll-core-workout\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img decoding=\"async\" :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/ginny-maccoll-core-workout\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\" class=\" js-inline-lazy-load\" src=\"\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Ninja athlete Ginny MacColl, 71, shares her workout regimen<\/h2>\n<p>In her six years competing in the highly physical game show, MacColl has had to perfect a workout routine that helps support her goal of being strong and keeping movement in her life. \u201cMoving parts don\u2019t rust,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>Needless to say, it takes a lot of time, effort, and discipline to be a ninja athlete. MacColl works out five to six days a week, then prioritizes rest on the days she isn\u2019t in the gym or at an obstacle course. Here\u2019s what her regimen looks like:<\/p>\n<h3>Balance work<\/h3>\n<p>Let it be known that the oldest female ninja athlete in the world loves workouts that help <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/improving-balance\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/improving-balance\/\">improve her balance<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBalance work is so hard and so important for our quality of life,\u201d says MacColl. To that end, she\u2019ll practice yoga a couple times a week to strengthen, stretch, and build her muscles. \u201cI was becoming too tight and not as flexible as I used to be\u2014which could be age, too,\u201d she adds. Taking up a regular yoga practice has helped combat that.<\/p>\n<h3>Strength training<\/h3>\n<p>MacColl breaks up her strength training between push workouts (i.e. movements that require you to push upward or outward) that target her chest, triceps, and shoulders, and pull days, which focus on her back and biceps\u2014aka the pulling muscles. \u201cI\u2019ll do <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.avantlink.com%2Fclick.php%3Ftt%3Dcl%26mi%3D21449%26pw%3D316961%26ctc%3DSTMSFT-447970%26url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.trxtraining.com%252F&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fginny-maccoll-core-workout%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.trxtraining.com\/\">TRX training<\/a> and a lot of work on my back because that\u2019s what you need to do a good pull-up,\u201d MacColl says.<\/p>\n<p>And she\u2019s careful not to neglect leg workouts. \u201cI can\u2019t say I <em>like<\/em> squats, but I do them,\u201d she says, laughing. \u201cI work on jumps and lunges for explosive power. I\u2019ll also go up and down the stairs or hop on the elliptical,\u201d she says. \u201cI like to change it up.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t say I <em>like<\/em> squats, but I do them.&#8221; \u2014Ginny MacColl<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>Cardio<\/h3>\n<p>MacColl does cardio workouts four times a week, typically by swimming. \u201cI\u2019ll swim with a club and a coach,\u201d she says. (In fact, the morning of our interview, MacColl was at her swim club.) She also swims competitively at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/national-senior-games-2023\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/national-senior-games-2023\/\">National Senior Games<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Agility on the obstacle course<\/h3>\n<p>As a competitor on <em>American Ninja Warrior<\/em>, MacColl hits an outdoor obstacle course twice a week to keep those skills fine-tuned.<\/p>\n<h2>The exercise that MacColl swears by to keep her core strong<\/h2>\n<p>When I ask MacColl for one of her favorite workouts, she mentions a five-step core exercise\u2014which she lights up talking about. This series, she says, has her \u201cdying by the end of the workout.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how she does it:<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Do a <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/hollow-hold\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/hollow-hold\/\"><strong>hollow hold<\/strong><\/a><strong> for 30 seconds.<\/strong> \u201cLying on your back, you pull in your ribs and abs while holding your arms and your legs up [at approximately 45 degrees],\u201d says MacColl. (Note: You <em>start<\/em> by lying on your back, but when you raise your arms, your upper back and legs are off the floor.)<\/p>\n<div class=\"iframe-container\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How to do a Hollow Hold | The Right Way | Well+Good\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TNHSgs_orU0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>2. Do 10 V-Ups.<\/strong> Also called<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/jackknife-exercise\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/jackknife-exercise\/\"> \u201cjackknifes,\u201d<\/a> this move starts by lying on the floor with your arms extended overhead, then\u2014using your core\u2014 you lift both legs and upper body off the ground. \u201cYou simultaneously reach your arms and your legs toward each other,\u201d MacColl instructs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"iframe-container\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How to do a Jackknife | The Right Way | Well+Good\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8a8UpEABFmk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>3. Go right into a flutter kick for 30 seconds.<\/strong> (Read: Don\u2019t lie down.) You perform this flutter kick by bringing your back and feet up about 45 degrees, then quickly kicking your feet up and down.<\/p>\n<div class=\"iframe-container\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How To Do HOLLOW BODY FLUTTER KICKS | Exercise Demonstration Video and Guide\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SnoeNEynaXo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>4. Do 10 knee-ups.<\/strong> Still with your back raised, bend your knees so that they form a 90-degree angle and face the ceiling. Then, bring your knees toward your forehead. (Almost like a crunch, but with your lower body crunching in while your upper body stays still.)<\/p>\n<div class=\"iframe-container\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Reverse Crunch Form #crunches #absworkouttoday #homeworkouts #core #formcheck\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8E4nGnNKLgI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>5. Do <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/scissors-exercise\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/scissors-exercise\/\"><strong>scissor kicks<\/strong><\/a><strong> for 30 seconds. <\/strong>To do a scissor kick, bring your knees up and keep them slightly bent. Kick them up slower and higher than you did in the flutter kick.<\/p>\n<div class=\"iframe-container\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ap4DqnKmrqc\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ap4DqnKmrqc<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Don&#8217;t stop her now<\/h2>\n<p>So what\u2019s next for MacColl? Initially, she started her <em>American Ninja Warrior<\/em> career to be as strong as her daughter and have something that they could do together. Netting a Guinness World Record has only given her even more motivation to keep at it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI never knew that it could lead to being the oldest [woman to be a Ninja athlete],\u201d MacColl says. \u201cI&#8217;m going to have to keep going so I can make sure nobody else beats it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer src=\"https:\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ginny MacColl never played a competitive sport until her 60s. From the third grade to her 30s, she was a trained dancer\u2014eventually landing an understudy role on Broadway\u2019s Pippin in the \u201870s. Then, at age 63, she took up obstacle courses. \u201cI was inspired by my daughter, Jessie Graff\u2014who&#8217;s been on American Ninja Warrior for &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7648,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7642\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}