Taylor Cummings is one of the most decorated women’s lacrosse players of all time. She played midfield for University of Maryland and helped the Terps to two national championships (2014, 2015). In 2014, 2015, and 2016, Cummings received the Tewaaraton Award, which is given to the most outstanding American college lacrosse player. She is the only player in men’s or women’s lacrosse to receive this award three times. Additionally, she was a four-time first team All-American. Cummings has continued to stay involved with lacrosse since graduating from Maryland in 2016. She’s an Under Armour athlete and the head coach of the powerhouse McDonogh School girls’ varsity lacrosse team, which happens to be her alma mater. She also founded Taylor Cummings Lacrosse, where she leads camps and clinics for lacrosse players all over the country. The 24-year-old Cummings, a Baltimore resident, remains a dominant force in the sport. On top of all her other ventures, she’s a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team and the New York Fight, which is part of the Women’s Professional Lacrosse League.
We recently talked with Cummings about how she maintains a healthy diet and exercise routine, the advice she has for starting and sticking to an exercise program, and tips for young athletes.
When you’re not training with the U.S. Lacrosse team or the New York Fight, what does a typical workout look like for you?
I’ll do some sort of endurance run. I’ll do four-, five-, or six-mile runs, three to four times a week. Then two times a week, I’ll do strength training with Jay Dyer, who’s our U.S. Lacrosse trainer. I do a lot of single-leg isolation work, quick reactions, working on footwork, and little sprints. When I’m not in my peak seasons, I’ll incorporate spin, boxing, or boot camps. It’s a different kind of cross-training, where I’m still getting a good workout in, but not lifting heavy weights.
A lot of these workouts are done on our own. When you get to the professional leagues, 99 percent of the work you do is outside of your team. When you get time with your team, that’s where it pays off, and you can worry about lacrosse and not so much the training aspects.
When you have a busier day but still need to get a workout in, what is your go-to exercise routine?
It depends on what I have available. If I have a treadmill, I’ll do a 20-minute or three-mile run, and finish with a couple of sprints to get my heart rate up. If I don’t have a treadmill, I do a lot of the Kayla Itsines BBG [Bikini Body Guide] workouts. There are four seven-minute circuits, and a lot of it is body weight, so you don’t need equipment. If I’m in a hotel that has stairs that are open, I’ll run some stairs. A go-to for me is running three or four miles or a body-weight circuit.
Do you have any favorite exercises or equipment?
I love the TRX band, not only for your arms, back, and shoulders, but also for the core. I do a lot of mountain climbers, oblique work, plus stabilization. Whenever I have the opportunity, I use the stair climber for a 15- or 20-minute blowout after a long-distance run. That’s something that’s super easy in terms of you’re just climbing stairs, but you still get a full-body workout.
Can you talk about your diet?
I try to go by the 80/20 rule where, especially during the week, I eat healthy when I can. I’m not a huge breakfast person, so I will typically either eat a quick bar or shake before I go work out.
I eat a lot of celery and peanut butter, raisins, and fruit. I often have turkey sandwiches or turkey pitas so I can get a little bit of protein. Dinner is where I typically get a lot more of my vegetables. I eat a lot of stir-fry where I sauté some chicken, steak, or shrimp with vegetables and rice.
There are also times where if I want a piece of pizza, I’m going to have a piece of pizza. I kind of live under the motto of you really do only live once, and I’m not going to keep myself from eating things that I want to eat. It’s all about balance and making sure that you don’t punish yourself for eating the bad things.
What are your exercise or nutrition goals?
I was a really picky eater when I came into college. One of my goals was branching out and trying new things. I’ve come a long way in terms of how much I’ll eat, the variety of foods, and the number of vegetables and fruits. My goal is to be able to not have to worry about anything when I go to a restaurant. I’ve achieved that so far, but I want to keep trying new things and see what works for my body and what doesn’t. I focus on making sure what I eat is healthy.
What advice do you have for people who are starting with an exercise routine?
Start on the treadmill or the elliptical on a slower speed for 20 minutes, and then progress to 25 minutes by the end of the week. Then maybe in a week or two, turn up the speed by a notch or two. I think starting slow and then slowly building upon it allows people to get confidence. It won’t be as hard as you imagine and then you have the confidence to try new, more intense things.
If you start to get bored, try switching it up with a different piece of equipment. Start at the super basics and an easier level, and then work your way up. Don’t go out and run a marathon on your first try. Build up. I think that helps people become confident, and then once they start seeing results, they get the bug where they’re like, “Okay, this is actually working. I’m actually helping my body. I feel great. I look better.” I think the big thing is making sure you feel great about yourself, and not necessarily relying on what’s in the mirror or what’s on the scale.
What advice do you have for young athletes regarding nutrition and exercise?
As a young athlete, your body is developing. Make sure that you’re talking and thinking about yourself in a positive manner. For me, while playing soccer and lacrosse, my thighs got really strong, and I started to really hate the way my body looked. It took me a while to realize that my legs and my strength were what made me really good at sports. It helped me be successful. That’s when I started to really love my body and really cherish it and value everything it gave me. As an athlete, your body might look different than people who dance or people who do art. Everyone looks different, but at the end of the day, it’s your vessel that allows you to do so much on and off the field. How your body looks doesn’t really matter as much as how you treat yourself and what you’re able to do as an athlete because of your strength.
