Jessica Ennis-Hill, was born in 1986, and is most famous for winning a gold medal in the heptathlon, at the 2012 Olympic Games, which was held in London.

After the Olympics, Jess caused a media frenzy, became a national treasure, and appeared on mainstream TV shows, such at the Jonathan Ross Show (August 2012). 

Jess appeals to the mainstream public, because she’s successful, attractive, has a shapely/athletic body, and comes across as a down to earth lady (a proper Yorkshire lass, as they say up North! Lol). 

In this article, we pay homage to the legend that is Jessica Ennis-Hill. We will look at the Jessica Ennis Workout And Diet Routine, studying what made her successful in relation to health and fitness, we’ll also look at what she’s up to now, since retiring from athletics.

We hope that within this article you gain plenty of knowledge, wisdom and tips – to help educate and inspire you on your own journey…

Jessica Ennis Olympic Training 

In the build up to the London 2012 Olympics, Jess was doing lots of sports specific work, to improve her time, speed, and distance in the 7 events that are featured in a heptathlon event. The 7 events of a heptathlon are…

1. 100m Hurdles 
2. High Jump
3. Shot Put 
4. 200m Run
5. Long Jump
6. Javelin Throw 
7. 800m Run 

Jess would practice each event specifically, with the help of her coach Toni Minichiello (an athletics coach who trained Jess until her retirement in 2016).  

Here’s a video of Jess training just prior to the London Olympics in 2012…

Alongside sports specific training Jess also did…

Weight Training – with the events in a heptathlon being relatively short, having muscle is advantageous. Lots of strength and power are required in order to be successful in the heptathlon event. For example you need strong and powerful legs for the 100m hurdles, and high jump, but you also need excellent core and arm strength for the shot put, and javelin throw. Jess would lift weights doing exercises like squats, lunges, core work (bicycle crunches, planks, medicine ball drills), as well as training he upper body with barbells and dumbbells. 

Circuit Training – the aim of this style of training is to improve muscular endurance and aerobic fitness. Whilst the 100m hurdles is a short event, the 800m run is just over 2 mins long – so it’s important to have more in the tank and one of the best ways to do this is short and intense circuits. 

Jessica Ennis-Hill Diet Routine 

Alongside her intense training schedule (often training 2x per day) – Jess also followed a specific diet routine, which looked like this…

Breakfast – either: toast, cereal (Special K, Granola), porridge, yoghurt, and fruit juice (apple or orange) 

Post Workout – Snack, sports drink (Powerade), cereal bar, or a banana 

Lunch – either: veg soup, chicken sandwich, ham salad, roast beef, or some other protein rich food with rice or pasta 

Dinner – either: pasta bake, grilled steak salad, chicken stir fry, lasagne 

Diet Theory 

Basically, her diet consisted of a perfect blend of protein, carbs and fats. Protein is key for building muscle, and for women who work out (especially with weights) you should be aiming for at least 100g of protein per day. 

Alongside the protein, carbs were also extremely important to help Jess train hard. When doing events like the heptathlon, you need stored carbohydrates in muscles (this is called glycogen) – so carbs are crucial for energy in both completion and training. 

Jess ate a mixture of complex carbs (rice, pasta) to help her recover in between workouts, but also consumed simple sugars, especially around the training window – pre and post workout. Simple carb foods which she consumed were foods such as: fruit juice, cereal bars, and energy drinks- to help give her a quick boost of energy. 

Finally, fats are important for healthy hormones. You can see in Jess’s diet that she consumed foods such as steak – which is full of fat, and amino acids – important for healthy hormones, muscular growth and recovery in between workouts/competitions.  

New Chapter 

Jessica Ennis-Hill no longer competes, although her legacy still lives on. Jess is now a mum of two children, and has diversified into other ventures. One of the main things Jess is now focused on is helping women to get fit… 

Recently, Jess has released her own fitness app called Jennis – which is aimed at pre and postnatal women. It’s a fantastic app, and it’s specifically aimed at helping mums, sharing the best exercises. For example during pregnancy it’s common for the lower back to get sore, this is due to the bump in your tummy pulling you forward, therefore it’s absolutely key to strengthen the glutes (butt) and hamstrings (the muscles at the back of the legs). Strengthening these muscles gives your back extra support whilst standing. Being the expert that she is, Jess covers all of this, and much more. 

The app is motivating, and encourages you to take small manageable steps, it’s not an unsustainable plan, where you have to turn yourself into an athlete overnight! It’s manageable and perfect for mums, and women in general who want to lead a fitter, and healthier lifestyle. 

Thanks for reading,

Nick 🙂