Natalie Hays is a women’s natural bodybuilder. Her competitive accolades include winning the 2023 Ms. America, the 2023 Yorton Cup, the 2023 World Natural Bodybuilding Federation (WNBF) World Championship, and the 2024 Natural Olympia.
Already a four-time world champion and the reigning Natural Olympia champion, Hays, 27, is eager to add more titles to her resume. Dr. Mike Israetel of Renaissance Periodization recently delved into Natalie Hay’s backstory and guided her through a workout.
Natalie Hays
Hays shared the story of her knee injury during her senior year of high school basketball. Despite tearing her ACL, she chose not to undergo surgery and instead focused on rehabilitation through relentless training. Her determination to excel in physical therapy became almost obsessive, leading her to discover bodybuilding.
Hays admitted that her journey to building muscle wasn’t immediate, as she struggled to get her nutrition on track. Fortunately, her father guided her, introducing her to foundational exercises like bench presses and deadlifts, which became the cornerstone of her fitness journey.
Natalie Hays’ Training Approach
Hays has trained for nine years and dedicated the last five to weight training twice daily. In 2024, she made her natural bodybuilding debut, and despite her success, Hays revealed that she struggled with feelings of depression after her victories.
While she’s still trying to understand why, she draws parallels to experiences shared by Olympians like Michael Phelps, who have spoken openly about post-competition struggles. Hays suggests that underlying conditions such as ADHD and OCD might play a role.
Hays’ routine maintains her daily structure. She finds competing is often disruptive — the shows weren’t as rewarding as the thought of returning home and resuming her everyday habits, which brought her comfort and stability.
I want to just stay home, eat my meals, train twice a day, go to bed, do my routine, and just get up and do that again.
—Natalie Hays
Superset 1 — Pull-Ups to Deficit Push-Ups
Dr. Israetel directed Hays to superset pull-ups and push-ups without rest. The goal was maximum effort in every set. Once she completed the push-ups, she was allowed a brief 15 to 30-second rest before returning to pull-ups. She completed three sets.
Hays performed pull-ups using a neutral grip. Dr. Israetel highlighted the importance of slow, controlled movements with a brief pause at the bottom of each rep. As she approached her final rep, Dr. Israetel remarked, “Slow, as if you’re going to do another. Ultra slow, all the way down to the hang and jump.”
She dove straight into her deficit push-ups, following Dr. Israetel’s advice to lower her chest to the ground and pause briefly at the bottom of each rep.
Superset 2 — Flexion Dumbbell Row to Incline Dumbbell Press
Dr. Israetel instructed Hays to adopt a deadlift stance, keeping her feet slightly narrower than shoulder-width and maintaining a tight lower back as she pushes her glutes back. This position creates significant tension in her hamstrings. From there, she gently lowered a pair of weights toward the ground before rowing them up to her chest.
Dr. Israetel stressed the importance of controlled movements throughout. Hays admitted that this training style feels different from what she’s used to.
This training style is awesome for really good muscle growth stimulus; lot of body to cover without a ton of time.
—Mike Israetel
Super Range of Motion Lateral (50 Rep Giant Set)
Hays performed controlled lateral raises, lifting smoothly and lowering slowly. Dr. Israetel referred to this technique as “super range of motion.” Hays completed 15 to 20 reps for each set, totaling 50 reps, with strategic rest pauses in between.
Hays incorporated a few partial reps to failure during each giant set. She concluded with a static hold, pausing in the lateral raise position for a few seconds.
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Featured image: @nph_fit on Instagram
